Today is National German Chocolate Cake Day! We're celebrating with a brand-new sweet 'n delicious dessert creation, plus some other fun stuff! Dig in...   

Gooey-Good German Chocolate Cupcakes

PER SERVING (1 frosted cupcake): 138 calories, 3g fat, 258mg sodium, 25.5g carbs, 1g fiber, 15g sugars, 2.5g protein -- PointsPlus® value 4*

If you're tempted to lick raw batter from the bowl while making these, eat the other half of the Jell-O Pudding Snack instead...




Ingredients:
1/4 cup light or fat-free caramel dip (like the kinds by Marzetti)
1 tbsp. finely chopped pecans
2 tbsp. shredded sweetened coconut
Half a Jell-O Sugar Free Creamy Caramel or Dulce de Leche Pudding Snack
2 tbsp. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Two 25-calorie packets hot cocoa mix (like Swiss Miss Diet or Nestlé Fat Free)
1 tsp. Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated) or granulated sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
Half of an 18.25-oz. box (about 1 1/2 cups) moist-style devil's food cake mix
1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with baking cups and/or spray with nonstick spray; set aside.

To make the frosting, combine caramel dip, pecans, coconut, and pudding in a small bowl; stir until blended. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Place chocolate chips, cocoa mix, Splenda (or sugar), and salt in a tall glass. Add 1/4 cup very hot water, and stir until ingredients have dissolved. Add 3/4 cup cold water and stir. Transfer to a large bowl, and add cake mix and egg substitute. Mix batter with a whisk or fork until smooth and blended, about 2 minutes.

Evenly distribute batter among the cups of the muffin pan. Bake for 15 - 18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out fairly clean.

Allow cupcakes to cool completely, and then top evenly with frosting. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Enjoy!

MAKES 12 SERVINGS

FUN FIND! Klean Sugar Body Polish, German Chocolate Cake

We fell in love with KleanSpa queen Jennifer's amazing bath 'n body products last year, and now we love her stuff more than ever. This scrub makes your skin smell like -- no joke! -- German chocolate cake. Plus, it's made with good stuff like brown sugar, real cocoa, and crushed coconut. If you think you can trust yourself NOT to start chomping on your hands, give it a try.

FUN FACT!

Did you know that German chocolate cake has NOTHING to do with the country of Germany? The dessert gets its name from Sam German, the guy who created a mild baking chocolate for Baker's Chocolate Company in 1852. The chocolate was named after him, but an entire century passed before the cake recipe we know (and love) became popular.

MORE FUN! Ooey Gooey German Chocolate Trifle

PER SERVING (1/5th of trifle, about 2/3 cup): 216 calories, 4.5g fat, 330mg sodium, 41g carbs, 6g fiber, 20g sugars, 5.5g protein -- PointsPlus® value 6*

Before we created these adorable little cupcakes, we got our German chocolate cake fix with this thing! It's nearly impossible to turn down a bowl of mousse-y chocolate-caramel awesomeness... Click and see for yourself.