Low Fat Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

I knew I wanted to do something chocolatey. This one was at the request of my husband. I was skeptical at first about the one in VCTOW so I decided to meld their recipe & Natalie's together. They turned out really delicious, but steer clear if you're not a chocolate fanatic. They were incredibly rich.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
Pinch salt
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup strong brewed coffee, room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
I also tossed in a couple pinches of cayenne pepper

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake pan with paper liners.
Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and cayenne pepper if you've decided to add it to the mix into a small bowl.
In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, coffee, vanilla and almond extracts.
Add the flour mixture, beating until smooth. Mix in balsamic vinegar.
Stir in chocolate chips. Give a few to your toddler because it's really not fair that you'd sneak a few & he wouldn't get any.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until tops of cupcakes spring back when lightly touched. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.
And about the wire rack...seriously, they cost almost nothing & are worth the investment. They keep the bottoms of your cupcakes from getting all soggy.

Cinnamon cream cheese frosting:
4 oz low-fat (or vegan) cream cheese
1/4 cup butter (or your favorite soy margarine)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups confectioner’s sugar

Blend the cream cheese and butter in a mixing bowl until well combined.
Add cocoa powder, cinnamon, vanilla and sugar (you might want to add the sugar a little at a time to avoid a mess and to make sure the frosting isn’t too stiff to spread.) Increase the speed and beat until fluffy.

I'm with Natalie on the frosting..it was so crazy rich that I didn't put much on. Just enough to top them off because a cupcake without icing is..well..just a muffin after all.
I also stuck a little bar of dark chocolate in the top of each cuppycake & it was a nice touch. They turned out quite well.