So Easy Egg and Dairy Free Cupcakes

I searched high and low for a way to make a cake from a boxed mix so other preschool moms could easily use the recipe for class parties (my daughter has food allergies). The challenge - when using egg substitutes, the box mixes just don't rise well and tend to crumble apart. These actually hold their shape, have a nice flavor (very sweet!), and are so easy to make. If you don't like the flavor of banana, you can substitute 1/3rd cup of applesauce instead. They do better at holding together if they are refrigerated overnight before serving.

• Ready In: 25 mins
• Yields: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 (18 ounce) box  yellow cake mix (look carefully at allergen list)
• 1 1⁄3 cups water
• 1⁄3 cup  vegetable oil
• 1  banana (ripe and mashed)
• 1  teaspoon baking powder
• 1  tablespoon vinegar

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Line 24 muffin cups with cupcake papers.
3. Using an electric mixer on low speed, blend the ingredients together (in order) until moistened (approximately 30 seconds) in a large bowl.
4. Scrape the sides of the bowl and blend on medium speed for another 2 minutes.
5. Pour the batter into the muffin cups.
6. Bake according to the directions on the box (this batter can, of course, be used for making cakes of different sizes, not just cupcakes).
7. Be careful not to overfill the cups. This recipe truly does make 24 cupcakes.
8. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes and then remove from the pan and allow to cool completely before frosting.
9. Frost with a purchased dairy and egg free frosting or make your own to use.
10. I find that they are less crumbly if you refrigerate them overnight before serving.