CUPCAKE PREPARATION

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat the oven 15 minutes before baking.
• In a large mixing bowl, sift together all-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder. Make sure you spoon and level the flour from the container. Set aside.
  
• Combine sugar and butter in a separate mixing bowl. Beat the two until butter turns pale yellow, light, and fluffy.

  While beating the mixture, use a rubber spatula to scrape the bowl’s sides a couple of times.
  
• Add milk, yogurt, and vanilla essence to the sugar mix. Mix to combine. 
  
• Add in the sifted dry ingredients and beat until a smooth batter forms. Do not over mix the batter.
  
• Add in the secret ingredients – unsweetened applesauce. Gently fold the applesauce until incorporated. Be careful not to over mix the batter. 

  Using a spatula, scrape the bowl’s bottom and sides and make sure everything is thoroughly combined and smooth. 
  
• To prevent liners from sticking to cupcakes, spray them with nonstick cooking spray or brush with a little melted butter. 
  
• Use an ice cream scoop and add the eggless vanilla cupcake batter to the lined cupcake pan. Fill each mold 2/3 of the way up with the batter. Give them some room to rise.
  
• After filling the cupcake liners with batter, tap the pan on the kitchen counter a couple of times. This tapping will help get rid of air bubbles. Do not let the batter-filled-cupcake-pan sit on the counter for long.
• Bake the eggless vanilla cupcakes in the preheated oven for about 18-20 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean. Do not overbake. Overbaking will result in dry cupcakes.
  
• The baking time was 20 minutes for me. But every oven is different; therefore, keep a watchful eye on the cupcakes and make sure they don’t burn.  
  
• Remove from the oven and allow the cupcakes to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. After the resting time is over, remove the cupcakes from the pan. Cool them on a cooling rack.
  
• Allow the cupcakes to cool completely, before unwrapping the liner. Unwrap the liner and reveal the inner beauty.
  
• You can bake a cake out of this recipe. This cake is baked in a 8" x 1½" round cake pan. It's a thin cake pan; therefore, bake the cake for 30-35 minutes @ 350 degrees F.
  
• Or until the toothpick comes out clean. Top with your favorite frosting and enjoy!
  
• This recipe also bakes into a delicious 6-inch round cake.
  
• Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean. This recipe has not been experimented with a 8 X 3 inch round cake pan.