First off, if you are a strict paleo-eating, scratch-cooking, anti-artificial-anythinger…look away now. Shield your eyes from this trainwreck. I try to make good choices for myself and my family regarding food…but sometimes I fail. This is a failure that was so easy, and it turned out so well! :)
I was CRAVING (not pregnant) something sweet the other night, and Husband had used the last eggs at breakfast. So, I googled what one could do with a box of cake mix. Did you know that you can substitute all of the wet ingredients for a box cake mix with…wait for it…a can of pop?? Apparently, back when box mixes were first used you only needed water to complete the recipe…but people weren't buying it. Literally. Being so used to using real ingredients in their baking, they didn't believe that such a concoction would actually produce a cake. So, Duncan-Hines, Betty-Crocker and the like added a few more ingredients and steps to please the home bakers.
I tried this technique of just beating the box cake mix and a can of pop (any flavors that complement each other will do) and the cupcakes turned out wonderfully. They were a little flat…but other than that, they were moist and springy. Apparently, eggs act as a binder in cake and keep it from being too crumby. So, you would likely want to stick to cupcakes with this technique because a whole cake might tend to fall apart.
But, now you know…if you're ever in a pinch…you just need 2 ingredients to get your dessert fix. Now, aren't you glad you know that??