Recipe: Moist Vanilla Yogurt Cupcakes (or Muffins! or Cake!)

Moist is a much disliked word for many people - me included. It just sounds all kinds of wrong. I have serious word aversion when it comes to the word moist and italics only makes it grosser.

There's actually quite a funny story as to how these cupcakes ended up named 'Moist Vanilla Yogurt Cupcakes'. You see, I was on the phone to Jesse when I proclaimed "I hate the word moist... I mean.. really hate the word". Jesse thought it was hilarious how I could so hate a word and couldn't understand my problem. "I mean seriously Jesse... think about it... moist muffin - is that not disgusting?" All I could hear was laughter. 

"But here's my problem... what on earth can I use to describe cupcakes without saying.. ahem... you know what I mean.. there's got to be a synonym for that" so Jesse did what he always does when I ask a ridiculously random question or come up with something that no normal person things about - he went to google. 

Google came back with answers and what came next was a flood of giggles and laughter induced tears. 

"Clammy

Damp 

Dampish 

Dank 

Dewy 

Dripping 

Drippy 

Drizzly 

Humid 

Irriguous 

Muggy

Not dry

Oozy 

Rainy 

Soggy

Teary 

Watery" 

I mean really? 

"Come and try my dank muffins" - who in their right mind would want to eat that?! "You know what, Mary Sue... I made these delicious muffins today and they were so clammy!" still not right.."Today's special are the irriguous muffins, ma'am" yuh.. not working. 

Our personal favourite was "not dry" - come on, that is the lamest synonym I have ever heard. So here it is, my not dry moist vanilla yogurt cupcakes/muffins/cakes. 

I used plain 0% Chobani
in these cupcakes but
you can easily use your
favourite yogurt.
2% is my favourite

 This recipe originally started as an idea for yogurt pound cake, but through my random baking style (basically just going with whatever looks right) I created some of the moistest and most delicious cupcakes with a hint of yogurt flavour. 

They work brilliantly with plain greek yogurt (like the Chobani I used), regular plain yogurt or flavoured yogurt - obviously the taste will change slightly with each one, but choose your favourite yogurt and go with it! 

Eat them as is like a muffin, top them with frosting like a cupcake or bake it into a full sized cake - this recipe is totally adaptable! I've also added blueberries and chocolate chips in other batches with equal success! 

Topped with frosting they are the perfect treat to celebrate....
ONE YEAR GLUTEN FREE! Yep, today August 23rd marks ONE YEAR without Gluten! My gluten free-versary?

 Moist Vanilla Yogurt Cupcakes

makes 9 delicious muffins or cupcakes or one small cake

1 1/2C GF flour/GF pancake mix/plain flour/wholewheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2C cane sugar/castor sugar (use up to 3/4C if using plain yogurt and you like a sweeter cake)

3/4C plain Chobani yogurt (or your favourite yogurt)

1C unsweetened applesauce

2 tsp vanilla 

Preheat oven to 180°C/355°F

Prepare muffin/cupcake tins - grease or line with paper cases. 

In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. 

In a medium bowl mix sugar, yogurt, applesauce and vanilla and pour into dry ingredients. 

Mix wet and dry ingredients until just combined and pour into tins.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer removes clean and the edges pull in from the sides. 

Note: for a cake this will take longer, keep an eye on it and bake until a skewer removes clean and the edges pull in from the sides. 

So tell me, do you dislike the word moist too? 

and are you a cake or frosting person? 

I am actually a cake person, frosting has never interested me much - hence why you see a lot of muffins around here! I just made a quick single serve frosting for these cupcakes (as I froze the rest) by mixing a bit of butter spread/margarine/non dairy spread, cocoa powder and icing sugar - I've also had success using butter and hot chocolate mix!