Truth be told, I’m not normally a fan of boxed cake mixes.  Simply because they contain sugar and processed ingredients.  I’ve done many trials of ‘healthy’ gluten free cupcakes, and they’ve failed every time.  I’m not willing to buy 5 different types of weird flours in order to make 1 recipe that I have once in a blue moon.  So thus far I just haven’t made them.  I saw that the Betty Crocker Gluten Free Mix was in my local store, so I decided to give it a try.

I must say, I was really impressed!  I altered the recipe on the box to make it healthier and lower fat.  The cupcakes turned out moist and delicious, and we couldn’t even tell it was gluten free.

So for the couple times a year I do cupcakes, I’d totally use this again!

Ingredients: Rice flour, sugar, potato starch, leavening (baking soda, sodium acid pyrophosphate, monocalcium phosphate, xanthan gum, salt)

*BONUS* Recipe

Here is my ‘altered’ recipe to make them lower fat than the instructions on the box. They turned out great! My 3 year old sure had fun decorating them!

Gluten Free Vanilla Cupcakes

Makes 43 mini cupcakes

1 package Betty Crocker Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix
2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk (or milk of choice)
1/4 cup butter, softened (or Earth Balance for dairy free)
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
3 egg whites (I used carton egg whites, 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp)

Cream Cheese Frosting (Optional)

1 Tbsp butter, softened (or Earth Balance for dairy-free)
2 Tbsp low fat cream cheese, softened (for dairy-free use Tofutti cream cheese substitute)
1 cup icing (powdered) sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

*Note: For sugar-free frosting, mix 1 cup xylitol with 2 tsp corn starch to make an alternative powdered sugar.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a large bowl, add cake mix, milk, butter and applesauce.  Mix with electric beater until combined.  Add in egg, egg whites and vanilla and mix for 2 minutes on medium speed.

Pour into mini muffin tins lined with paper liners or sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake for 12 minutes or until a toothpick comes clean.  Allow to cool completely.  If frosting, mix together all the Cream Cheese Icing ingredients with an electric mixer and frost & decorate cupcakes if desired.

Store cupcakes in a sealed container in fridge.

Nutrition (per mini-cupcake, no frosting)  Calories: 48   Fat: 1.2g   Carbs: 8.7g   Fiber: 0g   Sugar: 4g   Sodium: 68mg   Protein: 0.6g

Nutrition (per 1 Tbsp cream cheese frosting)   Calories: 71   Fat: 1.9 g   Carbs: 13.5   Sugars: 13 g   Fiber: 0   Protein: 0.4 g