1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

½ cup cocoa powder (not Dutch process)

1 teaspoon baking soda

¾  teaspoons salt

¼   cup vegetable oil (canola is good)

¼   cup unsweetened applesauce

2 eggs

1 cup milk, soured with ½ teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray your chosen pan with oil.

In large mixing bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine oil, applesauce and eggs; beat until smooth. Add milk and vanilla and beat until well blended.

Make a well in the dry mixture and add the wet ingredients all at once.  Blend (use a medium or low setting if you are using an electric mixer) just until all ingredients are mixed. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven until toothpick comes out clean, about 35 - 40 minutes, maybe a little longer, depending on the size of pan you've used.  Leave in the pan, or turn out onto a cooling rack, as you wish.  Standard cupcakes take about 20 minutes, and mini-muffins take about 12 minutes.  Use the toothpick test if you are not sure.

Slices or squares of this cake freeze very well when wrapped in plastic wrap and tucked into the freezer, which makes it great for packing in lunches (it defrosts by lunch time, and tastes as fresh as if it were just baked).