Whacky Chocolate Cake

Oven 350°  Bake for 15-25 minutes (less for cupcakes, more for cake), makes 12 cupcakes or 1 8" round.

Read this recipe several times before you start.  There are alternate ways to make this cake that may be confusing.  For sugar free, pay attention to the underlined notes.  For vanilla pay attention to the italicized notes.  Frosting ideas follow at the end.  Feel free to post any questions you may have.

Sift dry ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour (for vanilla cupcakes use 1 3/4 cups flour)
3/4 cup sugar (for sugar free use alternate sugar, see below)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup cocoa powder (for vanilla cupcakes skip the cocoa powder)
Add wet ingredients to dry and stir just until it is mixed.
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla (for vanilla add 1 Tablespoon)
1/3 cup oil
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup cold water (to use honey as your alt. sugar only use 3/4 cup water)

For sugar free cake use 1/2-3/4 cup of honey or 3/4 cup coconut sugar.

This cake is really good with the frosting recipe on the can of Hershey's cocoa powder.  I've also made it with cream cheese frosting which is also super yummy.
Cream Cheese frosting
1 stick of butter soft
1 brick of cream cheese soft
1 teaspoon of vanilla
powdered sugar until the desired consistency is reached

For my sugar free experiments I followed my cream cheese frosting recipe but used the agave powder and honey (with some corn starch added).  For the chocolate frosting I started out the same but added cocoa powder and honey.  I also tried using super fine powdered milk to thicken the frosting.  I'm not happy with any of my sugar free experiments, but they are doable.