The first time I witnessed someone messing with a typical cake recipe was in college… my roommate made a cake with a can of diet coke. WHAT?! That can’t possibly be tasty… right? Wrong. It tasted great. It tasted like cake! I really couldn’t tell a difference. And the point? Well, there’s a few… it’s cheaper, it’s faster and easier to make, and it’s healthier. The pop was used as a substitute for oil and eggs.
I decided to make some Christmas cupcakes and instead of using pop, I went a step further with the healthy aspect – I used flavored water. Clear American is a zero-calorie, zero-caffeine, zero-sugar, and zero-sodium lightly flavored water. They have eighteen different flavors. 18!
I went to Walmart to get some and while they didn’t have all 18 flavors, they had a huge selection and it was really hard to pick what one I wanted to use for my cupcakes.… so I bought 4 different kinds, haha. But hey, at 64 cents each it wasn’t a big deal!
They were really easy to find, mainly because there are so many of them! They were opposite the pop and next to the energy drinks and other flavored waters. I ended up with Fuji Apple Pear, Cranberry Grape, Kiwi Strawberry, and White Grape. The only thing getting Ryan through this trip to the store? The promise that we were making cupcakes when we got home, haha.
Steve made it easier to choose which of those to use because by the time I got around to baking the cupcakes, he had already drank TWO of my bottles!!! Haha. He didn’t realize I wanted to bake with them! So, I went with Fuji Apple Pear.
Easiest recipe ever. I got a box of yellow cake mix (easy way out, I know) and instead of adding the suggested water, oil and eggs, I simply added 12 oz of Clear American water! SO fast and easy. Stir up the mix and water and it’ll be nice and fluffy.
Pour the mix into your cupcake pans (my mix filled 2 pans = 24 cupcakes). Tips: they’re light and fluffy so fill the muffin tins with a little less mix than you’d normally use and bake for a shorter amount of time (about 15 – 20 minutes).
AWESOME PLUS?! No raw eggs in the cupcake mix so I got to snack away all I wanted while baking 
When they’re done, let them cool and then frost! I used white cream cheese frosting and some red and green icing with edible snowy glitter – festive!
And delicious!!! I honestly couldn’t really taste the Apple Pear flavor and the cupcakes were just as moist and fluffy and yummy as they are when made with oil and eggs. I love that we can enjoy something like this with less calories and sugar–and it’s easier to make.
Have you ever substituted ingredients in a baking or cooking recipe with flavored water? Clear American flavors give so many options! Find them on facebook and twitter.
Disclosure: This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias, which is a vendor for Cott Beverages Inc., the manufacturer of Clear American® brand beverages. All opinions and photos are my own! #CBias #ClearAmerican
That’s awesome! But I don’t understand how it all stuck together without the oil and eggs to bind things. Also, Clear American has Aspartame, right? Think it would work with other water…like plain tap water?
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babydickey Reply:
December 11th, 2011 at 8:21 am
Ya know, I’m trying to google an answer for you because I’m really not sure! I *think* it works because of the carbonation of the liquid… that’s why you can use pop, too. So if you don’t want the aspartame/flavored water, try tonic water??? I don’t think tap water would work.
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Valarie Reply:
May 8th, 2012 at 2:37 pm
Even if Clear American has aspartame, I know for a fact that there are other flavored, carbonated waters that have a different sugar substitute in them. This recipe works because of the carbonated water, “babydickey” is right. So, you can really use any brand of this type of drink. Just find one without aspartame. I avoid aspartame like the plague, and I’ve found lots of brands that I’m able to drink.
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I really love this idea! Your frosting looks so pretty, how do you do that?
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babydickey Reply:
December 11th, 2011 at 8:17 am
Thanks! I just used decorating tips — you can find at a grocery store. I have a kit from King Arthur Flour that came with the tips and squeeze bottles.
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I’ll have to invest in some tips because I have to be the worst cake/cupcake decorator ever!!
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I have yet to make cake with anything other than eggs/oil/water, I need to try this one day because I LOVE Clear American. I don’t remember seeing Cran-Grape at my store, I’ll have to look again!
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babydickey Reply:
December 11th, 2011 at 8:50 am
Of the 4 I bought, that Cran-Grape was my favorite for just drinking.
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These look so good and you decorated them beautifully!I would never even think to use flavored water to make cupcakes, I will have to try this!
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I love Clear American, Fugi-Apple is one of our favorite flavors. What other ones did you get?!? You NEED to try Key Lime and Wild Cherry
The cupcakes look fantastic — and great job decorating!
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babydickey Reply:
December 11th, 2011 at 10:53 am
I also got Cranberry Grape, Kiwi Strawberry, and White Grape… the Cran Grape was my favorite. I’ll get wild cherry next time! I really want to try the pomegranate one too! Key Lime sounds… disgusting, haha. But Steve would probably like it.
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OMG! Come over with your pregnant self and bake me some cupcakes! =P These look delicious. Something I would for sure try!
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Your last picture is awesome. I cant believe that such a low calorie switch results in such an awesome end product. I might have to try this now.
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babydickey Reply:
December 15th, 2011 at 3:42 pm
Yea I was surprised that they still tasted like totally normal cupcakes… I thought they’d taste like apple pear but they didn’t!
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I was looking at the Pear Clear American on our last trip! Your cupcakes look amazing! Thanks for sharing your shop & bake!
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I’ve never thought too much about the fact that there are raw eggs in the batter! Guess if we do this, I wouldn’t feel guilty giving the beaters to the kids!
This looks wonderful and I love the photos!
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Super creative recipe idea using Clear American. I’m not a flavored water person but haven’t even thought about using them for other things!
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Those look yummy. I’d probably add coconut shavings on top.
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babydickey Reply:
December 15th, 2011 at 3:40 pm
Ooo, great idea! I hate coconut, but that’d be cute and my husband loves it!
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Are you joking with me right now?! Did you do that frosting?!?! It looks AMAZING!
Anyways, I LOVE using Clear American for cupcakes. It’s my FAVORITE because I can eat all the cake batter I want and I’m not scared I’ll die from Salmonella.
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babydickey Reply:
December 15th, 2011 at 3:41 pm
Haha, I sure did! It’s from a cupcake decorating kit… they’re just tips to squeeze frosting from plastic bottles!
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great idea! I look forward to trying this
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Yummy! Added ingredients to shopping list : )
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You decorated with the frosting beautifully!
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Uhm, these look beyond amazing!! I’ll have to try them soon.
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great idea! I will need to try this one!
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Oh My Gosh These Look Awesome!They look extremely decoiilus. I want to eat them all right now.The pics on the martha stuart link look great too. I’m going to send the link to my Mum.Lewis
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