Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Alright all you bakers. I need help. Heidi's birthday was this past Monday and we had chocolate cake (not homemade) with cream cheese frosting (homemade). I think the frosting was alright but not as exciting as I'd hoped it would be. The cake was awful. Boxed cake mixes are usually fine. Maybe it was my pregnant taste-buds. I don't know. But it was fluffy and had no real substance to it.
Autumn's birthday is on Sunday and I have to redeem myself. No one else had problems with Heidi's cake -- but I can't eat another bite of it and I was looking forward to good cake this week.
So here's where ya'll come in. How do you make a box-cake taste more substantial? More homemade? Because I'm not up for making a cake from scratch. They just never work out for me. Plus, I've already bought a vanilla cake, as Autumn requested (and she's requested pink frosting). I've heard you can add sour cream and pudding. Does it really work? How does it change it? And what makes a frosting taste good? So many have way too much sugar. I usually do the Betty Crocker buttercream frostings and they taste okay, but I want something that tastes really good.
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Mix all ingredients together: 1 box vanilla cake mix, 1 (3.9-oz) package instant vanilla pudding mix, 1 cup veg oil, 4 eggs, 1/2 cup hot water, 1 cup sour cream
(For the chocolate recipe, it also calls for 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1 cup choc chips; don't know if the extract would be necessary if you're using vanilla-flavored cake mix and pudding, though.)
Bake in a greased, floured Bundt pan for 1 hour at 350 degrees.
That's the recipe, and I'm assuming it could adjust to vanilla pretty easily. However, if you don't want to go with a bundt, then you could probably use a couple of cake pans and then just decrease the bake time accordingly. (I'm sure you'd know what to do. You're a smart cookie.) Hope this helps. Happy baking!
But my favorite Buttercream frosting recipe is:
1c Shortening
2sticks butter
1 tsp Almond flavoring
1 tsp Vanilla
4 Tbp Milk
2 lbs sifted powdered sugar.
(the key is the Almond flavoring. It really adds an awesome flavor)
Happy birthday to your girls!!
I can't believe how old your kids are!!!! :)
*ahem* Remember the recipe Heidi posted, Mojo's Birthday Cake, which I emailed to you? It has both pudding and sour cream, and it's the yummiest in the world, so I assume sour cream and pudding can only make things better.....in fact, it sounds like Crystal's cake is like Mojo's.
Another thing that makes a cake mix better is to replace the asked-for oil with melted butter (in the same amount). Also, I've heard that Target's brand of cake mix is the yummiest cake mix.
I've also heard that freezing frosting makes it more "whipped" when you're ready to use it? I might be very wrong. I really loved the "frosting" on Phill's birthday cake--it was homemade whipped cream with a little sugar, some vanilla extract and a teensy bit of cherry extract. And of course it was really light and fluffy and was amazing with the chocolate cake. Since Autumn's cake is vanilla, maybe you could add some cherry extract and vanilla extract to a homemade-whipped-cream "frosting"--those flavors would be delicious together!
Jean, I'm going to try using your chocolate recipe -- but go vanilla. I'll let you know how it goes!
Mel, I love the almond flavoring idea. I think that's going to help.
Anna -- I KNOW!!! How the heck did my girls get so big?? After Sunday, a SEVEN and a FIVE year old? REALLY?
Rae, haha...I did NOT make that cake. :) I just wanted a picture for the post....
Emily, we're definitely hoping to find out the gender! Here's hoping that the baby cooperates. :) I have an appointment for the 14th. What about you??
Let me know if there were any recipes you couldn't find on our blog and I'll make sure I get them to you. :)
Love you, I look forward to hearing about what you do.