Why bake a cake? The thought of actually baking a cake from scratch can be daunting. Let’s face it: every grocery and package store can fill your cake needs for any and all occasions. So , why bake a cake? It actually can be a delightful experience for you and your family. Children are delighted with cakes you bake and decorate for their birthdays, customized with a theme they enjoy. You can honor your husband with a cake made especially with him in mind. Guests will always enjoy a beautiful, delicious cake for dessert.
So, how can you incorporate cake baking into your schedule without the time-consuming frustration of working with recipes as you try to perfect a lovely, moist cake? The answer is the cake mix. This little box found on every grocery shelf is packed with the power to turn you into a successful baker. You simply need to learn to customize it.
I consider the cake mix as another blank slate. Now, start thinking “outside the box”. Consider substituting juice for the liquid. Add additional flavorings and always add an extra egg or egg white. Fillings are a fantastic way to customize your cake. You can work with lemon curds, raspberry fillings and even chocolate creams to enhance the flavor of your cakes. Simply butterfly the layers and fill with one of the above for a tasty treat.
A key point to keep in mind is that you need to use at least two cake mixes for all of your creations. One is just too skimpy. The only exception to this is a bundt pan which will usually fill nicely with one cake mix. I routinely use 9 inch cake pans for my layer cakes. I utilize one cake mix recipe for each pan. This makes a lovely full layer that you can easily butterfly. You must vary the temperature of your oven so that the cake layers will bake evenly. Unfortunately, there is no sure-fire way to determine the temperature of each individual oven. You will simply have to experiment a little. Lowering the temperature for a longer period of time seems to work the best.
Now for the frostings and glazes: here, I always work from scratch. It isn’t difficult to perfect a terrific buttercream frosting. You can, once again, vary your flavoring for a terrific taste. I love to add almond flavoring to my frosting. It tastes more sophisticated than typical vanilla flavoring. I always pipe and decorate with a shortening-based frosting. It is much easier to work with. I tend to keep my decorating simple even for children’s cakes – two or three colors and a simple design. It takes less time and it always looks terrific, not tacky.
Utilize paste coloring as they allow degrees of color that your typical liquid coloring can’t match. One of my favorite cakes for little boys is a layer cake with a light blue frosting. I then pipe it with white frosting and outline a sailboat or a car in white frosting on the top of the cake. It looks lovely and you can, of course, add your personalized greeting.
The cakes that you make for your family and guests always add a special touch to every occasion.
Citrus Spice Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze
1 Spice Cake Mix (any brand will do)
1 Bundt pan, greased and lightly floured ( I utilize Wilton Cake Release as it leaves no residue on the cake)
Prepare the mix as directed on the box. Substitute 1/2 of the water with orange juice. Add an additional egg. Bake following the times suggested on the box but always watching carefully to ensure that you do not over-bake the cake. Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes. After you have released the cake on to a platter, use a toothpick and puncture the top of the cake in several places. Slowly pour the glaze over the cake allowing the glaze to infiltrate the cake. This is delicious served warm.
Glaze
1 Cup of brown sugar
1/2 Cup butter
1/2 Cup whipping cream
1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Mix all of the ingredients in a small heavy pan over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat and whisk until the mixture is smooth, 1 – 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
