Here is the recipe.

Here is the recipe.

Here is the recipe.

A Word from Anne:

Valentine’s Day is around the corner, and thank goodness this food writer made it through January — the most unfriendly month to cake baking in the year! Love for baking is in the air — I feel it — so I thought it would be a good time to share with you some of the things I love best. Now, granted, this is not the definitive list, so don’t hold me to it. You know, this newsletter started about 12 years ago, right after my first Cake Mix Doctor cookbook was published. It was my way of keeping connected with you in between books being published. Now, some 60,000 of you receive this newsletter. And day to day, I email with many of you. Thanks for your great ideas, encouragement and constructive criticism. I didn’t mention this on the list of things I love, so I will now — I love hearing from you.

Happy Baking and Happy Valentine’s Day!
Anne

Ten Things I Love:

1. I love the Nordic Ware Heritage Bundt pan. It is hands-down my favorite Bundt pan because the look is so sculpted, so dramatic, and the cake releases beautifully after cooling. I bought mine at Williams-Sonoma, but I you can find them elsewhere. Really love, love this pan. See number 5, coffee cake below.
2. My husband John’s hot chocolate sauce. He says he begins with cocoa, sugar, butter, brandy, vanilla, and cream, stirring the cocoa, sugar, and butter over low heat, adding cream, then brandy and vanilla. It is pure alchemy and genius. We pour it over vanilla ice cream. We eat it straight from the pan!
3. Earl Grey tea. I’m really obsessed with it. Must be the bergamot. I love it in the morning or afternoon in my favorite Anthropologie mug with the initial “a” on it, given to me by my friend Dayna.
4. My grandmother’s yellow Pyrex bowl, in which she layered orange slices and sugar before making marmalade. It is well over 50 years old, possibly 60. I make chocolate frosting in it because I can soften the butter in the microwave in this bowl, then add the cocoa, vanilla, and confectioners’ sugar and blend until creamy.
5. A good coffee cake. Perfect with that Earl Grey tea or coffee. Here is a great basic recipe using my cake mix, Anne’s Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake. Or turn to page 191 of the Cake Mix Doctor Returns for Kathy’s Cinnamon Breakfast Cake. Regardless of the recipe, a fun trick is to grease and flour a Bundt pan, then sprinkle finely chopped pecans — about ¼ cup — in the bottom of the pan, then pour in the batter. The pecans bake into a crunchy crown once the cake is inverted onto a serving platter.
6. Brownie mixes in the pantry. I bake brownies from scratch but I also rely on mixes – either Ghirardelli or Trader Joe’s are my current favorites. To slim them down I use unsweetened applesauce instead of oil. To turn them into cookies, I add 3 tablespoons flour and reduce the eggs to just 1 egg. The cookies bake at 350° for 10 to 15 minutes.
7. Friends who send me emails that make me smile. Thanks to Julie of Charlotte, NC, who says she made The Best Pound Cake (from The Dinner Doctor) for her daughter’s 17^th birthday. “It truly is the best,” said Julie. And because her family knew the movie “Elf” inside and out, her kids imitated the scene where Will Ferrell screams in the coffee shop advertising “World’s Best Coffee.” But in this case, it was world’s best pound cake, and Julie’s kids screamed, “Congratulations!!! You did it!!!”
8. Baking in a jar. My friend Marty of St. Louis reminded me of this recipe when she was trying to send the cake in a jar to her daughter in college. You will find it on my Community Board. Grease and flour wide-mouth glass canning jars. Pour in the cake batter of your choice, filling the jars just a little over half full. Place the jars on a cookie sheet and bake at 325° until the cakes spring back when pressed with your finger. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven, and when the jars are cool enough to handle, place the flat tops on the jars and screw the bands around to tighten them. Place the jars on a towel to cool, and after they cool the cakes will shrink back and be easy to unmold. Now they can be wrapped and shipped to someone you love.
9. An organized pantry. It is like a clean closet, and it is an essential part of cooking and baking well. Sort and sift through food twice a year, pitching or donating what you have not used. Wipe down the shelves and set up shop for the next six months. I have a pasta shelf with quick-cook, thin spaghetti or orzo, as well as Israeli couscous and basmati rice. I buy tomatoes when they are on sale, and will try new flavor combinations to keep fast sauces interesting. And, I always have canned chicken broth, canned white beans, tuna, artichokes, corn, and pasta sauce. When it comes to baking ingredients, I keep cocoa — Hershey’s and Ghirardelli — as well as instant pudding mixes, confectioners’ sugar, brown sugar, creamed honeys from Vintage Bee — www.vintagebee.com — and cake mixes, of course.
10. My Frosting Booklet called, “The Icing on the Cake.” Here are my absolute best frostings ever, and all in one place. You can receive a free copy with each online order of my cake mixes through the end of February. Go to Anne’s Cake Mix and click on Buy to be directed to the shopping cart.

Anne’s Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

This recipe begins with your favorite box of yellow cake mix. The 21.6-ounce cake mix is the Cake Mix Doctor’s Old-Fashioned Yellow cake mix, which you can find in stores near you or order online.

Makes 12 servings
Prep: 15 minutes
Bake: 50 to 55 minutes

1 package (21.6 ounces) Cake Mix Doctor’s Old-Fashioned Yellow Cake Mix
For the Filling:
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup finely chopped pecans
For the Batter:
1 cup sour cream
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup water
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Glaze:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons milk

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350°. Grease and flour a Bundt pan, and set the pan aside.
2. For the filling, measure out 2 tablespoons of the cake mix and place in a small bowl. Stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans. Set the filling aside.
3. Place the remaining cake mix, sour cream, oil, water, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl, and blend on low speed for 30 seconds. Increase the mixer speed to medium and blend until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes longer.
4. Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Scatter the filling over the top of the batter. Pour the remaining batter over the filling. Place the pan in the oven.
5. Bake until the cake springs back when lightly pressed with a finger, and it is golden brown, 50 to 55 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven, and let it cool in the pan 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the pan, and invert it onto a rack to cool completely, 45 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, prepare the glaze by stirring the milk into the confectioners’ sugar. Drizzle the glaze over the top of the cake and let rest 15 minutes to let the glaze set. Or omit the glaze and just dust with confectioners’ sugar. Place the cake on a platter, slice and serve.

Next issue: April. Spring cakes. Spice Cake and Caramel Frosting.

But no cilantro – case wiped clean. Avocados heavy and hard as lacrosse balls. That irritating phrase came to mind… “early bird gets the…” Why hadn’t I shopped for groceries earlier in the day? In this case, the early birds got every last sprig of cilantro!

So I made the chili without my favorite toppings, and you know what? It was still good. Based on dry navy beans you quickly soak then let simmer for a couple hours, then fold in sautéed onions, garlic, and peppers as well as chopped roasted chicken, this chili is just right for game nights. Cook the beans the night before and refrigerate, and it’s just the busy-day kind of recipe for school nights, too. I like how the smaller navy beans make a creamier soup than using the larger Great Northern or cannellini beans. But use what beans you have and add a can of Rotel tomatoes and chilies if you like things spicy. Just shop early for cilantro and the perfect avocado if you are making this for the Super Bowl!

The recipe is here

Here is the recipe.

A Word from Anne:

I used to dash to flights at the last minute, begging Delta not to close the plane door. But now, thanks to maturity and airport security lines, I arrive early, painfully early. I pack days in advance, run through mental lists in my sleep the night before, and am proof that organization can be learned. But as much as I pride myself on being on-task, life remains a juggle of calm and chaos, of sticking to a plan and thinking outside the box, of structure and of whimsy. Maybe that’s why I enjoy cooking and baking so much. Good cooking needs a plan – a repertoire of favorite recipes, fresh ingredients, cleanliness, discipline – but it also needs creativity, spontaneity, and flexibility. This time of year is a great example. Pull out your favorite cake or cookie recipe, make time in your busy schedule to prepare it, but stay cool if the kitchen gets messy with spilled sprinkles, sticky counters, and dirty bowls stacked in the sink. I love the creative and spontaneous aspects of cooking. So did my mom. She didn’t stress about the mess and did her most productive gift baking and wrapping late at night while our family slept! Last night as I wrapped brownies and pumpkin cake for a school bake sale, I thought about how wonderfully quiet and productive my kitchen was. But it was lonely, too. I got nostalgic thinking of the sprinkles my kids used to spill on the floor as they chatted away, decorating Christmas cookies together. From my kitchen to yours, I am hoping for a wonderfully spontaneous and creative Christmas and a joyful new year.

Happy Baking,

Anne

Cookies are Mood Changers:

No wonder everyone at our house is in a great mood in December. It’s the cookies. See the Cake Mix Doctor on Facebook for my favorite cookie recipe to bake this month.

Cake Mix Doctor’s Mix:

Distribution is growing! My new mixes, with no artificial ingredients, are found at the Central Markets in Texas, Straub’s Fine Groceries in St. Louis, A Southern Season in Chapel Hill, NC, and retail stores in Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Kentucky, and New York. (Check www.cakemixdoctor.com for specific locations). Look for my mix if you are a Bed, Bath & Beyond shopper as it will be going into many stores across the country this month.

December Online Special: Use the coupon code — holiday20 — for 20% off orders through December. The Terrific Trio makes a great gift for the baker because it comes with my frosting booklet called “The Icing on the Cake.” You can also order the booklet alone from www.cakemixdoctor.com.

In addition to the Holiday Pumpkin Cake, and Scarlet’s Red Velvet Cupcakes, I like to bake the Old-Fashioned Yellow Mix by adding 1 stick soft butter, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 3 large eggs, and 1 cup warm milk. For the Chocolate Cake Mix, I often use Greek yogurt instead of the sour cream or turn the mix into the Chocolate Praline Cake.

More from The Cake Mix Doctor:

Want to hear more from me? I will send you recipes and the latest info on my cake mixes. Send your name and email address to anne@cakemixdoctor.com. Place “cake mix” in the subject line.

Cupcakes for the Holidays

Earlier this year, my publicist Selina Meere asked me to develop a Red Velvet Cupcake in honor of her daughter Scarlet’s first birthday. Here is a terrific Red Velvet cupcake with peppermint frosting, perfect for holiday baking:

Scarlet’s Red Velvet Cupcakes
Makes 24 cupcakes
Prep: 15 minutes
Bake: 20 minutes

For the cupcakes:
1 package (21.6 ounces) Cake Mix Doctor’s Old-Fashioned Yellow cake mix, or your favorite yellow cake mix
1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
1½ cups milk
2/3 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
Half a 1-ounce bottle red food coloring (see Note)

For the peppermint frosting:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
Crushed peppermint candies, if desired, for topping cupcakes

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place 24 paper liners in two cupcake pans and set the pans aside.
2. For the cupcakes, place the cake mix, pudding mix, cocoa, milk, oil, eggs, and red food coloring in a large mixing bowl and blend on low speed of an electric mixer until just combined. Increase the mixer speed to medium and blend until smooth, 1 to 1½ minutes. Scoop the batter into the liners, filling them three-quarters of the way full. Place the pans in the oven.
3. Bake the cupcakes until the cake springs back when lightly pressed with your finger, 20 minutes. Remove to a rack to cool.
4. For the frosting, place the butter in a large mixing bowl, and blend with an electric mixer on low until creamy. Add 2 cups of the confectioners’ sugar, the milk, and extracts, and blend until smooth. Add the remaining 1 cup sugar and blend on medium-high until the frosting is creamy and fluffy. Set aside.
5. When the cupcakes are cool, spread a tablespoon frosting over each one. Garnish with crushed peppermint, if desired.

Note: If you don’t like the flavor of red food coloring, Wilton makes a flavorless red food coloring called “No Taste” food coloring gel.

Q&A:

Q. I’ve noticed that when I mix my cake mixes using a KitchenAid stand mixer, the cake comes out a little different than if I use a hand-held mixer. The cake kind of deflates once it comes out of the oven and is cooling. I wonder if maybe the batter is being over-mixed. Any suggestions? – Tricia Wetta.

A. Cakes that shrink when they cool and also have big air pockets – tunnels – are signs a cake batter has been over-mixed. Because the big stand mixers are more powerful than a hand-held mixer, it is easy to over-beat a cake batter that begins with a cake mix. I usually use a hand-held mixer for cake mix cakes and save the stand mixer for frostings and breads. Hope this helps!

The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten-Free: I loved being in Rye, NY, this fall for the Colin Leslie Walk for Celiac Disease (www.colinlesliewalkforceliacdisease.org) Rye is a gorgeous town just 30 minutes from Manhattan, and for several years Cheryl Leslie, her son Colin Leslie, their friends and family, have hosted a benefit for the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University. In addition to the fund-raising walk, there was a vendor fair where I tasted the best gluten-free bread imaginable. Baked by Everybody Eats, a Brooklyn, NY, bakery, the French baguette tasted like the real thing. You can order online at www.everybodyeats-inc.com. The walk made $56,000 for gluten-free research.

Speaking of gluten-free, I have been finishing up my gluten-free dinner cookbook and have for months promised to share the pie crust recipe with you. Here it is! Fill with your favorite pecan, pumpkin, mince, apple, chess, filling for the holidays. My cookbook will be published in the fall of 2012.

Anne’s Gluten-Free Pie Crust

My quest to create an easy, flawless gluten-free pie crust began in Knoxville, TN. I was there last year at a gluten-free fair and after talking about cakes I mentioned to the crowd I was searching for a gf pie crust. An hour later a sweet woman and her husband came up to meet me. She said she had been baking gf pies for 20 years and had mastered a recipe. “Begin with the green box of pie crust mix,” she told me softly, “and use cream cheese.” Then she vanished into the crowd. The green box would turn out to be the Gluten-Free Pantry brand. And after baking it by the directions we decided to omit the sugar called for on the package (to reduce over-browning) and decided to try the cream cheese trick. We add a little baking powder, cold butter and cold cream cheese, then eggs, cold water and a little cider vinegar. Why vinegar? Acids seem to tenderize rice flour, making it less gritty. With this crust you don’t get a vinegar taste at all, if anything, this pie crust tastes buttery and rich and is perfect with fruit pies, chocolate pies, even chicken pot pie and pizza turnovers. Enjoy, and thank you, Knoxville.

Gluten-Free Pie Crust Recipe

Look for this recipe and more surprises in The Dinner Doctor Cooks Gluten-Free, by Anne Byrn, to be published September, 2012, by Workman Publishing.

Next Issue: January. A great slow-cooker recipe. Slimming down packaged brownies.

Here is the recipe.

Here is the recipe I used.