The Cake Mix Doctor : A Piece of Cake : February 2001: First Slice

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A Piece of Cake

February 2001: First Slice

Newsletter written by Anne Byrn February 05, 2001

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Note from the Doctor: Carry On
Notes from Workman: The Icing on the Cake
Reader Q&A
Bits & Bytes—Cake Carriers
Recipe Swap—Lemon and Coconut Filled Apricot Nectar Cake, Peanut Butter Crunch Cake
Hot Tips—Shipping Amaretto Cake
Try these Valentines Cakes
Doctor The Doctor—You Doctor My Recipes
Favorite Quotes
Do Tell!—A Poll: Your Favorite Online Cooking Sites
Do Share!--Doughnuts, Blondies
Next Issue: Spring and Easter Ideas, two reader cakes

A Word from Anne

Note from the Doctor

What is that expression my husband and I mutter about halfway through a hair-pulling car trip with our young children? It's the journey that matters, not the destination? If I were some tall and gorgeous triple-decker chocolate cake, would I like to be squeezed onto a paper plate, shrouded in foil, and shoved into some yellowed plastic carrier best suited for a garage sale? But it's how you get there that is important, right? The answer is a firm no. And that warranted some action.

Up until two weeks ago, my fanciest cake carrying cases were two Rubbermaid cake savers that I stacked on the top of the refrigerator. I liked these carriers because they were inexpensive and weren't so fancy that if I left them somewhere I'd have to offer a reward for their return. But they don't have handles, which means you've got to carry them with two hands. When your suggestions came pouring in since December on nifty cake carriers, I felt it was time to go shopping! I now own four new carriers that I bought online and can't wait until the next airline trip or bake sale to show them off. Check out the details inside.

Notes from Workman: The Icing on the Cake

The Baltimore Ravens, the New York Yankees, the Oklahoma Sooners, and . . . The Cake Mix Doctor? What do these four things have in common? They were all No. 1 last year. While the other three won sports titles against some tough competition, The Cake Mix Doctor took home honors as the top cookbook (and overall food book) in America according to USA Today. From its humble beginnings as a column by Anne in the Nashville Tennessean, The Cake Mix Doctor now has well over half-a-million of you baking up a storm—many for the first time! Thank you for helping make this book one of the brightest new stars in the Workman galaxy. We look forward to serving you more tasty treats from Anne in the year to come!

Reader Q&A

Q. Can white and yellow cake mixes be used interchangeably? Can pudding in the mix cake be used in place of regular cake mix? Can you use different brands of cake mixes in your recipes even if the brands call for a slightly different amount of water or oil?
—Joan Black, Cleveland, OH

A. Yes, white and yellow cake mix can be used interchangeably. Pudding in the mix cake mixes can be used in place of regular as long as there is not another package of pudding added to the recipe. The pudding in the mix cake will be more heavy and moist, so it is not be best for batters where there are sour cream, nuts, chocolate chips, mashed bananas, and other heavy and wet ingredients. As far as using different brands of cake mix, that is fine, but take more care in discerning the plain cake mix from the cake mix with pudding added. Duncan Hines is plain cake mix. Pillsbury and Betty Crocker have pudding added. Finally, I find the butter recipe cake mixes taste and behave differently than their yellow or chocolate counterparts.

Q. Should I freeze cakes first and then frost, or should I frost them and then freeze?
—Pat Isaac

A. Cakes freeze the best—that is, they suffer the least moisture loss— when frozen unfrosted. But this is as long as you wrap them in heavy-duty aluminum foil before freezing, or use regular foil and a zipper-lock bag. Freeze them in a chest freezer or a garage freezer that is not going to be constantly opened and shut. When freezing, frosted cakes, freeze only those with buttercream or cream cheese frostings. Whipped cream frostings or frostings that contain eggs contain too much liquid and get mushy after freezing. Thaw unfrosted cakes slowly in the refrigerator overnight and vented so the moisture escapes before you frost them.

Q. I am on Weight Watchers. Are there ways to cut back on fat and sugar in your cakes?
—Tara Lenharth, Barrington, NH

A. Let me begin with the sugar. Cake mixes contain sugar, so take care not to add any extra sugar to the cake batter. And as frostings are often sweet, it's best to avoid so much sugar by having a smaller slice or avoid them altogether and dust the cake with confectioners' sugar or cocoa to dress it up. As for reducing fat, you have more options. Use egg substitutes for the eggs in my recipes. (See the lighter chapter in my book for ideas on using fruit instead of so much oil.) Bananas, pumpkin, and applesauce are three easy ways to add flavor, fiber and no fat to recipes. You can reduce the oil by half when you add fruits like these to a recipe.

Q. Down here there is a Russian Cake made with leftover cake slices or broken pieces of cake, pressed into a loaf pan and sliced. It has a sort of cream cheese icing on top. Sometimes I can detect liquor flavor possibly to moisten it. I cannot figure how it holds together because the cake ingredients are already baked. Can you help?
—Dolores D'Anna, New Orleans, LA

A. I can help because I have been experimenting with these cake "terrines" for my new cookbook. You line a loaf pan with waxed paper, then layer strips of baked cake, a gooey cream cheese spread made with confectioners' sugar, and a little fruit juice or alcohol, some flavorings and nuts, if desired. It must be spreadable. Do about five layers of this and then when the layers are at the top, cover the pan with waxed paper. Weigh it down and chill overnight. It compresses into a wonderful terrine that you turn out, slice and serve. Delicious!

Bits & Bytes: Cake Carriers

Without a doubt, the cake carriers that garnered the most praise in my informal poll of newsletter readers were made by Tupperware. Readers loved the built-in handle, which "makes transporting very easy," says Consuelo Heyman of Rockville, MD. And they loved Tupperware's sturdiness. Anita Berka of Austin, TX, says her Tupperware carriers are more than 20 years old and still tote like a dream. White Plains, NY, mom Gayle Williams said just for transporting a lifetime of school cupcakes, these carriers were a good buy. The strong and sleek carriers did carry the highest pricetags of the cake carriers I surveyed. The round Cake Taker costs $27.50, and the rectangular carrier called the Bake 'N Take made for sheetcakes or cupcakes costs $32.45. They come with a bright blue bases and cover locks. It has been ages since I was invited to a Tupperware party, so I ordered these carriers online at tupperware.com.

Another option is the fun Piatto Bakery Box, which is collapsible and has a handle and a slide-in shelf that divides the compartment into two sections so you can carry two layers, two pies, or 36 cupcakes. Cindy Reilly of East Meadows, NY, loves hers because it folds flat when not in use. These Piatto boxes are $19 each and sold through the Home Shopping Network (www.hsn.com). I ordered two, one in white and one in blue. Both of these online orders were at my house in three days, and shipping ran about $10 for each order.

Other cake carrying ideas?

Marsha Ball of Durham, NC, mails cakes cross-country with this clever trick: "I use a large cookie tin. First I line the tin with aluminum foil, then I pour in the cake batter, placing an empty can in the center as a tube. Bake as directed. When done, remove the cake from the oven and remove the cake along with the foil. Peel off the foil and let the cake cool on a rack. When you are ready to mail the cake or take it along with you, just wrap in plastic wrap and return it to the same tin in which it was baked." Marsha notes that this obviously works with cakes that are not frosted. And she added that when her children were in college "they learned to return the tin or they didn't get another cake."

Julia Hobbs of Anchorage, AK, takes a simpler approach. "I place my cake on a cardboard box purchased from a party store and transport the cake in an open cardboard box I get for free from Costco. This way, I do not have to worry about retrieving my containers."

Michelle Stewart of Atlanta, GA, has a fool-proof method for toting cake if you live in a city like Atlanta where people drive like maniacs! "I bake a lot of cakes for friends and family. I am also a cake decorator. I have to be very careful while transporting to make sure that my decorations don't get mashed. The best method I have found is to use a plastic storage container with lid, like the ones for underbed sweater storage. Place a strip of carpet gripper under the plastic container in your car. Place the cake on another piece of gripper inside the container. Your cake shouldn't shift during delivery."

Recipe Swap

Lemon, Coconut and Cheese Filled Apricot Nectar Cake

Serves: 16
Preparation Time: 15 Minutes
Baking Time: 50 to 55 Minutes
Assembly Time: 2 Minutes

Thanks to all of you who sent in Apricot Nectar Cake recipes. Even Lynn Chaumont of Austin, TX, who had requested this missing recipe and ended up finding it and sharing it with us! This is a delicious Bundt cake filled with a cream cheese and coconut filling. When we tested it we thought the filling was too heavy and weighed down the cake, so we tried it a second time with just one package of cream cheese. Better. We also added a little lemon zest to the filling to play up the lemon flavor and increased the amount of apricot nectar in the cake to make it softer. Lynn uses part lemon juice and part apricot nectar for the glaze, but we settled on just apricot nectar. It comes in a 12-ounce can on the aisle where fruit juices are sold.

FILLING:

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 cup sweetened, flaked coconut

CAKE:

Vegetable oil spray for misting the pan
Flour for dusting the pan
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow cake mix
1 cup apricot nectar
4 tablespoons butter, melted
3 large eggs

GLAZE:

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons apricot nectar

1. For the filling, place the cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until combined, 30 seconds. Fold in the coconut and set the bowl aside.

2. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly mist a 12-cup Bundt pan with vegetable oil spray, then dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour. Set the pan aside.

3. For the cake, place the cake mix, apricot nectar, melted butter, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer (using the same beaters; no need to wash them) on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat, 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed. The batter should look thick and well combined.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Spoon the filling in a ring on top of the batter, making sure it does not touch the sides of the pan. Place the pan in the oven.

5. Bake the cake until it springs back when lightly pressed with your finger and just starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, 50 to 55 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes. Run a long, sharp knife around the edge of the cake and invert it onto a serving platter.

6. For the glaze, place the confectioners' sugar in a small mixing bowl and whisk in the apricot nectar to make a spoonable glaze. Spoon the glaze over the cake, and let the cake rest 10 minutes before slicing.

Peanut Butter Crunch Cake

Serves: 16
Preparation Time: 10 Minutes
Baking Time: 32 to 37 Minutes
Assembly Time: 2 Minutes

Here is another dandy of a recipe, and the search for this recipe started last fall when Nelson Wong of Irvine, CA, was looking for a peanut butter cake he remembered as a boy. Since then other requests for a peanut butter cake have come in, even on the message board. Thanks to Hazel Phillips of Vian, OK for sending this marvelous and easy sheetcake you bake and then top with a very crunchy peanut butter glaze that bubbles up under the broiler. We also tried the cake batter using smooth peanut butter and baked it in layers for a birthday cake. Two 9-inch rounds will bake in about 25 minutes at 350 degrees, then frost with Fluffy Chocolate Frosting (p. 426) from The Cake Mix Doctor.

CAKE:

Vegetable oil spray for misting the pan
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow cake mix
1 1/3 cups water
1/3 cup crunchy or plain peanut butter
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs

TOPPING:

2/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream or evaporated milk
1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1 cup chopped dry roasted peanuts

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly mist a 13- by 9-inch pan with vegetable oil spray. Set the pan aside.

2. Place the cake mix, water, peanut butter, oil, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed. The batter will be well combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it out with the rubber spatula. Place the pan in the oven.

3. Bake the cake until it springs back when lightly pressed with your finger, 32 to 37 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool while you assemble the topping.

4. Meanwhile, place the brown sugar, whipping cream, peanut butter, and butter in a medium mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until just combined, 30 seconds. Spread the topping over the hot cake with a long metal spatula. Move the oven rack to the second position from the top. Preheat the broiler to medium.

5. Place the cake in the oven and broil until the topping is bubbly and browned, 45 seconds to 1 minute. Do not overcook. Remove the pan from the oven to a rack to cool. Let the cake rest for 10 minutes, then slice and serve.

Hot Tip

"I sent my son in San Francisco (I live in Virginia) the Amaretto Cake and packed the confectionery sugar in a plastic bag and bought a small sample bottle of Amaretto from the liquor store. He made the frosting, drizzled it over the cake, and in 30 minutes, it was all gone."
—Nancy Copeland, Manassas, VA

Try These Valentine Cakes

Deeply Chocolate Almond Cake (page 26)
Love Cake (page 184)
Chocolate Covered Cherry Cake (page 50)
Strawberry Cake (page 64)
Quick Red Velvet Cake (page 152)
Honey Bun Cake (page 266)

Doctor the Doctor

Rosalind Jacobs of Indian Shores, FL, says, without a doubt, necessity is the mother of invention. She used a pineapple cake mix for Susan's Lemon Cake, and she added apricot-flavored gelatin instead of lemon. "The taste was scrumptious, and the color was a gorgeous pastel peach."

Kathy Jung of Vancouver, BC, Canada, also tweaked my sister Susan's lemon cake, turning it lime. "I substituted a package of lime gelatin and added the zest of 1 1/2 limes and 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice. I also substituted the lime juice for the lemon juice in the glaze." Kathy says her best baking compliment came when an 8-year-old boy took a bite and announced to everyone, "Hey, this is really good!"

Marcia Kwiatkowski of Downingtown, PA, makes the Apple Sour Cream Kuchen in a 10-inch springform pan with the apples arranged in concentric circles. "It bakes in about 10 minutes more time and looks and tastes like a million."

Favorite Quotes

"Traveling home from the bookstore today I stopped off to stock up on ingredients. Before my hungry kids stepped through the door from school I had already prepared Chocolate Covered Cherry Cake. It is hard to believe that this wonderful moist cake is from a box. I am certainly not known for my baking abilities. Your book just might change my reputation!" —Joanne McDade, Wilkes-Barre, PA

"Instead of reading my usual trashy magazine during transit stops on my flight back home, I was reading your cookbook and already making some notes in my head on how I would doctor the recipes…I baked the Melted Ice Cream Cake which turned out just fine. I have also tried the Darn Good Chocolate Cake and it was likewise a success! The rum cake I have also baked and my aunt (she owns a restaurant) has asked me for the recipe. She could not believe it was a cake mix recipe! I have yet to see your cookbook in a major bookstore here, so I think I am privileged to have bought it ahead of the others." —Minette Quimson, Manila, Phillipines

Do Tell!

Online cooking sites. I decided instead of telling you where I go for recipe ideas online, I would ask you. Consider this an informal poll. Name your favorite food sites, and what recipes or information you find there. I'll publish those results (including my favorites, too) in the April newsletter.

Do Share!

OK, recipe sleuths...anyone heard of making doughnuts from a cake mix? Christine Urban of Laguna Beach, CA, is searching for a recipe her grandmother used to make, and she knows it started with a spice cake mix. "All I remember is that she added flour and rolled them and cut them out." Please help Christine as her grandmother and mother are no longer alive.

We are still searching for a cake mix version of a black walnut cake as well as a Blondie, a recipe from the 70s, made with a yellow cake mix and chocolate chips for Bethany Anderson in Keller, TX.

Next Issue, April 2001:

Easter and springtime cake ideas, the 7-Up Cake, more reader Q & A, what to do when cakes crack or sink.