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A Piece of Cake
August 2001: Fourth Slice
Newsletter written by Anne Byrn August 07, 2001
Notes from the Doctor
Notes from Workman
Bits & Bytes
Recipe Swap
Hot Tips
Doctor the Doctor: You Doctor My Recipes
Do Share!
Next Issue: September
Note from the Doctor
Potluck suppers are a part of American life, and our Tennessee family is no different. We host these feasts on holidays or when a cousin visits from far-off places like Alaska or Vermont. And I laugh when I think how the menu remains the same, no matter the season: fried chicken or baked ham, potato salad, squash casserole, green beans, sliced tomatoes, hot rolls, and dessert.
Only the dessert changes: apple pie in the fall, chocolate cake and peppermint ice cream in the winter, banana pudding in the spring, and pound cake with fresh peaches in the summertime. And guess who is invariably assigned dessert? My aunts, uncles, and cousins just assume I've got cakes stacked waist-high in the freezer, or that there is something freshly baked under the cake dome on the counter. But I guess I decided my fate once I wrote this cake book. No more potato salads for me!
And I do enjoy toting cake to these gatherings, for our family is painfully honest. Food is given a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down. So when I toted Carol McMillion's Pound Cake to our recent July 4th fried chicken supper at Aunt Mary Jo's house, I knew it faced an arduous taste test. The result? This wonderful cake was the most talked-about foodstuff since Mary Jo sprinkled cumin in her green beans.
"Anne, did you make this pound cake?" As if that question needed answering . . .
"Yes, but it's not my recipe," I answered truthfully. "What do you think?"
"It's wonderful," crooned Mary Jo. "Porter, have you tried Anne's pound cake?"
Porter, Mary Jo's husband, was nestled into his worn plaid armchair, staring at the Braves game on the television. He took a bite of cake, then a bite of peach, but his eyes didn't move from the television, which was on mute, so as not to compete with the dinner conversation.
"Did you make this with one of those mixes?" blurted Aunt Louise.
"I'll bet she started with an angel food mix," echoed someone.
"No, just a yellow mix," I admitted, "And some extra flour, then some sour cream, butter, five eggs, and evaporated milk."
Silence. Their chattering stopped in mid-sentence as their minds shifted to cholesterol. As if they thought I could make a cake this moist with vanilla yogurt?
"I think it's marvelous," said Porter, breaking the awkward silence. His eyes shifted from the ball game to the cook. "Could you wrap me up a slice for tomorrow? And be sure to spoon some of those peaches on top."
Pound cake is seriously Southern, sinfully rich, and near sacred in Tennessee. And while I might have messed with tradition a bit by beginning with a cake mix, let me tell you that this recipe from this Virginia cook, which I share in this issue, is a keeper. It will have your guests talking or leave them completely speechless, whichever you prefer!
Also in the jam-packed Recipe Swap this month are the Black Walnut Cake, requested by Carol Thomas of Greenbelt, MD, and shared by Judy Wilson of Sun City West, AZ, as well as the marvelous German Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies from Heidi Quinn of Carolina, RI.
Happy summer days.
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Note from Workman
The countdown to Chocolate from the Cake Mix Doctor is underway. On Monday, October 22, you will be able to pick up a copy of the new book wherever books are sold. And we are knee-deep in planning Anne's tour for the fall: Nashville on October 27, Dallas on November 8, Raleigh on November 13 . . . the dates keep piling up. Look for advance tour announcements including book signings and cooking classes in a special September newsletter! And coming soon--a chance to win an appearance from Anne to benefit the charity of your choice. Stay tuned, click your cooking shoe heels, and repeat after us: there's no taste like chocolate, there's no taste like chocolate, there's no taste like chocolate.
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Bits & Bytes
Cake Mix Cookies
I have been collecting cookie recipes that begin with a cake mix. For those hot August and September days, here are some simple ways to turn a mix into magnificent cookies:
- Amy Teston of Smyrna, TN, makes an easy chocolate chip cookie with just a plain yellow cake mix, 2 large eggs, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, and 1/2 cup sugar. We tried this and found them a little sweet, so you could cut back on the sugar. We folded in 1 cup finely chopped pecans and 1 cup miniature chocolate chips. Form into balls, and bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 350 degrees. Don't overbake!
- Joyce Cheney of Louisville, CO, makes a lemon version of the Fudge Snowtops, which have been shared in a previous newsletter. Instead of using a chocolate cake mix, Joyce uses a lemon cake mix, 1 egg, and the small container of Cool Whip. Follow the same baking instructions as for the Snowtops. P.S. Joyce calls these Lemon Drops and says they are very refreshing, "gobbled up during the hot summer months."
- Carolyn Kent makes what she calls Cowboy Cookies for her grandchildren. She begins with a spice cake mix and adds 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1/4 cup milk, 1 egg, 2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal, 1 cup chopped pecans, and 1 cup chocolate chips or raisins. Mix on low and form into balls. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes at 350 degrees, or until still soft in the center.
Favorite Cooking Gizmos
A while back I asked readers to send in their suggestions for cooking/baking gizmos. Here is a sampling of what our fellow newsletter readers most prize:
- Ruth Duncan of Whitehall, MI, loves a Culinique pan she bought via mail order. This is an interesting pan that produces a cake with a hollow spot. She has baked angel food cakes and filled the hollow spot with ice cream. "I recommend this for anyone who wants a professional-looking dessert." She says you can find them at kitchen stores and also online.
- Greta Dain of Lake Wales, FL, likes the Line Marker from Sweet Celebrations, which was formerly Maid of Scandinavia. It is handy when you want to get a lot of servings from a large pan. Greta is able to cut 40 pieces of cake from an 18-inch by 12-inch pan. Call 1-800-328-6722 to order.
- Pat Crowe of Lake Ridge, VA, is crazy about her Microplane, and I love this grater, too! This long, slim metal grater grates citrus peel "increasing the yield and with no broken nails," adds Pat. Available online or in cookware shops.
The Community Board
In lieu of the usual Q&A in this newsletter, I urge you to head to the Community Board on cakemixdoctor.com for most all of your cake baking questions and answers. We continue to get some of the best baking questions and no doubt, the best answers from real life people who really bake.
Cover Cake
Richard of Des Moines, IA, is one of many, many perceptive people who have noticed that the yellow cake with chocolate frosting on the cover of my book has, well, an extra layer of frosting:
"My kids and I are really big lovers of frosting and we want to know how to get that frosting layer on the bottom of the cake like on the cover of your book. Do you frost a cardboard cake circle and then drop the layer on it? Frost the cake layer and then invert it onto the plate? And how on earth do you make the bottom frosting thicker to support the cake? And how on earth do you cut it?"
Dear Richard and Kids,
If I had ever known that this cake would cause so much commotion, I might have put my foot down when
the photographer Tony Loew said, "Ah, let's just leave the layer of frosting on there. It separates the cake from the plate."
Tony has not had to field the flurry of questions that have arisen after this cake was just too tall for the book cover photo. Short-waisted gal that I am, I lifted that cake, and it was clear up to my chin. So with a near-machete in hand, Tony lopped off the bottom layer of cake, leaving behind a layer of frosting. Since it was spontaneous, it is difficult for me to advise you how to do this sort of thing on purpose. Hmmm, what about frosting the plate first, then stacking on a layer, adding frosting, and so on. It might make messy slicing, but I am sure a rubber spatula would clean up that plate in no time. Oh, and the cake is the Basic Yellow Pound Cake.
One last note, Tony didn't try this trick on the most recent photo shoot for Chocolate from the Cake Mix Doctor. We photographed an Old-Fashioned Devil's Food Cake with the same Fluffy Chocolate Frosting right between the layers.
Enjoy!
Anne
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Recipe Swap
The Best Pound Cake
Serves: 16
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Baking Time: 60 to 65 minutes
Carol McMillion of Catawba, VA, says she gave up scratch cakes once she tried this pound cake recipe, which was given to her by a friend about five years ago. I understand why. This is the most moist and memorable pound cake I have had in years. She says any flavor of plain cake mix can be used instead of yellow. Begin with a lemon cake mix and add fresh lemon zest instead of the vanilla, for example.
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
5 large eggs
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow cake mix
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 container (8 ounces) sour cream, at room temperature
Evaporated milk to fill the line of the empty sour cream carton (1 cup)
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan. Set the pan aside.
2. Place the butter and oil in a large mixing bowl, and beat with an electric mixer on medium-low until creamy, 1 minute. Add the sugar, and beat another 1 to 2 minutes, or until creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating each time until the batter is lemon colored and the yolk of the egg has just been combined. Add the cake mix, flour, sour cream, evaporated milk, and vanilla. Beat another 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, or until the batter is thick and well combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Place the pan in the oven.
3. Bake the cake until it is golden brown and springs back when lightly pressed with your finger, 60 to 65 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool 15 minutes.
4. To serve, slice and served with sweetened peaches or berries.
Black Walnut Cake
Serves: 20
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Baking Time: 30 to 35 minutes
Many months ago, Carol Thomas of Greenbelt, MD, requested a black walnut cake recipe that began with a cake mix. And while many of you were kind enough to send in versions, most of them from-scratch, I tried this easy cake mix rendition from Judy Wilson of Sun City West, AZ. Black walnuts are found in many supermarkets, and in many backyards as well. They can be a labor-intensive nut to harvest, and messy, too. But if you see the process through from gathering the green nuts to letting them dry and mature, to shelling and cracking them, you will find the nuts are sweet and unique in flavor.
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow cake mix
1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
4 large eggs
1 cup water
1/2 to 1 cup chopped black walnuts
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mist a 13- by 9-inch pan with vegetable oil spray and dust with flour.
2. Place the cake mix, pudding mix, butter, eggs, and water in a large mixing bowl. Blend with electric mixer on low speed until ingredients are moistened, 1 minute. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 1 minute more. Turn off the machine and fold in the walnuts.
3. Turn the batter into the prepared pan. Place the pan in the oven and bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes, then frost with your favorite buttercream or cream cheese frosting.
German Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
Makes: 5 dozen cookies
Preparation Time: 25 minutes
Baking Time: 10 to 12 minutes
Heidi Quinn of Carolina, RI, mentioned this recipe in an e-mail and I pressed her to send the recipe. We thoroughly enjoyed this classic combination of coconut, pecans, and German chocolate cake. They are very gooey and stay moist for days.
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter or margarine
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 large egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain German chocolate cake mix
5 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1. Place the sugar, milk, butter, vanilla, and egg yolks in a heavy 2-quart saucepan. Place over low heat and stir to combine as the butter melts. Continue to stir and cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens and is bubbly, 10 minutes. Stir in the coconut and pecans. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool 15 minutes. Reserve 1 1/4 cups of this filling mixture and set aside.
2. Place the cake mix, melted butter, and the remaining filling mixture left in the pan in a large mixing bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon until just combined. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
3. With a spoon and your fingers, shape the dough into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. With your thumb, make an indentation in the center of each ball and fill with a 1/2 teaspoonful of the reserved filling mixture. Place the pans in the oven and bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until browned and lightly set. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet, then remove with a metal spatula to wire racks to finish cooling. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
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Hot Tips
Eleanor Brazell of Atlanta, GA, passes along a great Web source for food products that are difficult to find. It might be a "trip down memory lane" for newsletter readers. She recalls "Bit o Honey" candy bars. I found Moon Pies, a shoofly pie mix, and many cake mixes that readers have requested, such as the cherry chip and the butter pecan. Go to hometownfavorites.com.
And in case you missed these excellent tips from the Community Board at cakemixdoctor.com, here is how Leonora del Rosario of Yorktown, VA, doctors up a box of brownie mix. "When some of the kids are here and want to bake, we use Betty Crocker if it's on the shelf. They love putting the batter in the miniature muffin tins and we bake for about 15 minutes. While they're baking we unwrap miniature Reese's peanut butter cups. As soon as they come out of the oven, we quickly give the candy a good shove into the brownie. Rich but yummy."
And Heidi R made my Incredible Melted Ice Cream Cake more incredible by using a Red Velvet cake mix and Cherry Garcia ice cream from Ben & Jerry's. "I also bought a jar of maraschino cherries and chopped some up and threw them into the batter. I used the marshmallow frosting recipe for the top. I put it in a Bundt pan, and it turned out to be the most beautiful cake I have ever made. I not only got rave reviews on the look, but the taste was awesome also!"
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Doctor the Doctor
Marsha Painter of Page, AZ, has turned the Chocolate Covered Cherry Cake into a layer cake with a cherry frosting. She omits the almond flavoring in my recipe, turns the batter into two 9-inch pans and bakes at 350 for about 30 minutes. She lets the layers cool, then frosts. Combine a 21-ounce can cherry pie filling, 1/2 cup sifted confectioners' sugar, and a 12-ounce container thawed frozen whipped topping. "Spread generously between layers and over top and sides. Refrigerate, then serve. This is great to make a day ahead."
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Do Share!
Taneka Martin of Baltimore, MD, is in search of a Hamburger Cake that contains chocolate cake and frosting for the burger, yellow cake for the bun, a light-colored peanut butter frosting and sesame seeds on the bun, and lettuce, tomato, and cheese made from a buttercream frosting then dyed with food coloring. She has seen other versions but not this one. Can you help? Please send that recipe to Anne@cakemixdoctor.com.
Any ideas of making a Japanese Fruit Cake beginning with a cake mix? This is a Southern layer cake, with alternating white and spice layers filled with a coconut and lemon filling and then frosted with a white seven-minute type of frosting. The request comes from Leonora del Rosario of Yorktown, VA.
Vicky of Independence, MO, wants recipes that use cake mix as an ingredient, but don't call for baking. "I know my kitchen gets pretty hot when using the oven in the summer, but I'd like to use up the cake mixes that I have." If you have those no-bake recipe ideas, e-mail me at Anne@cakemixdoctor.com, and I will forward them to Vicky, pronto!
Nancy Hall of Houston, TX, is looking for a chocolate cake that is made using sweetened condensed milk. "It is baked in a large Bundt pan and when the cake is turned out of the pan, the condensed milk is on top… As it bakes, the milk goes to the bottom and forms a custard/flan-like top. The cake is very moist. A sister of a lady that I used to work with baked this cake, and she lives in Mexico. I've been craving this one for a while."
Well, Nancy, you have me craving this cake, just describing it so well! If anyone knows of this chocolate cake send it to Anne@cakemixdoctor.com and we will share it with Nancy and others in the fall.
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Next Issue: September 2001
A special issue devoted just to the new book, Chocolate from the Cake Mix Doctor, with tour dates and a sneak peek at a recipe or two. And in October, more recipes found! Even that Lemon Ice Box Pie made with a small yellow cake mix.
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