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I am coming up for air long enough to write this newsletter. Sorry for the delay, but I have locked myself in the kitchen to finish a new book, which will cover all sorts of fun and fast soups, salads, appetizers, breads, main dishes . . . and more cakes, of course! I'll be able to share details (and maybe a recipe) later.

But for now, it's time to bake; in fact, we need to bake. With a troubling economy, possible war in Iraq, and innocent people being shot on our streets, Americans are jittery. Doing something as simple as cracking eggs and mixing up cake batter can help soothe some of the anxiety and make you and others around you feel better. You smell the fragrant cake baking. You frost it with smooth almost therapeutic strokes. You see your finished cake on a pretty plate. These are all positive things. They uplift you, strengthen ties at home, and cement friendships.

Cakes need not be celebratory and glamorous. Just think of the sturdy and reliable Bundts and sheetcakes. They are a snap to prepare, require no fussy decorating, and they're ready in a heartbeat for you to tote to a potluck, a picnic, a bake sale, or just to your neighbor for no reason at all. And with fall in the air, think pumpkin and chocolate and spices as the temperatures provide those of us in the Southern climes with a little relief. For those of you fortunate enough to live in those dazzling maple forests turning vivid red and gold, these cakes will merely reinforce that autumn is here.

If you're looking for a new cake to try, you'll want to check out Recipe Swap where I offer up two fun cakes, perfect through winter. (I know I promised some pumpkin bars, and they will be featured in the December newsletter.) Many of you may recall that in June a reader, Steve LaManna of Orlando, FL requested a very cherry cake. Thanks to all of you who sent in perfectly pink and totally cherry recipes for Steve, but it is the Cherry Chip Sheetcake from Judy Wilson of Sun City West, AZ, that I share with you. And I could not resist sharing the Blackberry Wine Cake from Jill Conyer of Houston, TX, even though Steve had not asked for blackberry at all. This is a wonderful and fragrant fall dessert. So dust off your pans. We're entering prime baking season, and no better time than the present to fire up the oven and make others happy. Enjoy!

We have always said the Cake Mix Doctor has spirit and this fall a spirit has found Anne! Kahlua, that is. One of the Doctor's favorite flavors for doctoring with a little kick, Kahlua has asked Anne to be the featured celebrity in a special Sunday newspaper insert which will land across the country on November 17 and December 8! Look for an all new delectable Kahlua layer cake from Anne inside. And if that wasn’t enough, Anne will be featured in a national satellite media tour on Tuesday, November 19 across the country. We'll provide you with updates on www.cakemixdoctor.com in the news section as soon as we have them. Until then, stay spirited!

Makes 16 to 20 servings
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 35 to 40 minutes

Cake:
Vegetable oil spray for misting the pan
Flour for dusting the pan
1 package (18.25 ounces) cherry chip cake mix with pudding (see note)
1 can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling
3 large eggs
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, optional

Frosting:
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
3 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice
Dash salt
2 large egg whites
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup flaked coconut, optional

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. Shake out the excess flour, and set the pan aside.

2. Place the cake mix, cherry pie filling, eggs, and nuts in a large mixing bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon until well blended, 80 to 100 strokes. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and place the pan in the oven. Bake the cake until it feels firm when lightly pressed with your finger, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, and place it on a wire rack to cool.

3. Meanwhile, prepare the frosting. Place the sugar, corn syrup, maraschino cherry juice, salt, and egg whites in a 2-quart saucepan. With an electric mixer blend on medium speed for 30 seconds, then place the pan over medium-low heat. Continue mixing with the electric mixer until soft peaks form, 8 to 10 minutes. Stop the machine and add the vanilla. Mix on low speed until combined, 30 seconds. Pour the frosting over the cooled cake, and spread it out evenly with a metal spatula. If desired, sprinkle coconut on top of the cake, or decorate it with maraschino cherries reserved from the jar.

Note: I used a Betty Crocker cake mix in testing this recipe, but you can also use a Duncan Hines cherry vanilla cake mix and add a small package of vanilla instant pudding.

Blackberry Wine Cake
Makes 12 servings
Preparation time: 12 minutes
Baking time: 43 to 48 minutes

Solid vegetable shortening and flour for preparing the pan
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain white cake mix
1 package (3.4 ounces) black raspberry, blackberry, or black cherry gelatin
1 cup blackberry wine (Mogan David)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs

Glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 cup blackberry wine
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 10-inch tube pan with vegetable shortening and dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour. Sprinkle the pecans evenly in the bottom of the pan. Set aside.

2. Place the cake mix, gelatin, wine, oil, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase the mixer to medium and beat 2 more minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and pour the batter into the prepared pan. Place the pan in the oven.

3. Meanwhile, place the glaze ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine.

4. Bake until the cake is firm to the touch when lightly pressed with your finger, 43 to 48 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and immediately pour half of the glaze over the cake while it is still in the pan. The top of the cake will look quite wet. Let the cake rest 20 to 25 minutes so the glaze may settle into the cake. Invert the cake onto a rack, and then invert it again onto a serving platter so that the cake is right-side up. Pour the remaining glaze over the cake, then slice and serve.

Keeping a Cake Moist

K. J. Thomas of Wildes Meadow, Australia, baked the Darn Good Chocolate Cake and finds that it has a hard crust on the outside. What can be done?

Don't bake that cake in a Bundt pan, instead using a tube pan, which has less surface area and thus, less crust. You could also reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees, and bake it slightly longer, or to doneness. "After I took the cake out of the oven I left it in the tin for the recommended time, then wrapped it in a dry tea towel for 20 minutes." This is a great tip. Cakes that are not frosted quickly will dry out. Layer cakes need to be frosted soon after they have the layers have cooled, or they need to be wrapped in a tea towel or covered with the baking pan inverted over them. Bundts that are not frosted should be placed in a cake saver, under a glass cake dome or covered with something—foil, tea towel, plastic wrap—after they have cooled so they do not dry out.

Bundt Pans

They are a fixture of the American kitchen and they are a life saver to cooks at high altitude. Bundt pans are fun to use and ever so practical, but it helps to understand them.

• Don't overbake cakes in Bundt pans. The increased surface area can get crusty and dry, so test the cakes at the minimum baking time, and if needed bake cakes at 325 degrees.


• Bundt cakes may take less time to bake than the same cake in a tube pan.


• The best way to make certain your Bundt cake will release from the pan every time is to brush it with solid vegetable shortening, then dust with flour. This is critical in those decorative star, cathedral, and other fancy Bundt pans.


• Cakes baked in Bundts need 20 minutes to rest before unmolding. It helps if the pan has been prepped with shortening and flour. Run a sharp knife gently around the top rims (outside and inside), shake the pan quarter turns to loosen it, then place the rack or plate on top of the Bundt. Invert the Bundt and rack or plate, remove the Bundt, and voila, you have one pretty cake!

If your cake has not risen to the occasion, it's probably because:

• The batter was overbeaten. Follow the time suggested in the recipe.


• The oven is not baking hot enough.


• The mix may be old. Mixes will keep on your pantry shelf for up a year. But I think it is best to not stockpile more than a half dozen mixes at a time.

Thanks to so many of you who sent in recipes hoping they might be the right one to answer the request of Rose Marie Matejka of Cleveland, OH. She was searching for a recipe using Betty Crocker butter pecan cake mix that you bake, poke with holes and pour in sweetened condensed milk. It is frosted with Cool Whip and sprinkled with toffee bits. Lisa Lyons of Los Angeles, CA, said it sounded a lot like a traditional Tres Leches cake, and she went on to supply a recipe she has used from the Food Network recipe file: You first prepare a yellow cake mix with pudding by the package directions, and bake it in a 13- by 9-inch pan. Then, you poke holes all over the cooled cake, and pour on a mixture of 1 can of evaporated milk, 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 2 cups heavy cream, and 1/2 cup rum. Place the cake in the refrigerator and let it absorb all of the topping. Cover the cake with whipped cream or Cool Whip and sprinkle sweetened flaked coconut over the top of the cake. You can also garnish it with macadamia nuts, cherries, and/or pineapple.

Please help Ruth Ann of Salt Lake City. She is looking for an orange chocolate brownie made from a cake mix. Part of the cake mix was used to make a crust, and the rest was used to make the brownie filling. There was also an orange juice and chocolate chip glaze over the top. Sounds positively yummy, so be on Orange Brownie recipe alert.

And Dudley Cutshaw of Odenton, MD, has been looking for a Lemon Streusel cake mix, which made a wonderful brunch cake. Have you seen this mix in your area. Or if you don't have any leads for Dudley, do you have a recipe for a Lemon Streusel Cake that might work as a substitute? Please send
these recipes to anne@cakemixdoctor.com.

Holiday gift ideas, those requested Pumpkin Spice Bars, Italian Cream Cake made from a mix, and plenty of Hot Tips.