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A Piece of Cake
March 2005: Second Slice
Newsletter written by Anne Byrn March 01, 2005
A Word from the Doctor
A Word from Workman
Bits and Bytes
Recipe Swap
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A Word from the Doctor
I'm ignoring the snow flurries outside my office window and thinking positive thoughts about spring. And, not following the usual every-other-month format, I'm sending a mini newsletter. Easter arrives early this year, and I didn't want you to miss out making a festive cupcake from my new book, Cupcakes From the Cake Mix Doctor, to be released in April.
It's an Easter Basket Cupcake, baked in either the waffle bowls found on the ice cream aisle of your supermarket, or in the standard paper cupcake liners. All the ingredients are listed, and you don't need to be a design pro to pull this off.
Others news from the kitchen? I received a steady stream of responses from the Treats for the Troops feature in February, and some of those comments are shared here. Plus, in a senior moment in writing the newsletter I botched the name of our friend and professional cake decorator Dottie Joyner of Columbus, OH, and I apologize to Dottie. I will also be making QVC appearances for the cupcake book in March, and we share those dates below. You'll see the Easter Basket Cupcakes on the QVC table, and as always, I would love to hear from my baking friends if you call to talk on-air.
So, until the April newsletter hopefully brings you warmer temperatures, turn on the oven and happy baking,
Anne
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A Word from Workman
Be sure to watch the premiere of Cupcakes from the Cake Mix Doctor on QVC, March 13, 2005, 8 am and noon EST. QVC will be taking advance orders, which will come with a special 4-page booklet, "Bake Sale Secrets from the Cake Mix Doctor." Check your local guide for listings.
Also, Anne's packing up her cupcakes and taking them on the road. We're posting tour dates as they're confirmed, so please check back often!
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Bits & Bytes
Treats for the Troops Update
It was obvious from your feedback that you are baking and mailing goodies to the U.S. troops overseas:
"On reading your newsletter today, it took me back to when my husband was in Vietnam. I was not a baker at that time, but we had this friend and what she did was bake cakes in those fancy tins you buy with cookies inside. She kept the tins for baking cakes, added frosting, and voila! To an APO box went the cake. My husband recalls those birthday and special occasion cakes as very special moments during the hard days they were going through while in Vietnam. My daughter is now in the Air National Guard and what we do is when her friends go out on special missions, we bake and send cookies for them to take on their trip, which they devour and come back asking for more. Hey, it's a simple way of saying we care!" —Minerva Febo, Puerto Rico
"Thank you so much for the article in this quarter's newsletter on making and sending treats to the troops overseas. My husband has just been deployed to Iraq, and we are working on care packages for him and his men and women right now." —Lynda Danley, Atlanta, GA
"Popcorn is a needed treat. Also send pretzels and canned icing (especially chocolate) for dipping." —Brenda Sizemore, Atlanta, GA
"I sent homemade brownies to our soldier friend in Iraq. I put four brownies in each quart-size Ziploc bag along with a slice of cheap store-bought white bread. One piece of bread to a bag," says Anne Sirman of Atlanta, GA. She notes that it takes three weeks for the package to arrive in Iraq. "They arrived in perfect condition. The brownies were moist and the bread was all dried up and stale. Apparently the brownies extract the moisture out of the bread. Granted, this was the most expensive batch of brownies I have ever been involved with, what with postage, but I am more than willing to do it again and again. If our soldiers want homemade brownies, then homemade brownies it will be!"
And a note from Candy:
"My niece and I would like to make some treats to send to Iraq, but we don't know anyone personally to send them to. Any advice?"
Minerva Febo says: "At every fort or base they have an office that takes care of the troops out in combat, to help out the spouses and children of the men and women out in the field. Maybe they can give you names of relatives more than willing to accept this gift of love for their loves ones."
Adds Lynda Danley: "I think sending baked goods to families here in the U.S. would be a very unique way of saying thank you."
I just discovered a wonderful website, http://AnySoldier.com, created by parents of a soldier stationed in Iraq, which lets people donate goods to soldiers overseas. You can adopt a soldier and fulfill all the items on his or her wishlist, or search for things like "cake" and find servicepeople who are looking specifically for treats. Please note that this site requests that you send only store-packaged treats as a safety measure.
Check with your neighborhood school, place of worship or civic organization. You will be able to find local families with loved ones in the military, and they just might appreciate your warm gesture of love. Since people on the home front make the heroic efforts in Iraq possible, sending them a home-baked cake is fitting.
Prize monies being put to good use
Thought you might like an update on how the $1,000 prize money that Laura Cunningham won for her delicious Easy Linzer Bars last fall was being used in her hometown of Parsippany, NJ. According to Thomas Michael Barrett of the Cheshire Home II, which houses and helps physically disabled young adults lead active and productive lives, the money will go toward remodeling the kitchen and living room. "The residents of our group home are grateful to Ms. Cunningham," he said, "not only for her outstanding baking skills, but for unselfishly thinking about us for her prize money."
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Recipe Swap
Easter Basket Cupcakes from Cupcakes from the Cake Mix Doctor
Makes 10 baskets (4 inches each)
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Baking time: 24 to 27 minutes
Cooling time: 30 minutes
Assembly time: 25 minutes
Cupcakes
1 box (7 ounces) waffle bowls (10 to a box, see Note)
10 8-inch squares of aluminum foil
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain white cake mix
1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large whole eggs
2 large egg whites
1 tablespoon coconut flavoring
Buttercream Frosting (recipe follows)
Baskets
3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
2 to 3 drops green food coloring
Assorted jelly beans
10 strawberry-flavored Twizzlers (9 1/2 inches long)
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the over to 350 degrees F. Wrap the outside of each waffle bowl in an 8-inch aluminum foil square, carefully tucking the edges of the foil just inside the top of the bowl. Place the bowls on a baking sheet and set aside.
2. Place the cake mix, pudding mix, milk, oil, eggs, egg whites, and coconut flavoring 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 down the sides again if needed. Fill each bowl with a heaping 1/2 cup of batter. Place the baking sheet in the oven.
3. Bake the cupcakes until they are lightly golden and spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 24 to 27 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Gently peel off the aluminum foil and allow the bowls to cool to room temperature, 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the Buttercream Frosting.
5. Place the coconut in a plastic bag with 2 drops of the green food coloring. Shake well until the coconut turns green. If the color isn't strong enough, add another drop of color, and shake again.
6. To assemble, place 2 heaping tablespoons of frosting on each cupcake and spread it out smoothly with a short metal spatula or a spoon, taking care to cover the tops completely. Immediately sprinkle on coconut to resemble grass and place a pile of jelly beans on the coconut to resemble eggs. To create the basket handle, insert one end of a Twizzler in one side of the cupcake near the edge, then bend it over the cupcake and insert the other end on the opposite side. The cupcakes are ready to serve.
7. Store these cupcakes for up to 1 day at room temperature. After a day, the cake will begin to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
[NOTE: Waffle bowls are bowl-shaped edible ice cream containers, and usually found on the aisle where ice cream toppings are sold.]
Buttercream Frosting
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
3 cups confectioners' sugar (sift after measuring)
3 tablespoons milk (plus extra for desired consistency)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1. Place butter in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until fluffy, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and add confectioners' sugar, milk, vanilla.
2. Blend with the mixer on low speed until the sugar is incorporated, 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, 1 minute more. Blend in up to 1 additional tablespoon milk if the frosting seems too stiff.
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Next Issue: April
Recipes for Cherry Chip Cake and Apple Butter Spice Cake and answers to many of your questions.
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