Mix Master

I guess I'm spoiled. Cake mix, on it's own, is so many shades of wrong after you've eaten from-scratch cakes. But cake mix is easy. And there are a few ways to make cake mix completely righteous if you're willing to play around with it.

The following is a cake mix recipe froofed up to taste like something from a very good bakery. It has a tighter crumb than regular cake, so that makes it ideal for decorating. It doesn't fall in the middle. It doesn't rise up crazy and ooze all over your cupcake pans making them hard to get out. And it's not dry or bland. It tastes amazing. Plus you can doctor it up several ways!

The following is the recipe for my favorite version~Lemon~which I made into cupcakes for St. Patricks day, complete with a swirl of vanilla buttercream icing and a See's chocolate shamrock on top.

It's a bright tasting lemon, slightly-tart-but-with-a-good-balance of sweet. And the texture is like a cross between angel food and pound cake. Trust me, you will not be dissapointed. Included at the bottom is another variation to make an equally delicious White Almond Cake.


White Lemon Sour Cream Cake

1 box white cake mix
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large lemons
Water (measurements will vary)
1/8 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pure lemon extract
1 cup sour cream
3 large eggs

1-Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2-Grease and flour cake pans or line 2 - 12 cup cupcake tins with cupcake papers.
3-In a large mixing bowl combine the cake mix, flour, sugar and salt. Mix together with a whisk.
4-Zest both lemons with the smallest holes on your grater. Put the zest into the dry ingredients.
5-Juice both lemons, pour the juice into a liquid measuring cup. Now add enough water to the lemon juice to make 1 and 1/3 cups of liquid. Add to the dry ingredients.
6-Add the remaining ingredients to the mixture.
7-Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
8-Pour evenly into prepared pans, about 2/3 full, or use an ice cream scoop to fill cupcake papers 3/4 full*. Bake until cake tests done. (Around 30-35 minutes for cupcakes, depending on your oven...use that as a starting point. Cakes will take a little longer.)
9-Cool completely and decorate as desired. (Because the lemon cake is a bit on the tart side, I'd suggest a vanilla buttercream frosting to balance the flavors.)

*If making cupcakes, you will have more than enough batter for 24 cupcakes. You can either pour this leftover batter into a small pan to make a little cake, or make a few more cupcakes after the first few batches are done. I usually get about 28 cupcakes.

White Almond Sour Cream Cake

1 box white cake mix
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/3 cups water
1/8 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 cup sour cream
4 egg whites

-Follow directions as above, omitting "lemon steps" 4 and 5.
-Fill cake pans to about 2/3 full.
-This cake is wonderful with cream cheese frosting and toasted coconut.

Editor's Interesting Trivia Side Note: I made the White Almond version into a birthday cake for one of my friends two years ago, and it was this very cake that I was trying to photograph when our haunted camera died! So, while I can show you the ghost that made our camera wonky, there are no pictures of the cake.

Also, no pictures of the cupcakes, since they were whisked out the door about 30 seconds after I got done frosting them. Maybe it's for the best...we can't afford any new cameras!