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!

Coffee Cake on the Run

I have a freezer full of frozen fruit (say that 5 times fast!) that I usually use to make smoothies. Sometimes though, a girl just gets smoothied out. So I had a whole bunch of frozen blueberries that needed to be used up.

I decided to make a last minute treat to take to work yesterday and this is what I came up with. I thought they were faboo...and so did the people who were fighting over the last two in the pan.

These are just the right size for a breakfast on the run. And much more economical than your local java joint. Take that Starbucks!

Blueberry Coffee Cake Crunch Muffins

for the crunch topping

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature

for the muffins

3/4 cup (1 and 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 and 1/2 cups sugar
3 extra large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (about 1 large lemon)
8 ounces sour cream
1/4 cup milk
2 and 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 and 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
-Lightly grease the top of your muffin tin (so when they rise they won't stick!) and line with 18 paper liners.
-Put the crumb topping ingredients in a bowl. Stir until well mixed and crumbly. Set aside.
-In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
-Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well between each and scraping down the bowl.
-The stir in the vanilla, lemon zest, sour cream and milk.
-In a seperate bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
-Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir until just combined.
-If you are using fresh blueberries, pick through for stems and rinse thoroughly. If you are using frozen blueberries, put them in a bowl or strainer, rinse with water and drain.
-Fold in the blueberries until evenly distributed.
-Use a standard size ice cream scoop to scoop the batter, fill each muffin paper to just over the top.
-Sprinkle each muffin generously with crumb topping.
-Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the muffins are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Makes about 18 muffins