Let me begin by saying that I am woefully ashamed of myself. I haven't posted anything to Birds & Brownies for nearly 6 months, and to anyone who actually reads this blog, I'm very, very sorry. Life is a little crazy! I've been applying to grad schools, trying to get through senior year, navigating some choppy seas in the relationship department... it's been a wild ride.
Baking and birdwatching have been a little low on the priority list lately. But life is calming down a little and I'm starting to get the itch to make some delicious food again! Being at school, opportunities to cook - and available ingredients - are a little thin, but I've been trying to get back into the swing of things. I found the perfect excuse to bake a cake the other day when I decided the cast of the play I'm currently in, Vinegar Tom, needed a pick-me-up after a grueling week of rehearsal. What's better to lift spirits than a sunny lemon cake?
I was on a tight schedule, though, and didn't think I could whip up a homemade cake before rehearsal, so I resorted to a box. I know, it's shameful, but a busy college girl's gotta do what she can. To make up for the sadness of boxed cake, I threw in some extra ingredients to see if I could perk up an otherwise boring cake. And you know what? It totally worked. My fellow cast members, the director, and the crew gobbled it up in no time.
So if you're a busy gal (or guy) like me, and you need a little something to take to a potluck, a friend's house, or a club meeting, don't feel too bad about using that cake mix you have stashed in the deepest recesses of your cupboard. Give it a few tweaks, and they'll never know you didn't make it from scratch!
Here's what you need - a boxed cake mix, some fruit, and yogurt. I chose lemon cake mix, grapefruit, and orange yogurt, but I think any combo would be delicious. What about lemon-blueberry? Or vanilla-peach? Chocolate-cherry? The possibilities are pretty much endless.
 |
| Look at those fancy glitter nails :) |
Toss that dry mix in a bowl and mix in some fruit juice instead of the water or milk the recipe calls for. Beat in the required number of eggs (for the mix I chose, I used 1 1/3 cups liquid and three eggs).
Here's the fantastic part - substitute flavored yogurt for the oil called for on the box. Voila! Healthy! I did this on a whim, and it actually made the cake even more moist and flavorful. Genius! I'm doing this for all my cakes now.
Pour a quarter of the batter into each of two greased 9" cake pans (or half of the batter into a 13x9"), and then arrange some slices of fruit on top. Pour the remaining batter on top and put some more fruit on that, too. More fruit = more smiles!
Slide those beauties in the oven at the suggested temperature. While they're baking, let's whip up some glaze.
Why buy canned frosting (do you have any idea how many preservatives there are in that stuff?) when you could make a quick, light and moist glaze? Start with about a cup of powdered sugar and add some liquid of your choice - I used a mix of lemon and grapefruit juices, but any juice, milk, or even water will work. You don't need to measure, just put in a little, stir, and add more until the glaze is fairly thin and runny.
As soon as the cakes are done, poke some holes in them with a fork and drizzle your glaze all over the top. Make sure you get some everywhere. It will soak into the cake and make it extra-scrumptious. Sounds like a Willy Wonka term, doesn't it?
Let them cool before you flip them out of the pan. That's it! Serve to your favorite people. Earn brownie points. Win at life.
"Cheater" Cake
Cake
1 box cake mix, any flavor
Eggs, number as required by box
Fruit juice, milk, etc; amount as required by box
1 1/2 - 2 cups fruit, sliced
Yogurt, amount as required to replace oil
Glaze
1 c. powdered sugar
Fruit juice, milk, etc.
Preheat oven to temperature as directed. Prepare the cake as directed on the box, substituting fruit juice or other liquid for the water, and substituting yogurt for the oil. Pour part of the batter into greased cake pans and arrange half the fruit on top. Add the rest of the batter, top with remaining fruit. Bake for the time required on the box.
For the glaze, mix powdered sugar with enough liquid to make a fairly thin product. As soon as cakes are out of the oven, poke a few holes in them with a fork and drizzle the glaze all over, making sure to cover all areas. Let cool before removing from pan.
If you liked this post, you might also like Pound Cake
No comments:
Post a Comment