In these last two weeks of 2016, I'd like to thank all of you who have been a Cake Mix Doctor fan through the years. It was more than 15 years ago when as a frantic, busy mother I reached into the pantry and grabbed a box of cake mix. But like anything I have ever done in my life, I didn't follow the package directions. I wanted to do it my way, which meant I added interesting ingredients, a homemade frosting, and the door opened for more cookbooks aimed at busy cooks like myself. | | | Those books evolved into all-natural baking mixes that are sold today from Texas, across the South, and up into the East. Cake Mix Doctor mixes are on the shelf at HEB, Central Market, Publix, Kroger, Lowe's, Whole Foods Markets, and Stop & Shop stores. We've got more expansion news for 2017, so thank you for your support of the dream of this busy mom who wanted to make things more interesting on the baking aisle.
Happy holiday baking!
 | | |
American Cake Recipe: Lazy Daisy Cake
And knowing that there's time for shortcuts and a time to bake from scratch, I wrote American Cake, the history of cake in our country. It has been welcomed to really nice reviews, and maybe you've see it on the holiday cookbook table at Barnes & Noble or at Costco.
For a taste of American Cake, you can bake a bit of history and something new and different for the holidays with this Lazy Daisy Cake. | | | |
The Bundt Project
If you loved the free Best Pound Cake, then you'll love the rest of the Bundt Project. We turned my all-natural mix that weighs in at 18.25 ounces and even the smaller competitor's brand into a dazzling dozen Bundt cakes.
Until the end of the year, we are offering the best discount on the Bundt Project - use the coupon code CHRISTMASVILLAGE when you order. | | | Cake Mixes Shipped to your Doorstep At Cake Mix Doctor we are dipping our toes back into the waters of e-commerce. Head to the locator map to find our products and you will find a link to order them in a six-pack. We are only offering the six-pack, and they must be shipped to the continental United States. Enjoy!
 | | Cake Baking Survival Tips
You CAN be busy and bake, too. Here are my favorite tips:
1) Bake ahead and let the cake rest on the kitchen counter, covered, for a day or two. This works well with pound cakes.
2) Bake ahead and freeze. Wrap unfrosted layers in heavy foil and freeze for several weeks. To thaw, open the foil to let moisture escape. Frost and serve.
3) Search for simple recipes with small ingredient lists. Choose unfrosted cakes like coffee cakes and Bundts. | | 
Testing cookbooks and styling cakes for photography gets expensive. But I have found you can save money on baking ingredients at Costco. (Pick up a copy of American Cake, too, while you are there. Yippee!) | | | Here are my favorite Costco ingredients for baking: - Butter + Eggs: I buy unsalted butter and freeze it. The 24-pack of cage-free eggs is handy. You know you won't run out of eggs.
- Pecans + Walnuts + Almonds: Short of buying direct from growers, Costco is your next-best place to buy nuts (including those fat, sweet English walnuts). Store in the freezer.
- Peppermint Bark + Semisweet Chocolate Chips: A super-easy last-minute holiday dessert is to top brownies with shaved peppermint bark, then bake. I love the bark from Williams-Sonoma, but will admit the Costco is just as good and cheaper. Semisweet chips in the big bag are nice to have for making your own peppermint bark!
- Light Olive Oil: Use this in baking, especially in cakes with citrus like my Orange and Olive Oil Cake in American Cake. Olive oil is a natural emulsifier and if you use it in cake baking instead of vegetable oil, your cakes will be more moist and rise higher in the pan.
- Fresh Oranges: The navels, the Cara Cara, clementines, love them. We peel, remove the segments and turn them into Ambrosia for Christmas Eve. And the place oranges in Christmas stockings. Plus, leftover citrus is really nice to have on hand for cold January days.
- Organic Sugar: It's tan, unrefined, and it's a lot of fun to use in baking. Before all sugar was refined, local sugar looked like this. This is the sugar that went into the first caramel icings and pralines. Bake a little history with this 10-pound sack!
- Vanilla Extract: A much cheaper place to buy vanilla. Period.
- Dried Tart Cherries: My favorite for turning into morning oatmeal, chocolate chip cookies, ice cream and scones.
- Pumpkin: An excellent pantry staple. We use it in pies, breads, cakes, you name it. And when you buy ahead in bulk, you never fear the supermarket pumpkin-shortage!
| | | | | |
0 comments:
Post a Comment