Clever Cake Mix Baking

I recently saw an ad for a cookbook called Cake Mix Cookies. I showed the ad to my hubby, who said, “You don’t need that. You could have written it.” I’ve been using cake mixes to make quick and easy cookies for years. I also use cake mixes for muffins. It’s a shortcut that eliminates measuring a bunch of dry ingredients. We need all the shortcuts we can find, right? I can’t remember the last time I used a cake mix to bake a cake.

On second thought, I do remember. My friend Linda Straka was visiting and told me about a trick she uses to bake a cake on top the stove. After it’s done, you flip it onto a plate and set a plain Hershey’s chocolate bar on top. After the cake cools and the chocolate bar softens, you frost the cake with the chocolate bar. I had to try it. What a time-saving idea for a quick dessert!

If you’d like to experiment, here’s the recipe:

RECIPE

Stovetop Devil’s Food Cake
Serves 4-6

In the time it takes you to preheat a conventional oven, you can have your cake and eat it, too!  From start to finish, the single-layer stovetop cake takes about thirty minutes.

stovetop cake

Ingredients:

½ 18.25oz. box Devil’s Food Cake Mix (or chocolate cake mix of your choice)
1 large egg + 1 egg white (or 3/8 cup egg substitute)
¼ cup canola oil
2/3 cup water
1 teaspoon butter
1 plain chocolate bar (I like Hershey’s Special Dark chocolate bars)

Directions:

Beat the eggs in a medium bowl then add oil and water. Stir in cake mix and beat until fully blended (don’t overbeat).

In a quality, stainless steel pan (1 ½ qt.—see picture), melt butter over low heat. Pour cake mix batter into pan, cover, then reduce heat to its lowest setting. Time for 15 minutes.

At 15 minutes, lift lid and check for doneness with a cake tester or toothpick. You may need to cover and cook an additional 3-5 minutes (I always do because I err on the side of caution and use very low heat to avoid scorching the cake). If so, dry the condensation off the inside of the lid each time you remove it.

When the cake is done, remove pan from heat and allow to cool 5 minutes. With lid on, gently shake pan to loosen cake from the sides. Invert pan onto plate, place chocolate bar on top, and let stand for 10-15 minutes.

When the cake has cooled and the chocolate bar softened, use a spreader or knife and smooth the chocolate over the cake to form frosting. Enjoy!

Word of caution: If you use a cheap pan, your cake may scorch and stick. Cut a piece of a silicone baking mat to fit the bottom of the pan before adding the batter and skip the melted butter step.

Another favorite thing I do with cake mixes is make muffins. I buy spice cake mix or carrot cake mix, follow the directions, then add stuff like coconut and nuts. I bake as if they were cupcakes except I don’t frost them. By using canola oil and egg substitutes, I make the muffins a bit more healthful, too.

But my all-time favorite cake mix recipe is for cookies. Hubby likes it when I add semi-sweet chocolate chips to Duncan Hines Orange Supreme cake mix batter. For the holidays, I use red velvet cake mix to make pretty red cut-out cookies. Lemon supreme cake mix makes a great sugar cookie. Use your imagination and vary the cookies. Here is the basic recipe:

RECIPE:

Cake Mix Cookies

1 package Cake Mix 18.25 oz.
1 egg, beaten
1 Tablespoon water
¼ cup canola oil

Preheat oven to 375°F.

In a 1 quart mixing bowl, combine all ingredients until a stiff dough is formed. Add:

5 oz. chocolate chips or nuts (Optional)

Mix with hands until chips are incorporated into the dough. Refrigerate dough for 15 minutes.

Remove dough and form into balls approximately 1″ in diameter. (Or roll out dough and use cookie cutters) Place on an ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until cookies start to brown.

Remove cookie sheet from oven, then carefully remove cookies to cool on a rack.

Makes 2 dozen medium-size cookies.

I hope you find this post useful during this busy season. Happy holidays!

Diva Cheryl Norman