Salted Caramel Death Star Popcorn Balls

Tomorrow is Star Wars Day! YAAAAAAY! (For those of you that are new here, May 4th is Star Wars Day because May the fourth be with you. Get it?)

To celebrate, I made multiple Death Stars. Out of popcorn and caramel. And then I covered them in candy. I don't think that's what the actual Death Star was made out of, because then the rebels wouldn't have needed Luke's Force-guided missile aim to blow it up. They could have just sent a couple Wookiees in to eat it. I'm sure Chewie would volunteer.

I've never actually made popcorn balls before. I mean, I've done marshmallow popcorn treats (like krispie treats, but with popcorn), and while I suppose that you could make those into balls and call them popcorn balls, I wanted to try something a little closer to the old fashioned method.

Except that the old fashioned method uses sugar and corn syrup, and I was worried that dipping them in the melted candy would make them too sweet. So I found this recipe from Food Network for caramel popcorn balls that was basically the same but used honey and brown sugar instead.

For my part, I thought the honey flavor was a little too strong, so if I made them again, I'd probably try some maple syrup or maybe dark corn syrup, but other than that, they were delicious. And fairly simple to make, providing you have the time and patience required for boiling sugar. (Never take your eyes off the stove when cooking sugar. CONSTANT VIGILANCE). Bonus, I had some extra popcorn left because the caramel had hardened too much to make another popcorn ball, so I spread it on a lined baking sheet to cool, and it made the perfect caramel corn. It was like the stuff you get in the tins at Christmas, only better because you made it.

One thing I didn't love was that the caramel, by necessity, was still pretty warm when I was shaping the popcorn balls. You have a very small window of opportunity between cool enough to not burn and hardened caramel, and I have very sensitive hands. So if you have sensitive hands like I do, use a pair of rubber gloves for that part (just spray them with cooking spray so the candy doesn't stick).

Then, when they had set, I dipped them in a mix of melted black and white candy wafers to get a dark grey, and I used some black sparkle gel to do some very simple detailing. Easy peasy.

Salted Caramel Popcorn Balls
Yield: About 12 popcorn balls

Ingredients
Approx. 8 cups popped popcorn
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/4 tsp. salt*
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
To decorate: black and white candy melts, black decorating icing

Directions
Generously grease a large mixing bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Pop your popcorn using your preferred method and place it in the bowl.

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the brown sugar, honey, and unsalted butter, stirring constantly until it comes to a boil. Allow it to boil, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until it reaches 300 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and quickly stir in the salt and baking soda. Stir in the vanilla and pour over the popcorn, stirring until well coated. Let sit until cool enough to handle, about 5 minutes (it will still be very warm).

Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Dip your hands in water to prevent sticking and shape the popcorn into balls about 3 1/2 inches wide. Place on the prepared baking sheet and let them sit until the caramel has completely set, about 10 minutes.

Melt the black and white candy melts together. Coat each popcorn ball in the melted candy, letting the excess drip off, then place back on the lined baking sheet. Chill in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes, or until the candy has hardened. Decorate with black decorating icing. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

*Adjust this amount to suit your personal preference. If using prepackaged microwave popcorn, add only 1/4 tsp salt, since your popcorn will already be salted.

Recipe adapted slightly from Food Network

Things you may need (affiliate links):

*Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links*

Other Star Wars Day Treats:

Star Wars Cake Batter Truffles

"Darth" Chocolate Cupcakes

Wookiee Cookies

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookie Cups

Do you guys remember when I made that soooper delicious gluten free cookie cake? And I said the one drawback was it was a little bit delicate? Well, I wanted to try the recipe again with a little xanthan gum to see if I could solve that problem. But then it was the holidays and I had a ton of Christmas baking to do. Except, I'm a problem solver.

My mom gives me a list of things to bake every year to give to her coworkers. This year it consisted of Browned Butter Maple Blondies, Zucchini Brownies, and my sort-of famous Cherry Almond Oatmeal Cookies. She puts together a little selection of treats for everyone and I assume it pleases them since she still asks me to do it. But one of her coworkers is gluten free and she only gets the cookies. Don't get me wrong, everyone loves those cookies, but it's gotta be a little sucky when everyone else has all sorts of choices and you've only got the one.

"What about my cookie cake?" I asked. "I want to try making it again and it's gluten free."

My mother had reservations. "But it's a pie. How would I give it out?"

"I could make it into cookie cups." She agreed that sounded like a good idea.

I had all the ingredients to make the cookie cake in my pantry already, I just bought some Reese's to stuff the cookie cups with when I was picking up the ingredients for everything else on my list.

Then I made them with just a couple adjustments, and I had to keep from stuffing all of them in my face they were so good. I managed to keep from eating them all so my mother could give them away as presents, but I made them again to share on ze blog and these are mine-all-mine

These don't taste gluten free at all. In fact, the coconut flour helps make the outside crisp while the inside stays soft and gooey, giving it the ideal cookie cup texture. These aren't delicate the way the cookie cake was, plus they don't have grainy edges like the cookie cake did.

The Reese's on top then gets all melty and biting into it is like an explosion of peanut buttery chocolatey goodness. And just like the cookie cake, these are beyond simple to make. One bowl, one whisk, stuff it with a seasonal Reese's, and you've got a simple and adorable treat perfect for sharing.

Or hoarding. Which is what I plan on doing.

*EDIT: it's been brought to my attention that the seasonal Reese's are not gluten free. However, Reese's cups are GF and actually fit better into the cookie cups. I was just trying to be cute and seasonal. Please always make sure to read the packaging*

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cups

Yield: 3 dozen cookie cups

Ingredients

2 eggs, lightly beaten

6 tbsp. milk

3 tbsp. butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

1 tbsp. maple syrup

1 tsp. vanilla extract

½ cup packed dark brown sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

½ cup coconut flour

1½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp salt

½ tsp. xanthan gum

1 cup chocolate chips

36 chocolate covered peanut butter candies (like these Reese's hearts), unwrapped and frozen

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Generously grease a mini muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, butter, maple syrup, and vanilla. Add the brown sugar and mix until dissolved. Mix in the peanut butter until smooth. Add the coconut flour, baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum and mix until well incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Add 1 tablespoon of dough to each cavity of the prepared muffin tin, pressing it in lightly with your finger. Bake 8-10 minutes, until the edges start to brown and set. Immediately press the candies into the middle of each cup.

Place the tin on a wire rack to cool for a few minutes before removing the cookies to cool completely. If you want the candies to keep their shape, chill the tin in the refrigerator for 10 minutes before removing the cookie cups.

Note: Seasonal shaped Reese' s candies are not gluten free. See more on the Hershey' s website here

Recipe by Kim

 *Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links*

Maple Browned Butter Blondies

This recipe took me a while to perfect.

Not the flavor. I got that first time out. No, it was the texture that gave me trouble. I wanted these blondies to be all gooey and fudgy in the middle.

The first time I made them, they were cakey. Super moist and tasty, but not what I wanted.

So I tried again. This time it was still cakey, but even more moist. Almost too moist. It was a little weird.

And then my mother gave me a list of things to bake for her to give to her coworkers. On the list were the blondies. "You mean the blondies that I haven't perfected yet?" I asked in disbelief

"They're delicious!" she protested. "Everybody loved them."

"But they're not right yet!" But even my brother agreed that they were good the way they were.

I had one last chance to get the recipe right. And you guys, I did it. They're fudgy. They're gooey. They're abso-freaking-lutely delicioso.

Of course, in order to get them to that gooey perfection, I had to make them a dieter's nightmare. There's two and a half sticks of butter in these bad boys, not to mention all the brown sugar and maple syrup. On the plus side, they're super rich so you can't eat too many at once.

They're also not super sweet, which is what I wanted. The browned butter adds enough of a savory flavor to balance out all that sugar and maple syrup, and that's the flavor that really shines in these blondies.

Long story short-- these blondies are amazing and you should make them. They are totally worth every effort I put into them.

Maple Browned Butter Blondies
Yield: 12 blondies

Ingredients
1¼ cups (2½ sticks) unsalted butter, browned
1⅓ cups packed brown sugar
½ cup maple syrup
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp. maple flavoring
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1½ cups all purpose flour
1½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
Optional: about ½ cup toffee bits*

Directions
To brown the butter: melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Continue to heat, whisking constantly, until the butter turns a light, golden brown. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 7x11 inch baking dish with non stick cooking spray and line with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the browned butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, eggs, maple flavoring, and vanilla extract until the sugar is dissolved. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix until smooth. Fold in the toffee bits if using.

Bake 35-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool completely before cutting into squares.

*The toffee bits sink to the bottom and melt into a sticky kind of crust. It's a mess, but delicious.

Recipe by Kim

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

So that name's a bit of a mouthful, but you won't really care too much about the name when you get a mouthful of this cake, because it is the bomb diggity.

Do people still say that? Bomb diggity? Is it still common knowledge that that refers to a thing that is very good? I was never really all that up on hip lingo. Which should be evident by my use of the words "hip lingo." But I digress.

This cookie cake is so good that we need to come up with a new word to describe it. Something fantastic. How about something like... phantasmagorical!

No, wait, that's a word that already exists and means something completely different. I'll do some brainstorming and get back to you.

Here's the skinny on this cake--or not-so-skinny as it were (Get it? Because it's a cookie cake? And it makes you not-so-skinny? I made a funny) (Laugh, dammit) . Coconut flour keeps us all in the gluten free territory, and it's high protein content helps make us full faster so we don't over indulge. Which is good, because I could have totally seen myself eating the entire thing in one sitting. Thanks coconut flour! (Thumbs up! Big smile! Tooth twinkle!)

The last time I worked with coconut flour, I noticed that it had a bit of a grittiness to it, and I wasn't the hugest fan of that. But this cookie cake is so moist and gooey in the middle that you don't get any of that gritty texture (well, you get it a bit around the edges which are drier, but for the most part, zero grittiness.)

And let's talk about that gooey, peanut buttery, chocolatey center of goodness. It's almost like eating raw cookie dough, except it's totally cooked through, so you've got the best of both worlds. Plus, it's a one-bowl, no mixer necessary recipe, so it's an easy dessert to throw together last minute if you've got unexpected guests, or maybe just forgot about them.

The one downfall of this cake is that it is a little delicate. If you try to cut a slice still warm from the oven, it kind of falls apart. I actually found it easier to slice after it had been chilled. Then you can always warm it up for a few seconds in the microwave and serve it with a big ole scoop of vanilla ice cream. Or, you could not care about getting pretty slices. That's always an option.

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

2 eggs, lightly beaten

6 tbsp. milk

3 tbsp. butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

1 tbsp. maple syrup

1 tsp. vanilla extract

½ cup packed brown sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

½ cup coconut flour

1½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 cup chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9 inch pie plate or cake tin with butter or nonstick cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, butter, maple syrup, and vanilla. Add the brown sugar and mix until dissolved. Mix in the peanut butter until smooth. Add the coconut flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix until well incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan and bake 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before cutting.

Recipe by Kim

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

For those of you that read the last Stuff and Things post, you know that there are some BIG things happening in my life right now. Namely, the fact that I bought a house.

And remember when I said I didn't have any pictures to share? Well, that's changed. Because I built it in the Sims. WHAT.

It might not be completely accurate, since I took the dimensions off the listing (which does not guarantee accuracy) and the layout from my memory, and I doubt the Sims is a one-to-one scale, but it gives you an idea.

Aerial view. Sorry for the wonky angle

Living room area... that's not a random fence. The condo is a second floor unit, and the stairs are a part of the unit. I just didn't feel like building 2 stories in the Sims. And that's Needy McSnuggles learning the hunting skill. He's much more proactive as a sim.

Dining room, that I've already decided will be my library, because I own a lot of books that need a home

Kitchen. You can see how nice and long it is. Plenty of room for me, even if there is limited counterspace (and there are upper cabinets, but they're nothing more than a pain in the butt in the game, so I didn't bother)

Bathroom and closet that doesn't yet have a washer and dryer, but that I will hopefully be converting

Bedroom. My sim's sleeping. Shhhhhh

Balcony. That I made way too long. It should end before the window

And this is the alien that stopped by at 2 in the morning to judge the fact that I haven't cleaned up my newspapers.

And just for fun, here's where the Grim Reaper pauses his important task of reaping souls to clean the litter box and play peek-a-boo with the pet snake. You gotta love the Sims.

As you can tell, I'm not excited at all about this. XD

Even though our closing date is officially at the end of April, there's still tons I need to do in the mean time. I've even started packing. Okay, one box. Of books. It still counts. So baking has kind of been pushed to the back burner.

Luckily, I had the photos of this cake just sitting in a folder, waiting.

This is the cake I made for my birthday (baker's lot-- you're expected to bake your own birthday cake). It was snowing (again. It always snows on my birthday) so the light was poor, and it didn't fit in my light tent, and I'm still not totally comfortable with my cake decorating skills, so I wasn't sure if I was even going to share this. But I didn't want to go another week without sharing something.

This cake is originally from Chocolate Moosey and is a chocolate chip cookie cake with toasted marshmallow filling and cookie dough frosting. Oh yes. Using toasted marshmallows as the filling to a cookie cake was a stroke of genius on Carla's part.

Now, the cake is really good, but I think the cookie dough frosting took it a little over the top. I'm usually pretty wary of frosting recipes that call for 4 or more cups of sugar because I don't like my frosting too sweet, but I trusted Carla's judgement. The frosting really does taste like cookie dough, and I sure as sugar ate it, but this is definitely a special-occasions-only cake, and meant for people with major sweet tooths. It was also super thick, about the consistency of cookie dough, so it wasn't the easiest to work with. But it's really good for making cookie dough sandwiches. :3

I, of course, made some modifications to the recipe. The bulk of them I think were unnecessary (I replaced half a cup of brown sugar with white and added some vegetable oil, but it ended up that the middle took too long to cook, and the edges got a little overdone. I don't think you'd have that problem following the original recipe). But the major modification I did was adding a scant teaspoon of ground cinnamon.

I know, that doesn't sound major. But one of the things my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe taught me was how good a little cinnamon is in a chocolate chip cookie. Not enough to make it a cinnamon cookie, but a little bit of cinnamon adds a depth and richness to the flavor that complements the cookie well. I also only added about half the chocolate chips because I'm the weird person who doesn't like too many chocolate chips in a chocolate chip cookie. But then I decorated the cake with chocolate chips, so it evens out.

Get the recipe here.

Butternut Squash Cupcakes- Squashin' Winter #SundaySupper

With Browned Butter Frosting

 You know what I haven't been making enough of? Cupcakes. I mean, cupcakes are what got me into baking in the first place. They're my first foodie love. When I first started this blog, I figured it would be all cupcakes all the time. But that has not been true. There has been a surprising dearth of cupcake recipes. The occasional cupcake, some of the time.

Well no more! I'm traveling back to my baking roots with this week's #SundaySupper, hosted by Heather of girlichef. The theme this week is winter squash. So of course I made cupcakes.

Don't question it. Just smile and nod.

I actually love butternut squash. Which is weird for me, because while I have a giant sweet tooth, I very much dislike sweet with my savory. I don't like pumpkin. I don't like sweet potatoes. I don't like cooked carrots. But I love butternut squash.

The squash has a nice, subtly sweet flavor that actually lends itself well to these spiced cupcakes. It's not immediately noticeable like with sweet potato or pumpkin, but it's definitely there as a sort of flavor undertone, adding a layer of complexity. Plus the squash keeps the cupcakes nice and moist (if a little on the dense side).

And since butternut squash and browned butter are basically best friends, I frosted these with the maple browned butter frosting from my maple cornmeal cupcakes, I just reduced the maple extract and added a pinch of salt (I've been on a kick lately where I add a little salt to my frostings. It just helps develop the flavor and cuts the sweetness a little.)

If you've never had browned butter frosting, then you have been deprived and that should be rectified immediately. Like right now. At this very moment. March on over to your stove and start cooking that butter. This blog will still be here when you're done; but it's more important that you don't go another minute without mixing browned butter and powdered sugar and then spooning it straight into your mouth.

Butternut Squash Cupcakes
Yield: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients
2 cups flour
2½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. nutmeg
¼ tsp. ginger
¼ tsp. ground cloves
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1½ cups cooked and mashed butternut squash
¾ cup milk

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium mixing bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a separate bowl with electric beaters, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy. Add the eggs and the vanilla, beating well after each addition. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk. Beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Line a muffin tin with paper liners. Fill about ⅔ of the way (about 2 tbsp.) with batter. Bake 15-20 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes our clean. Cool completely on wire racks.

Recipe by Kim

Browned Butter Frosting

Ingredients
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 cups powdered sugar
⅓ cup whipping cream
¼ tsp. maple flavoring (or vanilla)
Pinch salt

Directions
In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Continue to heat, whisking constantly, until the butter turns a light, golden brown. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Add the sugar, salt, and maple flavoring to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix together on the lowest speed. Slowly stream in the browned butter and continue to mix until the mixture looks like small peas. Add in the whipping cream, gradually increase the mixer speed to high, and whip until fluffy.

Recipe by Kim

Get ready to get your squash on:

Breakfasts and Breads

• Maple Butternut Squash Donuts from Mess Makes Food
• Pumpkin Sweet Rolls from Basic N Delicious
• Vegan Pumpkin Scones with Maple Nutmeg Icing from Killer Bunnies, Inc

Appetizers, Starters, and Condiments

• Butternut Squash and Couscous Patties-Indian Inspired from Soni's Food
• Pumpkin Hummus with Spiced Lamb from girlichef
• Quick Pumpkin Butter from Shockingly Delicious

Soups, Sandwiches, and Salads

• Black Bean and Butternut Squash Chili from Supper for a Steal
• Black Bean Pumpkin Soup from What Smells So Good?
• Butternut Squash and Bacon Grilled Cheese from Ruffles & Truffles
• Butternut Squash Soup from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Hearty Quinoa Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash from Citronlimette
• Roasted Buttercup Squash and Black Bean Soup (Dairy free) from The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
• Roasted Butternut Squash and Vegetable Soup from Kudos Kitchen By Renee
• Roasted Squash and Mexican Black Bean Salad from Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Roasted Squash and Sesame Noodle Salad from Jane's Adventures in Dinner

Main Dishes

• Butternut Squash and Spinach Quesadillas from The Dinner-Mom
• Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Balsamic Brown Butter from Crazy Foodie Stunts
• Butternut Squash Lasagna from Hip Foodie Mom
• Butternut Squash-Sage Cream Sauce with Sausage Spaghetti from Daily Dish Recipes
• Carnival Squash with Maple Sausage Stuffing from Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Chorizo-Stuffed Acorn Squash from Small Wallet Big Appetite
• Butternut Squash with Spicy Wild Rice and Queso Fresco from Vintage Kitchen Notes
• Pumpkin Alfredo from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Pumpkin Enchiladas from La Cocina de Leslie
• Pumpkin Risotto with Bacon, Goat Cheese, and Pecans from The Weekend Gourmet
• Roasted Butternut Squash and Brussels Sprout Pizza from Curious Cuisiniere
• Sausage and Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash from The Messy Baker
• Spaghetti Squash in a Creamy Sausage Sauce from Cookin' Mimi
• Spaghetti Squash Shrimp Scampi from Pescetarian Journal

Side Dishes

• Acorn Squash with Cinnamon and Cranberries from Noshing With The Nolands
• Butternut Squash and Apple Crumble from The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Butternut Squash Gratin with Sage Pesto & Gorgonzola from Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Chorizo and Craisin Stuffed Acorn Squash from Family Foodie
• Parmesan-Roasted Acorn Squash from The Urban Mrs
• Pumpkin Macaroni and Cheese from Big Bear's Wife
• Roasted Butternut Squash with Balsamic Vinegar Honey Butter from Food Lust People Love
• Roasted Butternut Squash with Wilted Kale, Mushrooms and Garlic from Take a Bite Out of Boca
• Skillet Buttercup Squash with Bacon from Magnolia Days
• Slow Cooker Squash and Apples from Mama's Blissful Bites
• Sweet N Spicy Baked Chipotle Butternut Squash Fries from Sue's Nutrition Buzz
• Twice Baked Pumpkin Stuffed Sweet Potatoes from Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen

Desserts

• Butternut Squash Cupcakes with Browned Butter Frosting from Treats & Trinkets
• Pumpkin Pie Crumb Bars from Pies and Plots

Wine Pairing Recommendations for Squashin' Winter #SundaySupper from Enofylz Wine Blog

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET.  Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

Homemade Spice Cake Mix

This spice cake recipe is a favorite among my family, (even Needy McSnuggles loves this recipe. When I'm eating a piece, he'll get as close to my face as possible and stare at me until I crumble off a little for him) and it's totally season appropriate. So thanks to my weirdo backwards insomnia, I had some time on my hands one morning and decided to mixify it. That way the next time I want it, I can whip it up easy-peasy. Also, because I'm slightly obsessed with homemade mixes, and it would make a great gift.

This time of the year, there are so many short cuts out there using boxed spice cake mix for things like pumpkin bread or spice cookies. I guarantee you, this recipe tastes so much better than boxed. You can have your shortcuts and eat it too. Or something like that.

I did use powdered milk in the recipe because POWDER ALL THE THINGS I had it on hand, but you can totally skip it. Just use milk instead of water when mixing up the cake.

(Slightly relevant) Side Note: my brother asked me the other day what spices were in allspice. I just kind of blinked at him and said, "umm, allspice." I sometimes forget that foodie knowledge does not equal common knowledge.

Secondary Side Note: Sorry if I seem a bit absent lately. 20k words into NaNoWriMo, I don't have many other to spare.

Spice Cake Mix
Yield: Approx. 4½ cups dry mix

Ingredients
2 cups cake flour
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup powdered milk (optional)
2½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. allspice
½ tsp. ground cloves
½ tsp. nutmeg
½ cup butter flavored shortening

Directions
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all ingredients except the shortening. Using a pastry cutter (or pulse in a food processor) cut in the shortening until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place up to 6 months.

To bake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour, or line with parchment paper, two 8- or 9-inch round cake tins. To the mix add 2 eggs, ¾ cup water (or milk, if you didn't use the powdered), and 1 tsp. vanilla. Mix well. Divide the batter equally between the two cake tins and bake 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire racks.

Based on the Spice Cake recipe from The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook