September 4, 2013

Homemade Devil's Food Cake Mix


So, I kind of have a new obsession.

I have a lot of those, don't I? Icebox cakes, silicone ice cube trays, Benedict Cumberbatch...

(My mother and I have decided that he would make the perfect Mr. Rochester. So, Hollywood, can you make a non-sucky movie version of Jane Eyre and cast him? I would be very grateful. Kthxbai)

 But this new obsession is actually super useful. It's easy, it saves time in the kitchen, it makes for great gifts, and it's pretty frugal. It's all about the homemade mixes, baby.

I've made homemade mixes in the past, but the obsession really started with my peanut butter cookie mix. Even the most adamant of scratch cooks can agree that mixes are convenient and so much easier. But unless you buy the super expensive, all natural, organic, gourmet, hand crafted cake mixes from fancy shops, they also tend to taste pretty artificial and are loaded with mystery ingredients and preservatives. And there are so many recipes out there for cake mix "fixes" and making cake mix taste "homemade," that I think we can all agree that cake mixes don't stand up to the real thing.

But there are also a lot of really cool recipes that use mixes for things completely other than their original purpose. Honestly, how many cake batter recipes are there out there? Cake batter ice cream, cake batter cookies, cake batter marshmallows, cake batter fudge. The original inspiration for making my peanut butter cookie mix came from a pin I'd found on Pinterest about how to make any cookie mix into cookie dough frosting. I thought that would be really cool to do with peanut butter cookie dough, and I decided to do research to see if I could find a recipe for a homemade mix (mostly because I didn't feel like going to the store). When I couldn't find one, I decided that had to be rectified, and an obsession was born.
The main issue with mixes is that you can only use dry ingredients, and it needs to be shelf-stable. This is why most mix recipes are just flour, sugar, salt, and leavenings. But if I'm making a mix, I want it to be comparable to the ones you buy at the store. I don't want to still have to cream the butter; I want to make it in a bowl with a whisk. So I cut in butter-flavored shortening. Now, I know shortening weirds a lot of people out, they don't like the taste, they're worried about trans fat, they think it's made by the devil. You can buy non-hydrogenated shortening if you're worried about trans fat, and shortening actually contains less saturated (bad) fat and more unsaturated (good) fat per serving than butter. Of course, any fat that's solid at room temperature is high in saturated fat, but I never claimed I was giving you health food.

Besides, the recipe I based this on, from- you guessed it- Old Reliable, calls for shortening and not butter.

If it's simply a taste/texture issue, then you can use cold butter instead, but you'll have to store the mix in the freezer.
Then, whenever you want devil's food cake, it's just as easy as the ones you get from the store. Mix, oil, eggs, water, and some ninja vanilla extract. Regular vanilla is fine if you can't find the ninja.

Get it? Get it? I made a funny.
Mix, mix, mix. The batter is pretty liquidy. I would suggest only adding half the water at first, so you can make sure all the lumps are out.
Pour, pour, pour.
Bake, and you got cake! XD This cake rises like nobody's business, so you could potentially get three thin layers out of it, but I only have two cake tins, and I was too lazy to make a third layer. I ended up splitting the layers anyway.

I usually make a kind of "Fauxstess" cupcake/cake with this recipe. Fill with Marshmallow Whoopie Pie Filling, frost with Fudge Frosting.
Or just eat as is. This cake is rich and moist, but still manages to be super fluffy. This is seriously the only Devil's Food recipe that I've ever used, and now that I've got the mix, I can whip it up at a moment's notice.

Just a note: because of the powdered buttermilk, I wouldn't keep this more than 3 months unless storing in the refrigerator or freezer. But I don't think it will ever last that long.

Devil's Food Cake Mix
Yield: Approx. 5 cups dry mix

 Ingredients
2 cups flour
1½ cups sugar
9 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
5 tbsp. dried buttermilk powder
1½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking soda
½ cup butter flavored shortening

 Directions
In a large bowl, whisk together all ingredients except the shortening. Cut in the shortening using a pastry cutter, or pulse in a food processor, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Store in an airtight container up to three months.

 Based on the Devil's Food Cake recipe from The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook

 Devil's Food Cake
Yield: 1 2-layer cake

 Ingredients
1 recipe Devil's Food Cake Mix
1¼ cups water
3 eggs
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract

 Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease and flour, or line with parchment paper, two 9-inch round cake tins.

 In a large bowl, mix all ingredients until well blended. (Tip: only mix in half the water at first to eliminate lumps, then mix in the rest. This is recommended, but not necessary.)

 Divide the batter equally between the two pans. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Allow to cool completely on wire racks.

 Tip: Reduce the bake time by 10 minutes for cupcakes

 Based on the Devil's Food Cake recipe from The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook
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September 1, 2013

Raspberry Lime Cupcakes #SundaySupper


Is it really September already? Time for summer's last hoorah? Ah well, summer's had a good time of it. Lots of blistering heat, lots of sudden thunderstorms and cloud bursts. I think I'm just about ready for fall. The crisp fall air, the changing leaves, apple picking. Now that I'm no longer in school, fall holds a lot more to look forward to than to dread. Halloween, Thanksgiving, New York Comic Con, NaNoWriMo...

Is it weird that it kind of makes sense that fall is an epically nerdy season?

I've been in full NYCC mode putting together my cosplay, so I kind of missed the fact that summer is drawing to a close. When someone mentioned to me that I would have a 4 day weekend because I took Friday off, I was very confused. It took me longer than I care to admit to realize that Monday was Labor Day.
That's okay, though. Because we won't let summer leave without a proper send off, and these cupcakes are the perfect way to do that.

This week's #SundaySupper, hosted by DB of Crazy Foodie Stunts, is all about that last big barbecue of the season, the Labor Day weekend barbecue. And when you're celebrating the last summer weekend, you want a super summery dessert, so you can end with it with a bang.

These Raspberry Lime Cupcakes are like summer in a handheld dessert. Tart, but sweet, bright and fresh. I basically just adapted my Birthday Cake Cupcakes, added in some raspberries and lime zest, and ended up with a simple, tasty cake.

But the frosting is the real star. Oh the frosting. Put it on carboard and I'd eat it. It's like a sweet and sour candy: super sweet, but also very tart, with the bright raspberry flavor in the background. It tastes like a carnival.
Farewell summer. You were... hot. And sweaty. But nice enough.

Raspberry Lime Cupcakes
Yield: 30 cupcakes

 Ingredients
For the cupcakes
2½ cups plus 1 tbsp. flour, divided
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1½ cups sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 eggs
¾ cup sour cream
1 tsp. lime zest
½ tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup milk
1 pint fresh raspberries

 For the frosting:
¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
½ tsp. lime zest
4 cups powdered sugar
¼ cup lime juice
Scant 1/8 tsp. raspberry extract
Food coloring (optional)

Directions
For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together 2½ cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sale. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large mixing bowl with electric beaters, beat the butter and sugar together at medium speed until fluffy. Add the eggs, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla, zest, and sour cream, and mix until fully combined. Fold in half of the flour mixture. Mix in the milk and then the other half of the flour mixture. Beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Toss the raspberries with the remaining 1 tbsp. flour, then gently fold them into the batter.

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.

For the frosting: In a large bowl with electric beaters, beat the butter and zest on medium speed until smooth. Reduce the speed to low, and gradually add the powdered sugar. Add the lime juice and raspberry extract, and continue to beat on low until just incorporated. Increase the speed to high and whip until light and fluffy. Color as desired.

Recipe by Kim
 

Celebrate Labor Day with the rest of the #SundaySupper team:

Refreshing Drinks
Amazing Appetizers and Sides
Enviously Good Entreés
Delicious Desserts
Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter each Sunday. We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm EST. 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.
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