How to Elevate Boxed Cake Mix, Just in Time for Valentine's Day
Hi Everyone! It's Nicole, Annette's friend and web-manager, and I'm back with a fun, festive post for Valentine's Day. Let's start at the beginning: I am a pretty good cook! I enjoy putting my own twists on recipes, and my specialties are sauces and condiments. I make a mean aioli.That said, I am absolutely not a baker. It's just not my forte. I enjoy adding a dash of this or a pinch of that here and there, so the precision of baking just isn't my thing. But, since I love chocolate, cookies, and creme brûlée just as much as the next gal, I'm always looking for ways to incorporate baking...kind of. My current favorite trick: elevating boxed cake mix.While you can elevate boxed cake mix many different ways, there are two no-fail ways to take boxed mix from drab to fab. First, bake it in a fun dish.
This serves two purposes: one, it instantly makes the cake look like you spent more time on it. Two, you can serve your cake directly from the dish. Presentation is huge!I picked up these ceramic bakers from HomeGoods for a steal. One thing to remember: if you are baking in ceramic, you have to watch the cooking time. I added 5 minutes to the cooking time of the Godiva boxed mix I picked up, but I kept a keen eye on the cake the entire time it was baking.Another way to elevate boxed cake mix? Make your own fabulous icing. Icing is so easy. Truly. It requires just a few ingredients (namely butter and sugar). I used a recipe found on Jenny Steffens' blog for a chocolate glaze. It tastes almost exactly like your grandmother's Texas sheet cake icing and by the end of the afternoon, I was eating it with a spoon. Whoops! Note: I used 2 cups of powdered sugar when I made mine.
For even more festive fun, you can add a creative design using sprinkles or chocolate pearls - which will only make it look even LESS like boxed cake (win!).I love the idea of impressing your significant other or girlfriends with a fun, semi-homemade cake like this one for Valentine's Day. They'll all be impressed, and you'll be stress-free!xo, Nicole