Tag: baking

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Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate Cake

Christine

Some time ago, mom bought this box of Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa powder. As you know, I’ve long been a fan of the box mix and a whiz at doctoring a box mix, so I don’t often make cake from scratch. I’ll admit, it is better, but I used to make cake more frequently than I do now. (They were baked goods fiends at my old job.)

Well, someone in mom’s office brought in this cake one day and mom just loved it, asking for the recipe. She was told it was the one from the back of the cocoa can.

So, I decided to to make this last week, partly for mom, partly to take a few slices to my friend Jessica, who just had her baby, and partly because I had a hankering for some serious chocolate.
Straight from the back of the Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa box.
Well, let me tell you, folks. This is a good chocolate cake recipe. And the icing recipe isn’t bad either. But together… it is a bit much. I was afraid it might be. I called mom to see if she wanted something light and fluffy to go with this rich dark chocolate cake. Maybe whipped white or peanut butter? No, she assured me, it sounds like a lot, chocolate on chocolate, but it is good.

She only took two pieces.

Now I’m stuck with about 1/3 of a super sweet cake!

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Pink Lemonade Cake

Christine

I made another layer cake last week. I was watching The New Adventures of Old Christine, a re-run, where new Christine had dumped Richard at the altar, and when Matthew and Barb go to check on her, she feeds them huge pieces of wedding cake and a bottle of champagne each. The cake looked really good. A four layer white cake. Suddenly that was all I could think about. Mmm, a nice white cake. Gotta have it now, don’t have time to bake one, let it cool then frost it. Jump in the car and go buy a sheet cake at Giant. Wow. They have really gone up in price! $10.99 for 1/8 sheet cake! They are crazy. After much hemming and hawing, I bought a box mix and decided to make my own icing.

After baking the cakes, I mixed up some plain butter cream frosting, but decided I didn’t want just plain icing with white cake. Maybe lemon? I love lemon icing. Then I decided to tint it, but I didn’t have any yellow food coloring. So I used pink. One drop. It turned a lovely pale shade. I really hate strong color icing, it gets all over your tongue, gross. But lemon-flavored pink icing?
And that is how pink lemonade cake was born.

Unfortunately, my goal of instant gratification failed. They layers were too warm to frost before bedtime. I asked Lewis to do it when he got home. Didn’t he do a great job? Far better than my last attempt. I think he may be the official cake froster from now on.And it was darned tasty, too. Oliver was disappointed because he didn’t get to try any of the cake.
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Breadmaker

Christine

What happened to my weekend? I got distracted by a shiny new object.

Meet the new breadmaker, my Christmas present from Lewis.Mom marked all the recipes she wants me to try from the book that came with the breadmaker. Then she and I went to the grocery store Saturday afternoon and bought nearly every kind of flour known: whole wheat flour, bread flour, rye flour, tapioca flour, almond flour, brown rice flour, garfava flour, sorghum flour, brown rice flour…Plus a couple of box mixes, just to get started. Saturday night I made my first loaf of bread from the honey wheat berry box mix. I followed the directions carefully, then once all the ingredients were in, I realized I had forgotten the mixing paddle. Oops. The directions say that the yeast must not touch the water, but I had to scoop the whole business out to put the mixing paddle in, and it still came out just fine.Not too bad, but I think I would like a lighter crust. Next time.

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I’m A Cheater, I’ll Admit It

Christine

I was in a baking mood Thursday night. My co-workers always benefit from this mood. But I didn’t have a whole lot of ambition, so I grabbed a box mix. This is the Gingerbread mix from Betty Crocker. It was the most simple mix I have ever made: one box mix, one egg, some water. Mix it all up right in the baking pan. Almost nothing to wash. Now that’s my kind of mix.

Dust the top with a little powdered sugar…
…and done!
I have no qualms about using box mixes. I’m also quite capable of making cakes and cookies from scratch, but usually, why bother? Mostly I’m making things for a crowd at work, and until recently, I’ve never told them I cheat. And after I admitted it, they didn’t care. In fact, one woman I work with wanted to know what brand I use, like that made a difference somehow.

Someone once told me that most people can either cook or bake, and it is a rare person who can do both well. I’m definitely a baker. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I can follow a recipe and make a tasty meal, but I’m not like Lewis, who can open the fridge, pull out some seemingly random stuff, and come up with a masterpiece. Which he can never duplicate later. But, boy can I bake. Just ask my bff co-worker Marc.