Here is a post that I put on my Food Blog and finally decided that I should stick it on here as well. This cake was easy and other than baking time, it only took 15 minutes to decorate.
My daughter wanted an ice cream cake for her birthday so I let her make one. I've never tried to do this before, but I wanted to try a new pan that my friend bought for me. She got it at a yard sale for $0.10 and it didn't come with instructions, so we made it up. It looks like it is the Betty Crocker BakenFill , but one piece is missing. It worked pretty good, but the inside bit did not seem to cook very well. It was still gooey when I gave up and tossed it. :)
I like to make what I call "hybrid" cakes. They are not homemade exactly because one of the ingredients is a boxed cake mix, but I don't follow the directions on the box. Years ago I found a book at the library called The Cake Mix Doctor and I've never looked back. Here is what I put into this cake:
3 eggs
1 melted stick of butter
1 cup of milk
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 devil's food cake mix
Mix it all up, put it in the pan and bake at 325 or 350 until done (depends on pan sizes, you can look at the box for idea of times. I like to do it at 325. It takes a little longer, but it bakes more evenly without rising as much in the middle).
No matter what kind of cake you make, it needs homemade frosting. My friends make fun of me for saying that, but it is sooo true. Case and point--I've been making cake and frosting for years for my family; a few weeks ago I made a cake but bought frosting to save time. Everyone kept telling me that it just wasn't as good as it looked and they kept pointing fingers at the cake. Two days later I made the EXACT same cake, but took the time to make the home made frosting and they loved it! Proof that it does make a difference. Here are my two favorites:
Buttercream Frosting
1 cup (2 sticks) real sweet cream butter (I use salted)
1 cup crisco shortening (not butter flavor)
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons flavoring (vanilla and almond are my favorites)
1--2lb bag of powdered sugar.
Mix it all up for stiff consistancy (roses), add 2 tablespoons water to thin it out to frost a cake.
Chocolate Glaze
1 cup sugar (normal granulated sugar, not powdered)
1/3 cup butter (I've used real and margarine and both work)
1/3 cup milk
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Place the sugar, butter and milk in a small sauce pan over med-low heat and cook, stirring constantly until the mixture boils. Boil for one minute, while stirring constantly. Remove the pan from heat and stir in chips. When the chips are melted and smooth you can pour it over the cake. It will be thin while hot but will firm up when it cools. Cool for 20 minutes before cutting the cake.
