Cake Mix Review, and Cupcakes in a Jar

How can you beat a cake mix that looks that good?

  So it's about that time again.  The time to make a box mix cake, and review it so it makes me feel better about using box mix.  You know, I love a box mix, but some people don't.  I really like finding new ones so I can try something different out without the hassle of a real recipe.  So here you go, and I promise you will love it.

  I found this at the larger grocery store last week, we usually do our groceries at Walmart, but we were there for something else so I got it.  I have no control, I see it, I want it.  Now this mix cost almost $5, but it was all chocolate so it was worth the gamble.

This is the fudgy filling, I was very good and didn't lick the bowl.

  Just like the other two I have tried out, there were two pouches in this mix.  I did not read the box, like usual, and did not realize that there was no icing glaze.  The mix was cupcake mix then a fudgy middle, so you know not all bad.  I even had one tub of icing left over, so I was all good.

  So to start I wanted to make cupcakes, but wanted something a little different.  My friends at work have not had my cupcakes in a jar, I don't think.  I cannot remember, really my life is one big blur.  So I got out the canning jars I have and washed them.  Then I got to baking.

  I mixed up the first pouch, which was the fudge filling.  It was not too hard to do.  Then I mixed the cupcake mix.  It said you can bake it in a 9x13, but I ended up with about 16 cupcakes.  I wanted them a bit bigger as I was only going to put one in each jar.

See I hardly slopped any on the muffin pan.

 Firstly I filled my cupcake liners with the cake mix.  I always use liners so it is easier to get the cupcakes out, and it saves you lots of time in cleaning.   Once that was done, I went back and put a TBSP full of the filling in the middle.

The fudge didn't really sink into the cupcake.

  The box did not have directions for making cupcakes, which is fine.  I just did my own thing, but the box said to swirl the filling into the cake batter.  So I did, but it was so sticky it really didn't do much.

But it did when I tried to swirl it all together.

 They baked in a 350 oven for about 13 minutes, then I let them sit to cool in the pans for a while.  I took then out and let them finish cooling.

At this point, they look gross.  This is the real reason we use frosting, to cover the ugly cupcakes.

  I wanted this to be like chocolate over load, like sex in a jar.  If there is such a thing, and if there is, I so don't want to know.  Anyway, when I was thinking about icing, I needed enough to do a nice swirl in each jar, but I only had one tub of icing.  So I mixed it with a cup or so of Nutella and a bit of icing sugar to thicken it up.  I put a bit too much icing sugar as it was way too hard to pipe, but it turned out to be like a nice thick ganache.  Yummy!

The cupcake tops sort of pulled a bit going into the jar, but I didn't care, I had frosting.

  I also wanted to add some texture, so I used three types of chocolate covered rice crispy pearls.  I have a huge bag of milk chocolate ones and a little bag of vanilla and dark.  So I just took the wrapper off the cupcakes, pushed the cupcake into the jar. Then put a big swirl of icing.  And then covered it with chocolate pearls.  If the cake was not so rich and did not have filling I would have layered another half cupcake on top.  But as it was, this was plenty.

I managed to frost all but one before my stupid plastic pipping bag exploded.  Lesson learned, less sugar, or just use an ice cream scoop and the back of a spoon to spread it around.  Oh and sprinkles, lots of sprinkles.

 I think this mix was well worth the cost, although I would have liked the picture on the box to not have shown the cake with the chocolate glace.  Because I bet most people like me won't read it until they are home.

See, all those chocolate pearls and you cannot even tell I did a nice swirl.

  So to take them to work I just got some plastic forks, because I was out of spoons, and tied them on.  Pork Chop even got in on the action and tied one on.  And no I don't mean he "tied one on"  he tied a fork on the jar.  I may be a bad parent, but I am not that bad.

Getting ready to "Tie one on"  

  So the verdict at work was good.  The few people that I know that don't like sweet things just avoided them.  The girl who hates chocolate actually liked it, and one guy told me that "that cake in a can was good."  And there you have it people, cake in a can.

 Sigh.

All done, and no need to put it in the fridge, as they keep great and were moist for a few days after.  Well so I would think,they really didn't last that long.

Apple Cake Mix Review

I love how my icing looks so shiny and pretty, but I wish you could see the vanilla bean flecks.  If I had a real camera I could show you.  But I don't so just believe me that they are there.

 So in the last few months there has been a few new things in the stores locally.  And by new, I mean new to us.  I think I have seen a lot of these things in the states when we went before.  But I never buy things like cake mix there because if I fall in love with it, Hubby would have to find ways to smuggle it to me some how.

I did a little happy dance in the store.  I almost got the carrot cake until Hubby pointed out there were raisins in it.  I couldn't put that box down fast enough.

  So I have already tried out the Red Velvet Cake Mix, and it was not a hit.  So I have really high hopes for this one.  There were two different types of new mix, this apple cake and a carrot cake.  What makes them so neat is that they have freeze dried fruit, or dried out I don't know, I didn't make the mix.  I thought that was neat, and a good thing because I hate fruit in deserts, and I hate it even more if I have to wash, peel and cut it.

There were two packs, one was the cake mix, the other was the caramel stuff.

  The box recommended that you pair it with their canned frosting.  And I knew that was not going to happen.  I mean I love me a box mix, and a canned icing for cake balls.  But, when you are going to eat the icing alone, you need home made.  And since I had made some for a party last week, I had a bunch left over. I just keep it in the fridge and when I am ready I put it back in the mixer and blend it up.  Some times I need to add a little more icing sugar to get it thick again, but it is still good and tastes great.

Cream Cheese Icing
Based on me tossing stuff in my mixer

-1 block of cream cheese
-1/2 cup butter
-2 TBSP vanilla bean paste or vanilla
-milk and icing sugar as needed

 Just cream the butter and cheese until creamy and then add the vanilla bean paste.  Then alternating between the icing sugar and milk, add it and stir until you have as much as you need, and it is as thick as you like.  I like a thicker icing when I pipe it on, and a thinner one when I spread it on.  So you decide what you what.

This is the caramel powder, I was thinking this was going to be gross.

  So the cake mix was meant to be made in an actual cake pan, but since this was me, and I wanted to share it without making a mess, I tried it in cupcake form.  I would make the cake if I was going to eat it at home and share it here, but Hubby won't touch it I bet, and Pork Chop, well if he eats it that will be something.

But you add a little water and some oil and it changes.  That is my egg spatula, I need to have cute stuff in the kitchen.

  So firstly you have to make the caramel mix.  This is the smaller of the two pouches and you just add some water and oil.  I found it really hard to actually get all the lumps out of it, and might have just given up and left it a bit lumpy.  I won't tell if you don't.

  Then you have to mix the cake mix with eggs, water and oil.  This is where the little bits of dried out apple were.  And they say to mix it until just wet, about 50 strokes.  So I did that, sort of, I stopped counting after 30 strokes and just kept going until it was all mixed.  It was sort of lumpy but I figure that was just the apple.

It was supposed to make 24 cupcakes, if you think about it being in a full 9x13 pan.  But as usual things never work out as they should for me.

  Now since this was supposed to go into a 9x13 pan I figured it would make 24 cupcakes.  And like usual I was wrong.  I got 19 in total, I used my large ice cream scoop to fill the cups about 2/3 full.  I used cupcake liners as I was not sure how soft the cake would turn out.  And I hate greasing muffin tins.

Well that doesn't look too appetizing, but it's the caramel.

This is after I tried to swirl it all in, I don't think that worked so well.

  So once you put the cake batter in you have to add the caramel stuff.  So I spooned it on each one, I think about 1 TSPS would be about right, I didn't measure.  Then I took a candy stick and tried to swirl it around, but that stuff is thick and sticky, so it ended up more of a blob in the middle.

And this right here is why you have to frost these things.  They look like something exploded all over them.

 So I baked them for about 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven.  I used a tooth pick to see if they were done, and there was just a tiny bit of crumb on it, so I took them out and let them sit for about 30 minutes in the pan to let them finish.

  I then let them cool off and found that once they had cooled they had sort of sunken in a bit, I think the filling did that.  Also I noticed the filling bubbled out a bit when baking, and was lucky none went over the edge of the cupcake pan, so if you are nervous, or smart, put a cookie sheet under the pan the first time to see how it goes.

Why I took a close up of the nasty things I will never know, but I did so you have to see it too.

  Once they were cooled I piped a big bunch of cream cheese frosting on top, because I wanted to use it all up.  I just used a large round tip and swirled it on.

  At this point I really wanted to try one, but I had eaten a few of the fruit pies I had also been making and diner was almost ready.  So I put them in the fridge to take to work.

I think they look much better with frosting, not so explody, you  know?

  Just before bed it hit me that I wanted one, and so I tried it.  Firstly, it stuck just a little bit to the liner, so I am glad I used them.  Secondly, I think the icing was a must, it was not too dry, but dry enough that I don't think I would have liked it without.  And thirdly, I got a tummy ache eating it so late, with so much sugar.

  The verdict?  I loved it, and my friends did too.  It was almost like a coffee cake, but better.  It was really easy to make, and I can see making this in a bunt pan with a nice cream cheese glaze.  I will make this again for sure.

  Also Pork Chop did not eat any, he was all " I want a fruit pie!"  And then I gave him one and he was all "I will eat it later!"  And he didn't so I put it in his lunch, and I bet it will come home.  Oh well, more for me that way.