So Many Ways to Cake: Cake Waffles

Cake is everyone's favorite treat at birthday parties, holidays, and get togethers. Enjoying cake with your friends and family is a favorite past time and can bring back nostalgic memories. It is a simple dessert that can be transformed into a beautiful creation. Cakes can be enjoyed in many different forms from butter cake to angel food cake. Well how about enjoying cake mix in waffles? Many enjoy waffles as a sweet breakfast, but who could have thought about making waffles with simple cake mix. In the previous blog we discussed how to make sheet cake and cake pops. As our finale for this series we are going to learn how to make waffles out of cake mix.

Option 3: Cake Waffles

Who says you can't have dessert for breakfast? This is a treat that cake and waffle lovers will enjoy. The two mash up for the perfect combo. For this recipe we are going to start off with what we need. We are going to need a waffle iron, 3 eggs, 1/3 cup vegetable oil, and 3 eggs. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl with a whisk or a fork if that is all you have. Cake mix is easy because it can be combined without the use of a whisk. Next, coat your waffle iron in a non-stick spray- any will do. Avocado non-stick spray is a great alternative that tastes great. Lastly, pour the mixture into the waffle iron and follow the directions for your waffle iron to ensure that they are cooked properly. Each waffle iron has cooking times that vary. For an added treat, top the waffles with whipping cream, fruit, chocolate chips or anything that you may like. The possibilities are truly endless. Leave your guests in awe of these waffles as they are sure to be delicious. A cute idea would be setting up a breakfast bar with the cake waffles and all the toppings to the side.

Many Ways to Cake: Sheet Cake & Cake Pops

Cake is a very versatile treat. With many companies mass-producing cake mixes, you can easily make a tasty creation in your kitchen without any baking knowledge or foresight. Just grab the few ingredients, preheat that oven, and bake!

Cake mixes also come in many flavors, brands, colors, and types. Some cake mixes are simply white, yellow, or chocolate cake. Others can be rainbow-colored or marbled cake. Some even have branded cereal, candy, or other sweets to add to and on top of the cake! In this series, we will be looking at a few ways to use a simple cake mix. We will look at two of those ways in this blog post and another super fun option tomorrow. So grab your cake mix and get out the mixing bowls because these will be sweet treats that you don't want to miss!

Option 1: The simple sheet cake!

While many cake mixes have different options for pan size, we will be looking at the everyday 13 x 9 pan today. This handy size is in almost every kitchen across the country. It is one of the most common sizes of cake for any occasion. A sheet cake is simply a cake that has been baked in a rectangular pan and usually is left in that pan for serving. Now, some stores will make the cake and pop it out on a decorative plate or sheet of cardboard. But, for this, you will only need a pan, a cake mix, and the listed ingredients on the cake mix.

First, you will need to preheat your oven to the specified temperature for a nonstick 13 x 9 pan on your cake mix box. Some boxes have a table of options, while others simply list a temperature in the directions. Second, you should locate and grease your 13 x 9 cake pan to be ready to go when your batter is finished. By greasing, I mean spraying with a nonstick cooking spray or using a little butter to cover the inside of the pan. This will help the cake come out in perfect square pieces and not stick when cutting the cake. Third, you will want to simply make the cake batter with whatever ingredients and directions the cake mix explains. After mixing up your batter, pour the batter into the pan and bake at the specified time for a nonstick 13 x 9 pan. Once the cake is finished baking, let it cool, and then top with whatever frostings or candies you like!

Option 2: The Cake Pop

Cake pops have become a staple in many bakeries and even Starbucks Coffee shops in the nation. Their colorful chocolate shell and flavor variety make them top sellers and in high demand. However, most people don't know that cake pops are relatively straightforward! For this tasty creation, you will need a cake that has been made using whatever method you prefer. See the option above to create an easy sheet cake that you can use in this treat! After your cake has been made, you will want to crush it. Wash your hands and become a kid again! Reach into the cake and pull it apart until the entire cake is broken up. Then, place your torn-up cake into a bowl.

You will then want to take a frosting (a store-bought container is perfectly fine) that you like and empty the entire contents of the container into the cake pieces. Then, mix the frosting and cake until well combined. You should then be able to take a bit of cake mixture into your hand and roll it into a ball. With a sheet cake, you should easily be able to make around 30 cake balls. You will also need to find some treat sticks at your local craft store or online. You will then stick this stick into each hand-rolled cake ball. So the cake doesn't fall apart, you should then freeze your cake balls for around an hour. While they are freezing, take any kind of chocolate that you like and melt it in the microwave. Make sure you stop frequently and stir the chocolate; otherwise, it will burn.

Once your chocolate is melted and the cake balls are solid, take your cake balls and dip them into your chocolate. I would recommend placing a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet to set the pops upright and keep chocolate from getting all over your counter! Then, once the chocolate has hardened, you can enjoy your delicious cake pops!

3 Ways to Make Baking Simple at Home

Baking can seem highly daunting for someone just stepping into the hobby. I will teach you how to make your baking experience more simple, streamlined, and consistent with these three tips. These three tips will also help you make wonderfully tasty treats every time you bake instead of a charred black mess at the bottom of your oven.

Prepare Ahead of Time

A majority of baking anything starts before you ever put something in the oven or decorate. They're many different aspects involved in preparing adequately for the task ahead. You must make sure you have started pre-heating your oven way before you ever place anything inside of it. You must also look over the recipe and be sure that you have all of the necessary ingredients to bake whatever treat you choose successfully. You may need to run to the grocery store to purchase that extra egg or another bag of flour. You also want to be sure that there are enough clean bowls, spoons, mixing tools, etc., clean and ready for use. There is nothing worse than running out of bowls or utensils in the middle of a critical step. You may even go as far as preparing all of your ingredients by measuring them out and placing them in separate bowls or containers. To do that, you must make sure you know what you need and how much you need. The easiest way to accomplish that is to look over your recipe.

Follow the Recipe

Some bakers are so skilled that they do not need a recipe to create a fantastic treat. I am going to guess that if you've made it this far, then you are not one of those people. Following a recipe is one of the essential steps in making baking easy. That crumpled piece of paper your relative scribbled on, or that article online has a step-by-step process of everything you will need and what you need to do in order to create the desired product. Without it, you are essentially lost in a forest without a map or guide. In some cases, you may think, "Well, this seems easy enough" or "I could add a little of this or that to make it how I like it." While baking is a creative art, sometimes improvising is not the best course of action. Adding a little more sugar, salt, or liquid can break the chemical structure that creates that tasty treat you are familiar with. Of course, there are some exceptions, and many recipes will have a spot that says "add in whatever you like" or "(optional)" next to an ingredient.

Clean as You Go

So you are at the end of the recipe, your goodie is baking in the oven, and you have some time to kill. What should you do? Clean up, of course! While it is entirely normal to want to wait and do the dishes later, you will find that the finishing steps of your recipe become a little more complicated. Maybe you have very little counter space, and you need to put the pan somewhere once you take it from the oven. Perhaps you need to spread out pieces of cake or cookies to cool. You may even require the same dishes you just dirtied up to make a topping or decorative component if you treat. By cleaning up, you ensure that you will have the space and tools necessary to complete your tasty treats without all the irritation of messy surroundings.