You asked for it

Score with these box cake mixes

By ANNE LONG
© St. Petersburg Times
published January 8, 2003

Time seems to get shorter and shorter in our busy lives. M. Keef asked for cake recipes that begin with packaged cake mixes. There are those who think that cakes from scratch are the best, but we beg to differ. Consider the time and expense spent on research and development in the companies' kitchens before the products are marketed. It makes sense to us to take advantage of their hard work. Open a box of cake mix, add a few ingredients to personalize the resulting cake and accept the kudos.

Nancy Schafer adds oil, eggs, instant pudding mix and cream cheese or sour cream to butter cake mix. Fold in either fresh or frozen blueberries. Dust the cooled cake with confectioners' sugar or glaze the cake while hot.

Lula Klinger combines white cake mix with water, oil and egg whites. After pouring the batter into a 9- by 13-inch pan, spoon blueberry pie filling over the top and swirl with a knife. When the cake is done, cool well and top with whipped topping and additional blueberry pie filling to serve.

Keef also asked for the recipe for apple spice cake that is prepared with a package of spice cake mix. Eadie Nieman has just the thing. Spice cake mix, butter, sour cream and canned sliced apples make this delicious cake. The batter is layered with the sliced apples and a mixture of cinnamon, nuts and brown sugar.

Panic is the name of the cake recipe shared by Thelma Thacker. A few ingredients in your pantry will rescue you from surprise company. There are a number of variations. Try white cake mix with cherry, blueberry or peach filling; spice cake with apple filling; or yellow cake mix with pineapple filling. Your imagination can create other combinations.

We've taken care of recipes for people, but Evelyn Winslow sends her recipe for treats for our canine friends. Just a few ingredients are needed. Mix flour, oatmeal, oil and beef or chicken broth (using bouillon cubes); roll out, cut into appropriate size biscuits and bake.

For: M. Keef of St. Petersburg.

From: Nancy Schafer, also of St. Petersburg.

Recipe: Blueberry Cake.

Blueberry Cake

• 1 package butter cake mix
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened, OR 1 cup sour cream
• 1 3 1/2-ounce package instant vanilla pudding mix
• 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients except blueberries. Fold in berries last and pour into a sprayed nonstick bundt pan or tube pan. Batter will be very thick. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until done. Wait 10 minutes before removing from pan. Cool on wire rack. When cool, dust with confectioners' sugar or, using your favorite recipe, glaze while cake is hot.

From: Lula Klinger of Palm Harbor.

Recipe: Blueberry Swirl Cake.

Blueberry Swirl Cake

• 1 Pillsbury Plus white cake mix
• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3 egg whites
• 1 21-ounce can blueberry pie filling, divided
• 1 8-ounce carton frozen whipped topping, thawed

In large bowl, combine cake mix, water, oil and egg whites. Blend at low speed until moistened; beat 2 minutes at highest speed. Pour into greased and floured 9- by 13-inch pan. Reserve 1 cup pie filling for topping. Spoon remaining pie filling randomly over cake batter. Marble by pulling knife through batter in wide curves, then turn pan and repeat.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely. Serve with dollops of whipped topping and reserved pie filling. 12 servings.

High altitude: Above 3,500 feet add 3 tablespoons flour to dry cake mix. Increase water to 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.

From: Eadie Nieman of Gulfport.

Recipe: Apple Spice Cake.

Apple Spice Cake

• 1 can sliced apples (Eadie uses Comstock brand)
• 1 package spice cake mix
• 1/3 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 small package instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 cup Crisco oil (Eadie writes that it must be Crisco because others may cause cake to fall)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 3 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup chopped nuts

Open can of apples, drain and set aside after sorting out sizes. If slices are too thick, cut them in half lengthwise to make uniform in size.

In a large bowl, blend all ingredients except the apples, cinnamon, brown sugar and nuts. Beat cake mixture at high speed for 4 minutes. Pour about 2/3 of batter into a greased and floured 9- by 13-inch pan. Spread apples evenly over batter and then sprinkle with half of mixture of cinnamon, brown sugar and nuts. Spread remaining cake batter as evenly as possible over the filling. Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon-brown sugar-nuts mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 to 50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

From: Thelma Thacker of Largo.

Recipe: Panic Cake, from pantry ingredients.

Panic Cake

• 1 can any flavor pie filling
• 1 small box cake mix (see note)
• 1/2 cup melted butter or margarine
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Pour the pie filling into a greased cake pan. Sprinkle the dry cake mix over the filling. Pour melted butter over all. Top with nuts if you like.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes to an hour, depending on size of the pan. The smaller the pan, the deeper the fruit and cake mix layers, the longer you bake it. A 9 by 13-inch pan should bake in 35 to 40 minutes.

Serve with whipped cream, light cream or vanilla ice cream. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Use white cake mix with cherry, blueberry or peach filling; spice cake mix with apple filling; yellow cake mix with pineapple filling. These are just a few combinations; use your imagination for more.

Note: Small boxes of cake mix are no longer available, so use half of a regular mix box. Make two cakes and freeze one for another emergency.

From: Evelyn Winslow of Spring Hill.

Recipe: Dog Biscuits.

Dog Biscuits

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup oatmeal
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 4 beef or chicken bouillon cubes dissolved in 11/2 cups water

In large bowl, combine all ingredients. Roll out on lightly floured board to 1/4- or 1/2-inch thickness. Cut to size appropriate for your dog. Bake at 300 degrees for 25 minutes until brown and crisp.

Recipe requests

Debbie Hudson of Clearwater laments that the owner of Joni Ca's Restaurant passed away and the Clearwater restaurant closed. This happened about 14 years ago, but the memory of the Joni Ca's Original Omelet lives on. Does anyone have the recipe? Debbie hopes that it is in someone's file and will be shared.

Cindy Stanton of St. Petersburg is looking for a recipe for coconut cream pie made with Coco Lopez Cream of Coconut. Cindy has even queried the company with no success. You Asked for It readers could be a better source. Please check your files.

You Asked for It is a reader mail column. If you have a cooking question or the answer to someone else's question, write to: You Asked for It, the Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731. Be sure to include your full name, city and phone number with your letter. Letters without this information will be discarded. Requests cannot be answered by phone or mail.

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright