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Thinking and baking 'out of the box'
By MARY JANE PARK
Anne Byrn knows the marvels of cake. As a food writer for the Tennessean in Nashville, she was even a purist, insisting that they be made from scratch. Then, in 1998, she wrote a story about culinary time savers and included recipes for doctored-up cake mixes. She asked readers for their suggestions and received more than 500 responses. Thus was The Cake Mix Doctor (Workman Publishing, 1999; $14.95) inspired. It became a best-selling cookbook, and when it was offered on QVC, thousands of people ordered it. Now there's a sequel, Chocolate from the Cake Mix Doctor (Workman Publishing, 2001; $14.95). It, too, seems destined to be a bestseller. In the beginning, Byrn could not have imagined such an extraordinary response to her books. "No, I never did," she said in a recent telephone interview. "I'm so glad I was a newspaper reporter first. I would have been overwhelmed by it. I had no idea that it would ever be this popular." She has heard even from people who have been sent to jobs in Bahrain. "All their books were left in the U.S., and they have been searching the Web for something they can re-create," familiar foods from home. "I do feel like my life is greatly enriched. Cakes are so interesting because they're an everyday food on the one hand, and on the other, they are a cause for celebration." In her promotional tours for the books, in letters and e-mails, Byrn said, "I get to hear why baking cake is so special." People tell her they are baking for somebody who is getting out of the hospital or somebody who has cancer. "There are a lot of cancer patients who like my cakes," she said. "It's so nice. Maybe when you're really sick you want and crave those foods you remember." * * * We talked with Byrn before Thanksgiving, and she mentioned some cakes suitable for the holidays from the new book. For a large gathering, she suggested a Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Sheet Cake. "We generally have a crowd in Nashville because we have a lot of family. If you had a smaller party, I think a Bundt cake (she mentioned Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake and Kathy's Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cake) is always nice at the holidays." Red Velvet Cake is a Christmas tradition in many households. Her recipe for that starts with a white cake mix that includes pudding, adds cocoa powder and 2 bottles of red food coloring. There's a commercial Red Velvet Cake mix, but "I don't like it as well," Byrn said. That's a matter of personal taste; she knows lots of bakers who think the mix is just fine. "There's a trick to frosting a Red Velvet Cake," she said. "It is so red that you do a thin coat (of icing) first to seal in all those crumbs. Those crumbs want to bleed into the icing, and then you have pink spots." For a special holiday look, she suggested displaying a frosted Red Velvet Cake on a stand. Above it, hold a stencil pattern featuring holly leaves and berries, and use red and green sprinkles to create a design. A more elegant presentation is to put the cake on a silver tray, then use real holly as a garnish. "That would be real pretty," Byrn said. The new book has recipes for cookies, even biscotti. Can you really get decent biscotti if you begin with a cake mix? "Very much so," Byrn said. "They taste better than most store-bought biscotti. Most of the time those things have been in the stores so long. It makes a very impressive gift. Wrap them and put them in a pretty bag, and add a pound of interesting coffee." In general, she eschews prepared icings, but Byrn became intrigued when people kept asking for a recipe that combined a German Chocolate Cake mix and a container of coconut pecan frosting. "I became committed that I was going to develop that recipe. And when I did, my husband loved that cake. "That cake was so campy and so fun, I had to put it in (the book). It reminds me of the Melted Ice Cream Cake (a recipe from The Cake Mix Doctor that calls for a pint of melted ice cream, any flavor) because it's so kooky." It needs no frosting, but a light dusting of powdered sugar could be used as decoration. Byrn's enthusiasm for her recipes is that of a mother's affection for her children. She adores them all. "I love that Triple-Decker Raspberry Chocolate Cake," she said. "That is such an elegant cake for a dinner party, and it's so fast, but it tastes like you've gone to so much trouble. "I like the simplicity of the Ever-So-Moist Chocolate Cake. It's so moist, and it ices so easily. That's my kids' favorite cake, that and the Cookies and Cream Cake. "The Chocolate Cream Cheese Pound Cake in the new book is lovely. It has that velvety texture. It's a lovely cake; it bakes up so pretty." Byrn concedes that, yes, she and her family sometimes tire of cake. "My children are very vocal. They say, "We're sick of cake,' but I've seldom seen them refuse it. "The testing is a lot of fun, though, because you're going to tweak (the recipes)." -- Visit www.cakemixdoctor.com for recipes, tips and to exchange information, and to read back issues of A Piece of Cake, the newsletter in which Byrn posts tested, but unpublished, recipes. Kathy's Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cake
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly mist a 10-inch tube pan with vegetable oil spray, then dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour. Set the pan aside. Place the cake mix, pudding mix, milk, oil and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2-3 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed. The batter should look thick and well-combined. Fold in the chocolate chips, making sure they are well-distributed throughout the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it out with the rubber spatula. Place the pan in the oven. Bake the cake until it springs back when lightly pressed with your finger and is just starting to pull away from the sides of the pan, 50-55 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes. Run a long, sharp knife around the edge of the cake and invert it onto a rack, then invert it onto another rack so the cake is large side up. Allow to cool for 20 minutes more. Slide the cake onto a serving platter and slice. Serves 16. The Cake Mix Doctor says: "There's no need to frost the cake, it's that rich and good. If you want to dress it up, however, dust it with a bit of confectioners' sugar or pour the Simple Sugar Glaze (recipe follows) over it. My friend Kathy Sellers, who created this recipe, suggests serving it with peppermint ice cream and hot fudge sauce. Go ahead; I dare you!" -- Source: "Chocolate from the Cake Mix Doctor" by Anne Byrn (Workman Publishing, 2001; $14.95). Simple Sugar Glaze
Place the confectioners' sugar in a small mixing bowl and whisk in enough milk to make the glaze smooth and spoonable. Spoon the glaze over the cake of your choice. Let the cake rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Makes 1 cup. The Cake Mix Doctor says: "To turn this into a coffee glaze, heat 2 tablespoons milk in a small glass bowl in the microwave oven at high power for 30 seconds. Stir in 1 tablespoon instant coffee powder until it dissolves. Pour this over 11/2 cups confectioners' sugar (sifted, of course) and whisk until the glaze is smooth." -- Source: "Chocolate from the Cake Mix Doctor" by Anne Byrn (Workman Publishing, 2001; $14.95). Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Cake With Cinnamon
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly mist a 12- by 9-inch pan with vegetable oil spray. Set the pan aside. Place the cake mix, pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping th e sides down again if needed. The batter will be thick and should look well-combined. Fold in the cinnamon chips until well-distributed. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it out with the rubber spatula. Place the pan in the oven. Bake the cake until it springs back when lightly pressed with your finger, 35-40 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and cool it on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the Cinnamon-Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows). Spread the frosting over the cake in the pan with smooth, clean strokes. Sprinkle the pecans over the top. Serves 20. -- Source: "Chocolate from the Cake Mix Doctor" by Anne Byrn (Workman Publishing, 2001; $14.95). Cinnamon-Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Place the cream cheese and the butter in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until well-combined, 30 seconds. Stop the machine. Add the cocoa powder, cinnamon, vanilla and 33/4 cups of the confectioners' sugar. Blend with the mixer on low speed until the ingredients are moistened, 30 seconds. Add more sugar if the frosting seems too thin. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the frosting is fluffy, 2 minutes more. Use to frost the top and sides of the cake of your choice. Makes 31/2 cups, enough to frost a 2- or 3-layer cake. The Cake Mix Doctor says: "To lighten the color of this frosting, use regular unsweetened cocoa powder. Cream cheese frostings are a snap to prepare the day ahead; just chill and then let come to room temperature while the cake bakes." -- Source: "Chocolate from the Cake Mix Doctor" by Anne Byrn (Workman Publishing, 2001; $14.95). Orange-Chocolate Biscotti With Almonds
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside. Place the cake mix, melted butter, eggs, flour, almonds, orange zest and orange oil, if desired, in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until well-blended, 3-4 minutes. The dough will be thick and come together into a ball. Transfer it to the prepared baking sheet. With floured hands, shape the dough into a rectangle about 14 inches long by 4 inches wide by 1/2-inch thick. Mound the dough so it is slightly higher in the center. Place the baking sheet in the oven. Bake the biscotti rectangle until it feels firm when lightly pressed with your finger and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the biscotti cool for 10 minutes. Leave the oven on. Cutting on the baking sheet, use a sharp, serrated knife to slice the rectangle on the diagonal into 1-inch-thick slices. Carefully turn these slices onto their sides, using the slicing knife to arrange them on the same baking sheet. Return the baking sheet to the oven. Bake the biscotti for 10 minutes. Turn the oven off and let the biscotti remain in the oven until they are crisp, 30-40 minutes more. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, transfer the biscotti to a rack and allow them to cool completely, 2 hours. Makes 18 biscotti. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to several weeks. -- Source: "Chocolate from the Cake Mix Doctor" by Anne Byrn (Workman Publishing, 2001; $14.95).
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From the Times Taste section From the features wire |
Something magical happens in the mixing of a cake: Butter and sugar become a pale yellow cream, eggs turn them to gold. Add milk and flour, and you get batter that is silk, a mixture so comforting and tempting that you might even lick the spoon.
