December 5, 2012 by Nina Spezzaferro
Gosh this Butterscotch Bundt is pretty! This cake started out as a non-chocolate version of the Tunnel of Fudge Cake. But then things went awry and it turned into more of a “ribbon of butterscotch” as opposed to a tunnel. It all turned out okay, more than okay. I’ll explain. (more…)
Category 52 Cakes | Tags: bundt,butterscotch,cake mix,pecan,yellow cake | 1 Comment
August 17, 2012 by Nina Spezzaferro
A few weekends ago my boyfriend, Chris, and I spent the weekend in Bridgehampton. I know, we’re very chic people. Anyway, I needed a cake to bring to our hosts’ home that would survive the train trip so I chose my go-to when a cake needs to travel – a Bundt! (more…)
Category 52 Cakes | Tags: bundt,cake mix,chocolate,pudding | 2 Comments
July 10, 2012 by Nina Spezzaferro
I am especially proud of this cake. I think it turned out beautifully and tasted great too. I owed my dad a belated Father’s Day cake since I was out of town on Dad’s Day. Pistachio is one of my dad’s favorite flavors, so I had no doubt this one would be a hit. And based on my previous experience with using yellow cake mix as a base (Beer Cake and Irish Cream Cake), I knew this recipe would yield a super moist and tasty treat. The only change I made was adding a full tablespoon of almond extract instead of the called for 1/2 teaspoon. (more…)
Category 52 Cakes | Tags: bundt,cake mix,chocolate,ganache,pistachio,pudding,yellow cake | 2 Comments
July 1, 2012 by Nina Spezzaferro
This is my Piña Colada Cake, or as a friend renamed it – Niña Colada Cake. =) I think I like the latter name better. (more…)
Category 52 Cakes | Tags: bundt,coconut,pina colada,pineapple,strawberry | 6 Comments
June 9, 2012 by Nina Spezzaferro
This cake makes for an excellent breakfast… or lunch.. or dinner… or dessert. It’s divine.
I used this recipe, but took the reviewers’ advice and reduced the sugar to 2.5 cups and increased the baking temp to 325 to shorten the baking time to about an hour. See the recipe at the end of this post for a full summary of my tweaks. (more…)
Category 52 Cakes | Tags: bundt,pecans,pound cake,sour cream | 3 Comments
March 15, 2012 by Nina Spezzaferro
It’s almost St. Patrick’s Day! I’m not Irish and I don’t celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, but I need to declare my disdain for green food coloring. It’s gross. Why do we need to turn everything green to celebrate this holiday, people? Why, when you have fabulously festive recipes like this one? (more…)
Category 52 Cakes | Tags: bundt,cake mix,glaze,pecans,pudding,vanilla,yellow cake | 5 Comments
February 29, 2012 by Nina Spezzaferro
Since I started this project, the cake recipe that generated the most enthusiasm was my Dr. Devil’s Food Cake aka Diet Soda Cake. I could see why. It’s easy, cheap, low calorie, and more importantly, delicious! I was pleased when so many friends tried the recipe for themselves. (more…)
Category 52 Cakes | Tags: bundt,cake mix,diet soda,ginger ale,strawberry | 2 Comments
February 11, 2012 by Nina Spezzaferro
I don’t always drink beer, but when I do, I bake it into a cake.
I baked this cake for Super Bowl Sunday, and I have to say it was a real touchdown (apologies for the pun). I’m not into football, but I love a food holiday. Super Bowl spreads don’t traditionally include dessert, which I find to be a real tragedy.
Before baking this cake, I asked around about which type of beer I should use. And I was happy it incited some debate. The most popular answer was Guinness. However, I baked with Guinness a few years ago and I was… unimpressed. I once heard that when cooking with wine, you should never use a wine you wouldn’t drink. I don’t drink Guinness, not even on St. Patrick’s Day. So I opted for Blue Moon Winter Abbey Ale. The description on the bottle says, “An abbey ale crafted with roasted malts, hint of Belgian sugar, and a touch of wheat. Rich caramel and toffee notes.” Sounds like dessert to me! (more…)
Category 52 Cakes | Tags: beer,blue moon,bundt,cake mix,glaze,pudding | 14 Comments
January 29, 2012 by Nina Spezzaferro
Have you heard of diet soda cakes? Well, now you have. The idea is simple. You select a cake box mix and instead of adding oil, eggs, and water, you simply add a can of diet soda. “But how is that possible?” you ask. Well, I’m not entirely sure. But it works! I read somewhere that when boxed cake mixes first hit grocery store shelves, they simply required that you add water and bake. They didn’t sell well. Customer research revealed home bakers felt that the process was too easy. So the cake box people adjusted the mix and directions to require eggs, oil, and water. But I suppose there’s still some sort of loophole in which you don’t have to add so much fat to cake mix to make it work. (more…)
Category 52 Cakes | Tags: bundt,cake mix,chocolate,devil's food,diet soda,dr. pepper | 2 Comments