Adventures in Baking

Well if you're here, I assume you probably know me, if only on Facebook!  This means that you know that I cook.  A lot.  I enjoy it, but you also know I seldom follow a recipe.  I might have one for inspiration.  I might even intend to follow it, but I don't.  Today I wanted to make pumpkin something-or-other.  I decided muffins using the spice cake mix trick would be good.  If you've never done it, it's awesome.  14 oz can of pure pumpkin, 1 box spice cake mix (or yellow cake with pumpkin spice added)  That's it.  Mix & bake as directed.  Easy peasy & oh so good!

Well, I have a ton of pumpkin, but the only cake mix I have is a lemon cake.  I thought briefly about doing that, but then I thought that if it doesn't turn out, I'll have wasted the cake mix AND the pumpkin!  I even thought about going to the store for a spice cake mix.  That didn't happen.  However, the lemon cake mix is close to expiring, so I should use it.  By close, I mean "best before Sept 2012"  Close enough!  It didn't say "poisonous after", so we're ok.  Don't worry, I wouldn't have used it if it was REALLY out of date.  I could have just made the cake as directed. But wait, if you can use just pumpkin, couldn't you just use something else?  Ah Ha!!  Vanilla Greek yogurt.  Perfect!  I think.  And if you've made this or seen it on Pinterest, don't tell me.  I think I'm a genius right now.

I used a 16oz container, but it wouldn't mix in all the way, so I added a 1/2 cup of water.  Ok, I don't really know how much I used.  I just splashed some in.  It looked like 1/2 cup to me!  Mix it up & voila!  Seriously delicious batter.  Creamy & poufy, almost like a mousse.   The kids did not appreciate my "icing" either.  It is pretty tangy, thanks to the plain yogurt & lemon juice, but I think it adds just the right about of tang.

Lemon "Sour Cream" Cake

1 box lemon cake mix

16 oz container vanilla Greek yogurt

1/2 cup water

Mix ingredients together & bake as directed on box. 

Icing

1/8 cup lemon juice

1/8 c stevia

1/8 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

Mix together & lightly frost cupcakes

 It really does set up after it cools & dries

I used mini-muffin tins, but had too much, so I also used the baking cups that are supposed to just stand up.
Yeah, whatever.

I still had pumpkin, tho.  And I didn't want to find an actual recipe, so I pulled out a box of gluten-free baking mix I had. Well, baking mix is probably a misnomer.  This was some GF flours mixed together.  So I added about 1 1/2 tsp baking powder & my giant can of pumpkin.  This is where I decided it was going to need sweetener.  1/2 cup agave nectar & honey.  I probably should have dumped in a cup of tightly packed brown sugar, in all it's sugary goodness.

These did not turn out well.  At all.  I even sprinkled raw sugar on the top.  Not good.  Plus, they have a weird taste, just from the GF stuff.  They look fine.  Don't let that fool you. Feel free to try it, just don't say I didn't warn you!  They are edible, if you put some honey & butter on them, but barely.  Danny will probably love them!