I enjoy baking. I enjoy eating what I bake. I enjoy eating the batter I make before I bake it.
I do not enjoy sifting flour, nor do I enjoy buying different types of flours and storing them. Yes, when baking from scratch, sifting flour is important...and there is good reason to use cake flour when making cakes...it is not just a marketing ploy. If you do not believe me, make one cake with all-purpose flour and one with cake flour and do a side by side blind folded taste test. You can thank me later.
Using boxed cake mixes is easier, but they often lack a certain something that inhabit a made-from-scratch cake. That is why I love to put my own spin on box cake and muffin mixes. I usually add extra eggs. Sometimes I add apple sauce, sometimes milk, sometimes a can of pudding, etc. The possibilities are almost endless.
(Warning: Serious Horn Tooting Ahead)
I make an extremely scrumptious cake...and my cupcakes...are even better.
I once told a friend that I was considering writing a book about doctoring cake mixes and she broke my heart by informing me that someone by the name of Anne Bryn beat me to it and authored several cookbooks of the same nature...one even aptly titled The Cake Mix Doctor. Well, there went my retirement plan. But that didn't change the way I made cakes.
However, unlike Ms. Bryn, I have trouble sharing my recipes. Not because I am embarrassed by not baking from scratch (I fess up quickly and proudly about my cake mix fixing). And not because I want to hoard the goodness behind the goodies.
The truth is, I tend to doctor via gut instinct. I just have a feel for what and how much to add. I like to think I get this gift from my great-grandmother, Mammy Schwartz, who claims that she never ever used a recipe to make anything. And I have witnessed her make a peach pie, (crust included), shoofly pie, and pineapple upside down cake from scratch and without a recipe...or measuring tools. I am not that good.
However, I really wanted to share my cake box doctoring techniques with the blog world. So, today, I used a recipe from the Cake Mix Doctor, herself...and I couldn't resist...I doctored it!
So with pictures, here is her recipe (my additions are in bold italics).
Cookie Dough Cupcakes From the cookbook Cupcakes from the Cake Mix Doctor.
Makes 22 to 24 cupcakes (2 1/2 inches each) Because I eat batter, this made 22 cupcakes.
Preparation time: 15 Minutes
Baking time: 23 to 27 Minutes
Assembly time: 10 Minutes
24 paper liners for cupcake pans (2 1/2-inch size)
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow cake mix
1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix (The box I had included pudding in the mix, but I used a box of pudding mix anyway.)
1 cup whole milk (I didn't have whole milk so I used half and half instead)
1 cup vegetable oil (I used 1/2 cup of oil and 1/2 cup of apple sauce)
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 package (1 pound) frozen cookie dough (see "the Cupcake Doctor says" below) (I used the generic brand on sale at my Kroger...it was more than a dollar less than the other brands).
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners. Set the pans aside.
2. Place the cake mix, pudding mix, (I mixed the mixes together before adding the wet stuff) milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. 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 down the sides again if needed. The batter should look well blended. Spoon or scoop a heaping 1/4 cup batter into each lined cupcake cup, filling it two thirds of the way full. (You will get between 22 and 24 cupcakes; remove the empty liners, if any.) Cut the frozen dough pieces in half to make 24 pieces. (The cookie dough I used came precut into 24 squares. I bought the package in the refrigerated sectin and kept it in my freezer for 24 hours before making the cupcakes) Place a frozen cookie dough piece on top of each cupcake. Place the pans in the oven.
3. Bake the cupcakes until they are golden and spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 23 to 27 minutes (My oven is connected directly to Hades, so I mine baked in 17 minutes). Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges of the cupcake liners, lift the cupcakes up from the bottoms of the cups using the end of the knife, and pick them out of the cups carefully with your fingertips. Place them on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before frosting. (I did not follow this step)They may sink a bit in the center.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the Chocolate Buttercream. (Although I often do make my own frosting, today I used store bought)
5. Place a heaping tablespoon of frosting on each cupcake and swirl to spread it out with a short metal spatula or a spoon, taking care to cover the tops completely. The cupcakes are ready to serve. (I microwaved my frosting for 15 seconds, then poured it into a plastic baggy, cut a small hole in the corner of the bag, and piped the frosting on the cupcakes)
Store these cupcakes, in a cake saver or under a glass dome, at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Or freeze them, wrapped in aluminum foil or in a cake saver, for up to 6 months. Thaw the cupcakes overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
The Cupcake Doctor says...
MrsNaz says... These cupcakes were delish! Extremely moist. I would, however, recommend using homemade frosting if you have time. I
am also thinking of more ways to adapt this recipe---different flavors of cake mixes, pudding mixes, and cookie doughs...oh so many yumabilities!
