All-New Cake Mix Doctor - Anne Byrn [120]
For the glaze
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
1. Make the cake and streusel topping: Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the pecans in a baking pan and toast them in the oven while it preheats until they are lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Lightly mist a 13 by 9–inch metal cake pan with vegetable oil spray, then dust it with flour. Shake out the excess flour and set the pan aside.
3. Remove the toasted pecans from the oven, let them cool, then set them aside for the streusel topping. Leave the oven on.
4. Place the cake mix and pudding mix in a medium-size bowl. Stir with a wire whisk or spoon until well combined. Cut the butter into small chunks and place them in the bowl with the cake mixture. Using a pastry blender or two dinner knives, blend in the butter until crumbly. Measure out 1 cup of the cake mix mixture for the streusel topping and place it in a small bowl. Stir in the toasted pecans and set this bowl aside.
5. Add the ¾ cup of milk and the eggs to the medium-size bowl with the cake mixture and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are incorporated, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 1½ to 2 minutes longer, scraping down the side of the bowl again if needed. The batter will be thick. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and spread it evenly to the sides of the pan with the rubber spatula. Set the pan aside.
Recipe Reminders
MADE FOR
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PREP NOTES
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SPECIAL TOUCHES
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6. Make the lemon cream cheese topping: Rinse and pat the lemon dry with paper towels. Grate enough zest to measure 1 teaspoon and place it in a medium-size bowl. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Add the cream cheese and granulated sugar and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until the topping is well combined and fluffy, 1 to 1½ minutes.
7. Using a teaspoon, dollop small amounts of the lemon cream cheese topping on top of the cake batter. Using the rubber spatula, spread the dollops together so you form a thin layer of the topping evenly over the batter.
8. Sprinkle the reserved streusel topping over the cream cheese topping. Place the cake pan in the oven. Bake the cake until it just starts to pull away from the sides of the pan and the top springs back when lightly pressed with a finger, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the cake pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool to room temperature, 20 minutes.
9. Make the glaze: Place the confectioners’ sugar and 1 tablespoon of milk in a small bowl. Stir with a wire whisk, adding up to 1 more tablespoon of milk, until the glaze is smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake and serve.
Keep It Fresh! Store this cake, covered with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, at room temperature for up to four days or for up to one week in the refrigerator. Freeze the cake in the pan, covered with aluminum foil, for up to three months. Let the cake thaw overnight on the counter before serving.
LEMON CURD ICEBOX CAKE
I’VE SHARED THIS RECIPE in my newsletter, and it bears repeating here because few cakes are as delicious or simple. You begin with a lemon or yellow cake mix and add the usual ingredients plus lemon curd, an intense and creamy condiment found on supermarket shelves with the jams and jellies. Serve this on summer nights with a spoonful of fresh raspberries alongside. It needs to be stored in the