Butter Pecan Cake Mix Truffles-12 Days of Christmas Treats

Recently I was visiting over at Averie Cooks and ran across  a recipe for No-Bake Vanilla Cake Batter Truffles.  This recipe took only 5 ingredients and sounded delicious.  It made me think of the fact that I love the Butter Pecan flavor of cake mix.  I have not been able to find that flavor for awhile, but last time cake mixes were on sale at Safeway, there it was on the bottom shelf.  I purchased my sale limit of 3 boxes that day.  I wondered if I could adapt the recipe using Butter Pecan cake mix.  I also thought that ground pecans added might be a good idea.

You may have to play with the dough a little bit, adding more milk or cake mix to get it just right.  The mixture should be like stiff cookie dough.  I chose Ghirardelli White Melting Wafers to dip the dough ball in, but white chocolate chips would be OK to use, too. I would add 1 1/2 T. shortening or coconut oil to the white chocolate chips.  It will take a little guessing as to the correct amount of dipping mixture to make.  I used 1 1/2 c. of the Melting Wafers.  Out of curiosity, I measured my package of cake mix, and it contained about 3 cups, enough for 3 batches of truffles.

Averie says these will keep a very long time in the refrigerator or freezer.  I doubt that that would be the case at our house.

Thanks, Averie for a great recipe idea.

Butter Pecan Cake Mix Truffles
adapted from Averie Cooks

1/3 c. pecans, preferably toasted
1 c. dry Butter Pecan Cake Mix
1/4 c. plus 1 T. sweetened condensed milk
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1 T. agave nectar (optional)  use another T. of milk if you don’t have this
1 1/2 c. white melting wafers or white chocolate chips
1 1/2 T. shortening or coconut oil if using the chips

Place pecans in a blender or food processor and process until finely ground.  Transfer to a small bowl.  Add cake mix, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla and agave.  Mix until very well blended.  Add more cake mix or milk, if necessary, to get the mixture to a moldable dough.  Refrigerate or freeze the dough at least 15 minutes.  Remove dough from refrigerator and shape into 1-inch balls.  You will have about 20 or so.  Refrigerate or freeze balls at least 15 minutes.  When ready, melt wafers or chips according to package directions.  Remove dough balls from refrigerator and dip into the white chocolate coating.  Place on parchment or waxed paper to firm up..  Makes about 20.  Store tightly covered in the refrigerator or freezer.

Linking to Weekend Potluck

Coconut Pecan Drops-Saturday Sweet

Instead of calling these Coconut Pecan Drops, I almost called them Accident Cookies, but that is not very SEO friendly.  I wanted to do that because, the cookies came about because I misread the directions for a cookie recipe I was trying.

I mixed the coconut pecan frosting in with the rest of the ingredients, but that was not what I was supposed to do.  The frosting was to just be used as an icing.  After I realized what I had done, I had two choices:  throw everything out or go ahead and bake the dough and see what happened.

I chose to bake the dough.  What I ended up with was a  nice, soft cakey cookie.  The cake mix flavor can be varied to make several different flavors.  I used yellow cake mix, but I think butter pecan flavor would be great if you can find it in your area.  Of course, German chocolate or any chocolate cake flavor would be good also.

Have you ever made a mistake with a recipe that turned out to be OK in the end?

Coconut Pecan Drops
1 box (18 oz.) cake mix with pudding in the mix, your choice of flavor
1 can coconut pecan frosting
1 c. plain or vanilla yogurt (I used Greek)
1 egg
1/2 c. toasted coconut
1/2 c. chopped, toasted pecans

Place the cake mix in a large mixing bowl.  Add frosting and mix until very well combined.  Measure yogurt in a glass measuring cup.  Add egg and mix with a whisk until well blended.  Stir yogurt into cake mixture and stir until well blended.  Stir in coconut and pecans.  Drop by teaspoonsful onto greased baking sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown on the bottom.  Remove to a wire rack to cool.  Cookies will remain moist so store in a container with waxed paper between the layers.  Makes about 5 to 6 dozen cookies.

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Saturday Spotlight

DIY Chocolate Cake Mix-Guest Post

I am privileged to have CJ from Morsels of Life here to guest post.  CJ and I are both fond of Do-It-Yourself homemade versions of commercial products so she brought her DIY Chocolate Cake Mix just to share with us today.  CJ and I "meet" each week at Friday Favorite Finds over at Finding Joy in My Kitchen.

Hi, friends at Grandma Loy's Kitchen! I'm CJ, and I usually blog at Morsels of Life, where I share simple recipes using everyday materials. I'm so excited to share a recipe with you today - DIY Chocolate Cake Mix! If you've ever wanted the convenience of a cake mix without all the weirdo ingredients hanging out, I've got your solution!

If you like this recipe, please stop by Morsels of Life and check out some others! (Or if DIY Chocolate Cake mix isn't quite your thing, stop by and see what else I have to offer. :P) I'm also on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest. :)

Thanks again Grandma Loy for letting me share with your readers. :)

 

I first wanted to find out how to make my own cake mix when I wanted to make Cookie Brownies. I know it's not too hard, but sometimes the ease and simplicity of a boxed mix just wins out. However, just because you'd prefer a box cake mix doesn't mean you want to consume hordes of chemical names you can't even pronounce. I've never heard anyone go "Mmm - I love that propylene glycol mono and diesters of fatty acids." I'm guessing you haven't either. So why not combine the quick simplicity of a box cake mix and the control over what you eat and make with your own cake mix?

What things do you like to make on your own?

DIY Chocolate Cake Mix

by CJ Huang

Quick and easy chocolate cake mix you can make while controlling your materials.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: none
Total time: 5 minutes
Yield: 1 box

Materials:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 2 cups flour
• 1.75 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Combine all listed materials and mash together until homogeneous. To make a cake, add 1.25 cups water, 1/2 cup butter, and 3 eggs. Bake at 350F. (35 minutes in a 9x13 pan, 30 minutes in a 9-inch diameter pan, and 20 minutes for cupcakes)

It is so easy and so handy to make your own mixes.  Thanks, CJ for coming by with such a great idea.

Cherry Almond Dump Cake

Although I try to keep a batch of homemade cake mix on hand, I do buy commercial versions of flavors that are not easily replicated at home.  One of those flavors is Betty Crocker’s Cherry Chip Cake Mix.

Recently I combined a Cherry Chip cake mix with canned pie filling and almonds to make a version of the ever popular dump cake recipe.  This quick and easy dessert would make a nice addition to Easter dinner.  This recipe is also good made with half cherry pie filling and half apple pie filling.

I have found that a  half cup of melted butter does not completely cover the cake mix so I have started using from 3/4 to 1 cup.  I give the range in the recipe as I want to use just the amount necessary to completely cover the cake mix.  I start with 3/4 cup butter and melt an additional 1/4 cup, if necessary.

Cherry Almond Dump Cake
2 cans (21 oz.) cherry pie filling
1 t. almond extract
1 box (18 oz.) Cherry Chip Cake Mix
1/2 c. finely chopped slivered almonds
3/4 to 1 cup butter, melted

Place the cherry pie filling in a well-greased 9x13-inch baking dish.  Stir in the almond extract and stir well.  In a medium bowl combine the cake mix and chopped almonds.  Sprinkle mixture over the pie filling, smoothing the top evenly.  Pour melted butter evenly over the top, completely covering the cake mix.  Tip the baking dish back and forth, if necessary, to help the butter cover the top.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.  Good at room temperature with whipped topping or slightly warmed with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Makes 12 to 15 servings.

Ingredient Spotlight-German White Chocolate Chip Bars

The theme today over at Eat at Home’s Ingredient Spotlight is cake mixes.   I often make my own cake mix, but do keep commercial cake mixes on hand, especially flavors that are not easily duplicated at home.  German chocolate is one of those flavors.  It is true that German chocolate cakes can be made at home, but they must be made from scratch.

Recently I experimented with making bar cookies with cake mix.  I used a German chocolate cake mix and added chopped pecans, coconut and white chocolate chips which resulted in a brownie-like cookie with the flavor of a German chocolate cake.  Other flavors of chips can be used if desired.  Since I used only 1/2  cup, this is a chance to use up any small amounts of chips that may be left from other recipes.

These cookies are best kept in a sealed plastic bag to keep them soft.

German White Chocolate Chip Bars
1 German Chocolate Cake Mix (18 oz.)
1/2 c. water
1/4 c. salad oil
1 egg
1/2 c. chopped toasted pecans
1/2 c. flaked coconut
1/2 c. white chocolate chips

Place cake mix in a large mixing bowl.  Combine water, salad oil and egg.  Beat together well.  Pour liquid mixture into the cake mix and mix until well blended.  Stir in pecans, coconut and white chocolate chips, mixing well.  Pour into a foil-lined 9x13-in. baking pan.  Bake at 350 degrees 25 to 30 minutes.  Cool and cut into bars.  Makes about 36 bars.  Store in a zip-top plastic bag to keep soft.

Linking to: Ingredient Spotlight
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Work It Wednesday

Ingredient Spotlight-Red Velvet Cherry Bars

I have not yet welcomed my new followers this week and want to do that.  So welcome and thanks to all of you who take time out of your busy lives to read this blog.  I hope you enjoy today's recipe.

The original recipe was created by Mrs. Emil Jerzak of Porter, Minnesota for the 25th Anniversary Pillsbury Bake-Off in 1974.  It won a $25,000 Grand Prize in the Grocery Products Category.  Above is a photo of the picture that was on the cover of the cookbook for that year.

It was a simple idea.  She combined cake mix, cherry pie filling, eggs, and almond extract to make moist bars that kept well.  The bars were glazed with a chocolate glaze made with semi-sweet chocolate chips, sugar, butter, and milk.  The bars could be baked in a 10x15-inch jelly rolls pan for a thinner more cookie-like bar or in a 9x13-inch pan for a more cake-like bar.  The recipe turned up in "The Cake Mix Doctor" as Chocolate Covered Cherry Cake.  Bars or cake, this is very good.

The recipe originally called for Fudge Cake Mix with is no longer available.  I have used almost all of the chocolate flavors of cake mix for this.  It doesn’t seem to make any difference.  The chocolate version of my Homemade Cake Mix can also be used.  Since  it is February and Valentine’s Day is coming up, I wanted to use Red Velvet Cake Mix to make it more seasonal.

I like to use milk chocolate chips for the frosting/glaze, but they don’t melt as well as the semi-sweet ones do, so sometimes there are tiny bits of unmelted chips in the finished frosting/glaze.

This goes together very quickly; and, if the ingredients are kept on hand, can be made “at the drop of a hat.”

Please forgive this photo.  I was pushing to get this done and put the frosting/glaze on the cake while it was still too hot.  The frosting/glaze seeped down the sides of my baking pan.  So don't do as I did, wait the 15 minutes before topping the bars.

Red Velvet Cherry Bars/Cake
1 pkg. Red Velvet or Chocolate Cake Mix (any flavor)
1 (21 oz.) can cherry pie filling
2 eggs
1 t. almond extract

Frosting/Glaze
1 c. sugar
1/3 c. butter (must be butter)
1/3 c. milk (low-fat is OK)
1 c. semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, pie filling, eggs and almond extract.  Stir until well mixed.  Pour into greased and floured 10x15-inch jelly roll pan or greased and floured 9x13-inch baking pan.  Bake at 350 degrees 20 to 25 minutes for jelly roll pan or 25 to 30 minutes for baking pan.  Remove from oven and place on a wire rack.  Let cool 15 minutes.  Meanwhile combine sugar, butter, and milk in a small saucepan.  Bring to  boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Add chips and stir until chips are melted and mixture is smooth.  Pour over partially cooled bars.  Cool and cut into bars.  Make 3 to 4 dozen bars depending on the pan used.  Covered tightly, the bars will keep at room temperature up to 5 days, in the refrigerator up to 1 week.  Uncut, the bars may be tightly wrapped in foil and frozen up to 6 months.  Thaw on counter overnight before serving.

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Sweet Treats Thursday

DIY Groceries-Homemade Cake Mix

Good Monday, and welcome to my new followers.  Thanks to all who take the time to read my blog. I hope that the information you find here will prove useful to you.

Recently, I wanted to make the bars in the photo above.  They called for a dry cake mix.  Now I buy commercial cake mixes, and I use commercial cake mixes.  They are still one of the most reasonably priced items in the grocery store since cake mixes are frequently promoted for $1 or less.

When, however, you find a recipe you want to make and it calls for a dry cake mix; and you don't have one, and you live 20 miles from town, what do you do?  I make homemade cake mix.  Of course, a homemade mix doesn't have the additives that are found in the commercial product.  Here is a recipe that I used with several variations in case you actually want to make a cake.  This recipe came from a email list a number of years ago.

Cake Mix
6 c. flour
1 c. non fat powdered milk (blended in blender till fine)
4 c. sugar
1 T. baking powder
1 cup shortening

Mix dry ingredients together until well blended.  Cut in shortening until it is in very fine particles.  Store in airtight container at room temperature.  Makes enough for 4 two layer cakes.  This recipe can be easily halved.

One store box (18 ounces )=3 1/4 cups of dry Cake Mix.   Use 3 1/4 cups mix in the recipes below.

Yellow Cake 
3 1/4 c. cake mix
2 well beaten eggs
1/4 c. vegetable oil
3/4 c. water
1 t. vanilla extract

Combine cake mix , eggs, vegetable oil, and water; beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.  Stir in vanilla.  Pour batter into greased and floured pan[s].   Bake at 350 degrees F. according to timetable below.  Cake is done when it springs back when touched lightly in the center. Cool cake 10 minutes in pan: place top side up on cooling rack.  Frost when completely cool.

Baking Timetable.
Two 8-inch round layers=25-30 minutes
Two 9-inch round layers=20-25 minutes
One 13x9x2-inch oblong pan=40-45 minutes.

Variations: Cherry:
Prepare as directed.  Add 1 t. almond extract and 1 10-oz. jar of finely chopped maraschino cherries.

Chocolate:
Prepare as directed.  Add 6 T. of unsweetened cocoa.


Chocolate Surprise Cake:
Make a chocolate cake add 1/2 cup rinsed and chopped sauerkraut.


Coconut:
Prepare as directed.  Add 1/2 t. coconut extract and 1/3 c. flaked coconut.

Eggnog:
Prepare as directed.  Add 1 t. nutmeg, 2 t. rum extract. and 1/2 c. chopped walnuts.

Orange or Lemon:
Prepare as directed.  Add 2 T. grated lemon or orange peel and 2 t. matching extract.

Spice:
Prepare as directed.  Add 1 t. cinnamon and 1 t. cloves.

For a lighter cake, separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and beat the egg whites until stiff.  Add the beaten egg yolks to the cake mixture; gently fold the white eggs into the well mixed cake mixture.

Here is the recipe that I needed to make cake mix for.  It came from Pillsbury Bars and Cookies, 1998.  It is one of those little cookbooks that are available at the grocery store.  The homemade cake mix makes a more tender base than commercial cake mix, but it does work OK.

Candy and Peanut Chews
Base:
1 (18.25 oz.) pkg. Pillsbury Moist Supreme Yellow Cake Mix
1/2 c. butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
3 c. miniature marshmallows
Topping:
1/2 c. light corn syrup
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
2 t. vanilla
2 c. crisp rice cereal
2 c. salted peanuts
1 c. candy corn

In a large bowl, combine cake mix and butter; mix well.  Stir in egg; blend well.  Press in bottom of foil-lined 15x10x1-inch baking pan.
Bake at 350 degrees 10 to 14 minutes or until base is set and light golden brown around edges.
Remove pan from oven; immediately sprinkle with marshmallows.  Return to oven; bake an additional 1 to 2 minutes or until marshmallows just begin to puff.  Cool while preparing topping.
Combine cereal, peanuts, and candy corn in a bowl.  In large saucepan, combine corn syrup, sugar, and brown sugar; blend well.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil.
Remove from heat; stir in peanut butter and vanilla until well blended.  Stir in cereal, peanuts and candy corn.  Immediately spoon topping over marshmallows; spread to cover.  Refrigerate 30 minutes or until firm.  Cut into bars.  Makes about 48.

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