365 Cakes: Creating Ultimate Cakes from a Box

By Adrea Gibbs

Have you ever wanted to make a great cake but looking at the boxed mixes in the aisle left you feeling uninspired? This fun book takes those same boxed mixes and lets you create more varieties of cake than ever imagined. Bursting with simple tips and ideas, this book is perfect for anyone wanting to break out of the packaged mix box. Great for kids, too, with easy to follow directions, and hundreds of different ways to bake a cake that will be both remembered and delicious.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Adrea Gibbs
• Release date: Apr 22, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311569059

Adrea Gibbs

Adrea has always enjoyed writing and illustrating and at the encouragement of friends and family has finally decided to just go for it. Fingers crossed.Her published works include LET'S PUT ON A SHOW!, a theatrical primer for kids, and a series of theatre-based DVDs with Meriwether Publishing, the basis for numerous successful workshops. As a certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor she has written multiple articles and created specialty programming (BABYCISE, TODDLERCISE, READERCISE, KIDZ, YOGABET, WATERBABIES, and adaptive fitness variations), which coupled with her child-develop experience through her work with Gymboree, combined active learning with exercise which made for accessibility through a variety of avenues for varying populations.Adrea's illustrative work can be viewed at her website AN ALRIGINAL at cafepress.com/an_alriginal and is an off-shoot of her work in brand-creation and development exampled in her earliest logo design for the Rancho Bernardo Soccer Club in the late seventies.Her day job finds her an Internationally experienced entertainment and operations consultant specializing in working with small parks and attractions to develop a high-profile customer experience with an emphasis on cost-effectiveness. Projects in India, Taiwan, Malaysia, Germany, France, Netherlands, Austria, Japan, and United States in project development, show creation, training programs (entertainment/customer service), hospitality, retail, merchandising, branding, seminars, child-based programming and related areas.Otherwise, she does her best to try and stay out of trouble. "Try" being the key word.

Book preview

READY, SET, BAKE! BASICS

I have created a simple method to make great cakes. Select ingredients from different columns, combine, bake and enjoy. It’s that simple. Most of the cakes will take you less than 90 minutes total to complete.

CAKE MIXES

There are a whole variety of nice cake box mixes out there, so try some different brands and flavors to suit your tastes. You will find that chocolate, in particular, comes in everything from triple chocolate fudge and devil’s food to milk and German chocolate. You might also want to try vanilla or white cake in the place of yellow cake mix. There are also sugar free and low-fat mixes from several manufacturers. If you do choose to use a sugar-free product, carefully consider what your additional ingredients will be to align with the product. There are also all-natural products available. Something for everyone.

Be sure to follow the baking instructions carefully and replace only the water portion when it comes to WATER replacement. Many boxed cakes require oil and that is an important component to their recipe. You can experiment, however, with oils, too, as there are many variety and, certainly healthful options available. Different oils will also change the flavor profile of your cake.

Follow the baking instructions, as well, and please realize that you will have to watch your cake carefully as it bakes. Adding additional product to the mix may change the length of time it is to be in the oven. The best way to check is to pull out the rack and place a toothpick, chopstick, or knife into the center of the cake. Slowly remove. You will be able to see if the cake is still liquefied in the center if it is not ready. If the toothpick, chopstick, or knife comes out and is dry, it is done.

In general, I encourage you to experiment. This should just be a jumping off point for you and open up a world of possibilities.

CANNED or BOXED FROSTING

Just like the cake mixes, there are several manufacturers who make pre-made frostings or boxed versions to which you add water or milk. These can be jazzed up just like the cakes, but I am also including my simple frosting recipe toward the end of the book.

I always recommend 2 cans of frosting or 2 boxed mixes as opposed to just one. I have found that 1 can really isn’t always enough, especially if you, like me, like your frosting thick or you put frosting in between layers. You don’t always have to frost, either, but more on that