Help From Betty Crocker and Jell-O = French Vanilla Coconut Cupcakes

Every now and then I call upon Betty (Crocker) to lend me a hand in the kitchen.  While I typically bake from scratch, there are times when I just don’t feel like dragging out all of the ingredients to whip up a batch of cupcakes.  Can you say lazy?  Can you relate?

Now, just because I’m a little lazy and decide to use a cake mix doesn’t mean I can’t be creative.  Take these French Vanilla Coconut Cupcakes for example,  I decided they would create a perfect ending to a delicious home cooked Valentine’s Day dinner we have planned for this evening.

And if you’re like me, there are also times when you’re looking for a flavored cake that is nearly impossible to find.  When this happens I find myself in the Jell-O isle at the grocery store.  Cake mix + Jell-O pudding or gelatin = endless possibilities. (This is not a sponsored post.  I just happen to like both of these products.)

To make these cupcakes you will need:

1 Super Moist Betty Crocker French Vanilla Cake Mix

1 Box of Jell-O Coconut Cream Cook & Serve Pudding

A batch of your favorite homemade vanilla buttercream frosting

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line cupcake tins with cupcake papers (makes 24)

In a large bowl, add cake mix, pudding mix, 1 1/4 c. water, 1/4 c. olive oil, and 3 large eggs.  Mix until all ingredients are combined.  Fill cupcake papers about 1/2 full.  Bake for about 19 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center.

Remove from oven and let cool before frosting.

I decorated these with some finely grated dark chocolate.

What would your favorite flavor combo be if I asked you to pick a cake mix and a box of Jell-O?

I shared this recipe over at the blog The Country Cook – Weekend Potluck #162.  Check out all of the other great links that shared there with me.

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A Simple Holiday Dessert

 

Are you planning your holiday festivities yet?  Or are you playing the role of the Grinch this season?  I’ve been thinking ahead and I’ve come up with a few delicious dessert ideas.  The tough part is picking just one sinful dessert to make and share on Christmas.

For those of you that are pressed for time, or don’t consider yourself very proficient at baking from scratch, I have a great alternative for you. 

This cake is made from a box mix but know one will ever know – unless you tell them!  And when it’s topped with peppermint ice cream it can only get better. 

Chocolate Bundt Cake

1 chocolate cake mix

4 large eggs

1/2 c. plain Greek yogurt

1/4 c. warm water

1/2 c. hot coffee

1/4 c. olive oil

1 package of instant chocolate pudding/pie filling

1/2 c. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Heavily grease a Bundt cake pan.

In a large bowl, add all ingredients except chocolate chips and beat with electric mixer until all ingredients are completely blended.  Fold in chocolate chips.  Pour batter into prepared Bundt pan and bake for about 50 minutes.  Check for to make sure the cake is done by inserting a toothpick into it in several places before removing from the oven.  Allow cake to cool for 30 minutes before removing it from the pan.

Once cooled, store in an airtight container.  When ready to serve, top with your favorite ice cream, whipped cream, toppings, etc.

Oh, and did I forget to mention that there are only 17 days left until Christmas?  I thought so…

The Two Ingredient Mini Cupcake

Okay, for those of you who have heard of this recipe, why the heck didn’t you tell me about it?  You’ll never guess who did end up telling me about it – a doctor.

This recipe only requires two things to make these delicious, moist, and chocolaty mini’s.

1.) Your favorite brand and flavor of cake mix. 

2.)  One 15 ounce can of pure pumpkin.

That’s right, no eggs and no oil.  The elimination of those two items makes this recipe much lower in calories, and much healthier.  

Want to be creative? Try adding dark chocolate chips to these, or make them with a carrot, spice, or vanilla cake mix. 

I did a little research on these mini’s after the doctor told me about them.  I found the directions for making them, along with the nutritional information, at the Hungry Girl. 

I made a couple minor adjustments.  I added about 2 tablespoons of water to the bottom of  the pumpkin can to rinse it out.  I then added that water right into the batter.  I also baked my mini’s at 325 degrees for about 14-15 minutes.  Check with a toothpick to make sure it comes out clean before removing them from the oven.

I am currently looking for healthier recipes to share here at The Joy of Caking.  If you’ve got a healthier tried and true recipe that you’d love to share, or would like to guest post with me – PLEASE email me!

 

Celebration and Giveway!!!

It has finally arrived!  The big day… My blog is officially one year old!  If you didn’t see it already, check out my post on the 20 things I’ve learned about food blogging over the past year.  You  might find something on the list you can relate to.To make this a real celebration,  King Arthur Flour  is sponsoring an awesome giveaway!  In my opinion,  KAF is the absolute best baking company.  I drool when I look through their catalogue, or surf their website.  I’d love about ten of everything they sell.  And, as many of you probably already know, the quality of their products are superior.  The fact that they are an employee owned company makes their company even better. So, what is the giveaway?  Drum roll please…. One lucky winner will receive the following fantastic prize package.

1 package of assorted swirl cupcake papers

1 box of deliciously simple chocolate cake mix

A package of 9 sparkling bright-colored sprinkles

King Arthur also sent me an identical package.   I absolutely love it!!  I haven’t made a boxed cake mix in forever, and I forgot just how easy it is.  I threw all the ingredients into a bowl, and mixed them with my electric mixer.  In less than 5 minutes I was done.  The batter smelled so rich and chocolaty that I could hardly wait for the cupcakes to finish baking.   The cupcakes (all 24 ) baked perfectly, and are so moist and DELICIOUS!  (Confession) I’ve ate way too many of them.    This is the cake mix of my dreams!

The assorted swirl wrappers so colorful.  I used each and every color.  They are made of a heavier grade of paper, and are imported from Sweden.  I noticed the heavier paper helped prevent unwanted movement when I was filling them with the batter.  And, the sprinkles are so bright and cheery – I guarantee you will use them for many celebrations to come.  I tried to decide which one was my favorite color and couldn’t.  They all are so eye-catching. 

I know the winner of this package will absolutely love it.  It’s practical,  super delicious, and FUN!

This giveaway is valid  for US residents only. You must have a valid US street address for shipping purposes.  Sorry PO boxes and  international friends!

To Enter:

1.  Link to the KING ARTHUR FLOUR and find something  you LOVE.  Then leave me a comment describing it.

2. For a second, third and/or fourth chances to win FOLLOW King Arthur on Facebook, Twitter, and The Baking Circle community.

3. For additional chances to win, SUBSCRIBE to The Joy of Caking by Email, RSS, or Twitter.

Leave a separate comment for each activity that you complete.  You must do this to create extra entries.

The  contest will close on Sunday, March 27th, at 6PM Eastern Time. The winner will be selected by random drawing and will be notified on March 28th.  At that time, the winner will need to provide their address.

Thank you so much for helping make this a great celebration!  Please keep following, and watch for changes I’ll be making to my site as I roll into year number two.