February 17, 2012

Yellow Cake (with Pumpkin)

We love this easy recipe that makes a store-bought birthday cake mix just a little better for you. It’s from Deceptively Delicious. Serve with your favorite frosting - I use a homemade cream cheese one. In the book it wrongly states that you need only one cake pan—you need two. Please reference the recipe below instead. My apologies for this egregious mistake.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Makes a 9-inch layer cake

Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray
1 (18-ounce) box yellow cake mix (any brand)
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 large egg white
6 ounces nonfat lemon, banana, or vanilla yogurt

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with cooking spray and flour lightly.

2. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the cake mix, pumpkin puree, water, oil, eggs, egg white, and yogurt. Beat until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Dividing evenly, pour the batter into the cake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Variation:
Devil’s Food Cake:
Substitute a box of devil’s food cake mix for the yellow cake mix, and beat with 1 cup pumpkin puree, 1/4 cup water, 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil, 2 large eggs,1 large egg white, and 3/4 cup plain yogurt (preferably Greek). Bake as above.

Posted by Jessica Seinfeld
Category: Delicious Recipes
Comments (2)

February 15, 2012

Cooking Tip: How to Line a Baking Pan

The goal here is to leave enough of a parchment overhang so you can easily lift your brownies onto a cutting board to slice rather than slicing directly in the pan, which will leave you with a scratched pan.
First, spray the bottom and sides of the pan with cooking spray. Then, tear off a piece of parchment that’s wide enough to completely cover the bottom of the pan and long enough to leave an overhang on two sides.

Posted by do it Delicious
Category: Tips and Tricks
Comments (1)

February 9, 2012

How to Store Potatoes

Store potatoes in a cool, dry, dark place like your pantry, not the refrigerator. Humidity is not their friend. Best to store them in their mesh bags or a wire basket so that air can circulate around them. They will last for up to 2 months (sweet potatoes not quite as long). Discard potatoes that have sprouted.

Posted by do it Delicious
Category: Tips and Tricks
Comments (1)

February 2, 2012

Cooking Tip: How to Store Cheese

First, wrap your cheese in waxed paper then loosely wrap it with plastic wrap or an unsealed plastic bag. This will, at the same time, let the cheese breathe and prevent it from absorbing odors or drying out.

Posted by do it Delicious
Category: Tips and Tricks
Comments (1)

January 25, 2012

Cooking Tip: How to Grate Whole Nutmeg

The flavor of freshly grated nutmeg far exceeds the pre-ground stuff and stays fresh longer, too. Buy it in its whole form and simply run the seed several times along a fine grater. Only grate what you need, and store the remainder in a tightly sealed jar in a cool, dark place like your pantry.

Posted by do it Delicious
Category: Tips and Tricks
Comments (3)