Baking geek that I am, I pre-ordered this book from Amazon and got it the day it was released. And then I read it cover-to-cover. You know, so I could make sure I knew what all of my options were before I chose a recipe to bake. This recipe really jumped out at me, as I'm quite the fan of margaritas. And as an added bonus, it gave me an excuse to try out the new bundt pan I purchased with a fancy 40% off coupon for Michael's crafts. But I digress...on to cake.
Here it is in all its glory:
Lessons learned & recipe thoughts:
1. Extremely easy recipe & a yummy cake!
2. I used the lemon cake mix, then later wished I had used the yellow cake mix. I forgot that there's a very slight chemical flavor to lemon cake mixes that I don't especially like. Chuck reassured me that there was absolutely no chemical taste in my cake. Chuck lies. But he means well.
3. Although the garnish sounds cute & nice, I skipped it. I did, however, use the glaze.
4. I use (and love) the vegetable oil + flour spray they sell these days. Much less mess than dusting with flour. And here's a handy tip I read recently re: spraying pans - open your dishwasher & hold the pan over the open door while you spray. Nothing to wipe or clean that way.
5. Co-worker quote of the week: "this is the first liquor I've had since my baby was born!" Me: "given how little alcohol is in this cake, it's a little sad that you're this excited about it."
Margarita Cake (from the Cake Mix Doctor Returns)
Ingredients: cake
Vegetable oil spray, for misting the pan
Flour, for dusting the pan
1 package (18.25 oz) plain yellow, vanilla, or lemon cake mix
Half of a package (3.4 oz) of vanilla instant pudding mix (4 tbls)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup fresh lime or key lime juice
1/4 cup tequila
2 tbsl triple sec
1 tsp grated lime zest
4 large eggs
Ingredients: glaze and garnish
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 tbls tequila
1 tbls triple sec
1 tbls fresh lime juice or key lime juice
1 lime, cut into thin slices
1-2 tsp coarse sugar
1. Make the cake: Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350. Lightly mist a 12-cup bundt pan with vegetable oil spray, then dust it with flour. Shake out the excess flour and set aside.
2. Place the cake mix, pudding mix, granulated sugar, water, oil, 1/3 cup lime juice, 1/4 tequila, 2 tbls triple sec, lime zest, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are combined, 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 1 1/2 minutes longer, scraping down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula. The batter should look smooth and thick. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan, smoothing the top with the rubber spatula, and place the pan in the oven.
3. Bake the cake until the top springs back when lightly pressed with a finger, 42-47 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cake cool for 10-15 minutes. Run a long, sharp knife around the edges of the cake, shake the pan gently, and invert the cake onto a wire rack. Let the cake cool completely, about 25 minutes longer.
4. Meanwhile, make the glaze: place powdered sugar, tequila, triple sec, and lime juice in a small bowl and whisk til smooth.
5. Slide the cake onto a serving plate. Using a long wooden skewer, poke 12-16 holes in the top of the cake. Spoon the glaze over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Garnish the cake with the lime slices and a sprinkling of coarse sugar. Let the glaze set for 10 minutes, then slice and serve.
Note: Coarse sugar is this cake's version of the coarse salt that sticks to the rim of a glass filled with a margarita. It is often called sanding sugar and you can buy it at stores that sell cake and cookie decorating supplies. To make sure that the sugar sticks to the cake, sprinkle it on while the glaze is still wet.
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