[.ca] 101 Things to Do with a Cake Mix (ISBN 1586852175)

save your money:
I bought this book as a stocking stuffer for a young friend who is a novice cook. I have the "Cake Mix Doctor" and use it frequently for a quick, easy, and very good looking product. Wish I could say that "101" was the same. Directions are unclear or missing. It is easy to prop on the counter, most ingredients are easily obtainable, but spend the extra few bucks and get the "Cake Mix Doctor" for its completeness and a lot more recipes. My friend calls me frequently for help and rescue. If you can have one fix it easy and fast book, do not make it this one.

The lay-flat comb binding will prove handy to cooks:
Of course, you can make cakes with cake mixes - and there's a host of cakes which embellish store mixes with added ingredients for superior results - but also the cake mix can be used to produce cookies, breads, and brownies. 101 Things To Do With A Cake Mix offers a host of recipes which use the mix as a foundation for greater things. The lay-flat comb binding will prove handy to cooks and the clear plastic protective cover will keep 101 Things To Do With A Cake Mix looking fresh and new in the kitchen.

Pistachio Cake with Orange Cream Icing:
Stephanie Ashcraft's mother taught her "that anything could be made with a cake mix." It does seem to be true. This tiny, easy-to-read cookbook has recipes for everything from Chocolate Chip Cookies to Peppermint Cake. Stephanie teaches a cooking class entitled "101 Things to Do with a cake Mix" for Macey's Little Cooking Theatre in Provo and Orem, Utah. There are a few helpful hints on page 9 that teach you a few tricks about baking cakes, making chewier cookies and keeping fruit fresh. I've never used glass or stoneware baking dishes for cakes, so that is a new idea for me. I've been buying my cake pans from "Jane's Cakes & Chocolates." The results were rather stunning when I used the pans she sells. What amazes me about this cookbook is the sheer simplicity of the recipes and the absolute beauty of the results. Some of the recipes you might enjoy: White-Chocolate Fudge Bars Easy Snicker Doodles Lemon-Lime Refrigerator Cake Apple-Spice Cake Valentine Love Cake (strawberry juice soaks into the cake) Orange-Pumpkin Cake Oatmeal-Raisin Muffins Easy Ice Cream Sandwiches It was quite by accident that I tried the recipe on "page 101" and took the cake to our Thanksgiving party. The recipe was for Pistachio Pound Cake and it turned out to be "Moist, chocolaty, pistachio, dream cake." My relatives were impressed. It is not every day that I try a new recipe and then bravely take the cake to a party, but this book looked like a winner. The ingredients are little more than a white cake mix and pistachio instant pudding. In fact, I made this so fast, I thought for sure I'd missed a few steps. Well, there are really only three steps and 8 ingredients. It is the easiest cake I've ever made and the instant pudding and chocolate syrup take vanilla cake to new heights. Already my husband has asked me to make this cake again and I'm planning on making it and shipping it to friends and relatives. While the cake is a pound cake, there is no reason why you can't make a orange cream icing by mixing two cups of confectioners' sugar with a little orange juice and cream until it is a smooth consistency. Then, pour over the top of the cake. A few sprinkles of orange zest and off to the party you go. I think this cake will ship very well and plan to try to ship it out to my homemade-cake-deprived friends. No, I'm not telling them this is made from a box mix! All I have left to say is, you will get requests for the cakes in this book. I look forward to trying more of the recipes as soon as I can get to the store to buy more cake mixes and instant puddings. P.S. LOVE the binding on this book as it allows the pages to lay flat. This should be a "must" for all cookbooks. ~TheRebeccaReview.com

Finally, a cookbook for families:
I was so glad to get this cookbook! These are dishes that MY KIDS WILL EAT! I was so tired of slow cooker dishes that called for DUCK FLAMBE and wine sauce, that my HUSBAND won't eat.. He loves these recipies and he can even MAKE them! A++++++++ I gave one to my father, and HE loves it!

Easy:
I just loved this book. So often we get cook books that say easy as 1 2 3 and they end up being as hard as 98 99 100!! One of the best things about the book is most of the ingredients you will have in you cabinets, no running around to speciality shops to find items you never heard of. I get more compliments when I make one of the cakes, I have more people ask me for the recipe, and when I bring a cake to a party there is never any left over. I would rather cook than bake but with this book I am baking more. I cant't say enough about it, just buy it and you will be the hit of the party. Linda