My kind of "baking"

Baking was never my thing. I was too clumsy to measure anything accurately, not to mention too impatient for anything that required multiple measuring spoons creating a mess on my counter... And I don't know exactly when the epiphany occurred, but now I've come to appreciate the art of baking hence my attempts at creating desserts from scratch. I've also been meaning to try baking my own bread, like challah and focaccia, so I suppose my baking journey has just begun.

Before these days of stocking up on AP flour and investing in bakeware, instead of baking- I would sort of.. cheat.

And by cheat, I mean boxed cake mix. The boxed cake mix frenzy started when I began baking for high school extra credit projects, end-of-the-year gatherings, etc. I never was a fan of the grocery cakes with butter cream, and I also didn't love everyone's favorite- ice cream cake. So I wanted to be in control of the level of sweetness as much I could, given my lack of baking skills.

The Korean bakeries that I remember from my early childhood would usually top super light cakes with freshly whipped cream and sweetened fruit, which I still think of as the typical birthday cake- and to recreate the fond memory I would bake basic yellow cake, top with whipped cream, and decorate with lightly macerated fruit such as kiwi, mango, strawberries, blueberries, and mandarin oranges.

Here is one of the anniversary cakes I made for Matt a while back... The short-cut is really simple.

1. Bake your favorite cake mix
2. Slice or dice your preferred fruit of choice
3. Sprinkle couple of tablespoons of granulated sugar (or Confectioner's sugar for a thicker mixture) on the prepared fruit. Squeeze a 1/2 lemon. Let the mixture sit about 15-20 minutes.
4. Once the cake is cooled, slice into two layers.
5. Brush in between the two layers with the liquid drawn out from the fruit mixture. You can also do so with fruit preserves/jam.
6. Top the cake with freshly whipped cream (I suppose you can even add real vanilla if you have some!) and decorate with the fruit - which should be drained if too watery.

Another short-cut I take in more of an entertaining aspect is with cupcakes. Here is what I made for my friend and my 21st birthday party back in Brooklyn.

1. Bake your favorite cake mix. Cool the cupcakes once they come out of the oven.
2. Peel the cupcake lining and carefully slice the top off each cupcake.
3. Spread fruit preserves like glue to put back the tops on the cupcakes(in this case I baked a chocolate cake & used raspberry preserves).
3. Mix your frosting(homemade or store-bought) with a few tablespoons of the fruit preserves that was used in step 3.
4. Sprinkle with topping of choice - my favorites are chocolate chips, toasted nuts, or lemon zest.

These really aren't "recipes," but quick tips for those like me who are beginner bakers. They are super delicious, and nobody has to know that they came form the boxes! ;)