So, yeh, it’s the new year.
That doesn’t mean we can’t still have cake, though; and this cake (or the many other versions like it) is so darned simple to toss together that it has become my go-to cake of choice for just about any occasion.
Why?
You take one cake mix, add one, 12 ounce bottle or can of soda (and nothing else), bake according to instructions and…
Voilà! You have cake!
For this version, I used a butter yellow cake mix and a bottle of all-sugar (no corn sweeteners) orange soda. If you can’t find the Mexican sodas at your market, the regular versions will work fine, just do not try to do this with diet soda.
INGREDIENTS
Cake:
•1 butter yellow cake mix
•12 oz orange soda (not diet)
Buttercream Frosting:*
•1 cup butter, softened
•3 cups confectioners’ sugar
•1 tsp Cointreau or vanilla
•3 or 4 tbsp whipping cream
•1/8 tsp salt
•1/8 tsp black pepper
*I made this cake and served it to our book club for a holiday gathering. One member took a bite and exclaimed how hers never tastes as good as mine. I asked her about the frosting she used and her response?
“Canned.”
Take that as a lesson, and use some of the time you save by not having to add eggs and measure oil and all the rest to make the cake and make a real buttercream frosting.
Heat your oven to 350º – or whatever temperature is called for on the back o’ the cake mix box.
Add the soda to the cake mix in the bowl of a mixer and follow the instructions on the back o’ the box for how long to mix.
Transfer the batter to a prepared pan (I used a 13×9 glass pan for this one, but this method works great as a layer cake, too. I have not tried it with a bundt pan; mebbe the next time) and bake, again according to the instructions on the back o’ the box.
Remove from the oven and cool.
For the frosting, in a mixing bowl and with the mixer (ideally) fitted with a whisk, combine the confectioners’ sugar, butter, salt, and black pepper on low speed until well blended and a bit fluffy.
Add the Cointreau, increase speed to medium and beat for another three minutes.
With the mixer running, add the heavy cream, by tablespoonfuls, until the frosting is the consistency you like.
Frost the cake, cover (our cat has been on a diet for the past two years and will get into just about any foodstuffs left out and unprotected), then serve.
As a rule, I don’t store my cakes in the fridge, and it hasn’t created any problems with the buttercream going off, but if you’d prefer, by all means stash the covered cake in the fridge. Just bring it out about an hour or so before serving so the frosting can soften a bit.