Diet Coke Cake

I think I first heard about Diet Coke cake from a friend.  It is, by far, the easiest dessert to make!   It’s very moist and tastes just like normal cake.  It’s also low-calorie if you make it with diet pop.   I used Diet Cherry Coke for an interesting flavor!  It was delicious and ready in about 30 minutes.

Diet Coke Cake (or Sprite/7up cake)

• 1 box regular cake mix, any flavor (no “pudding in the mix”)
• 1 can of pop (use Diet Coke for chocolate cake or a lemon-lime soda for white or yellow cake)

1) Preheat the oven to whatever temperature is indicated on the box.

2) Combine the cake mix with one can of pop and stir until blended.  Leave out the butter/oil/eggs if the mix calls for it. Mix ONLY the cake mix and can of pop.

3)  Bake for about 10 minutes less than the box calls for.   Test with a fork to ensure that the cake is cooked in the center.  Enjoy!

Stressed is “desserts” spelled backwards!

Photo from Chelevision

I think everyone at the University of Michigan is stressed right now.  I find when I am stressed I am too lazy to cook and end up eating whatever I can find.  Unfortunately Big Ten Burrito is right across the street from my apartment, making healthy choices even more difficult.  I’ve found that soup is always a good choice (especially when the wind chill is below zero) and so is salad and fruit.

It’s great to have a sweet treat to keep morale high when studying, but don’t fall for the most common sugar traps: overly processed candy bars near the checkout at stores.  They may look delicious when you’re overcaffeinated and got 4 hours of sleep the night before, but they will NOT make you feel better.

For me, the act of baking is a great stress reliever.  I love to bake and doing something I enjoy automatically makes me feel better about upcoming exams.  Maybe instead of giving in to your candy bar craving you could try and make a simple dessert.  If you make something yourself, it is almost always more natural (who has a jar of trans fat in their kitchen cabinets?!) than a store bought Snickers bar.

Good luck studying (and baking) during finals season!

Cupcake pajamas!

I went home for Thanksgiving and my mom got me a gift: cupcake pajamas!  Well, technically they are called “Midnight Snack PJs.” Adorable.  Thanks, Mom!

When a Cake Goes Wrong

What is wrong with this picture?

From New York Times

How about this one?

From New York Times

I’ve been following Cake Wrecks, a blog that shows cake disasters.  The cakes are hilarious!  It goes to show that “professional” bakeries aren’t always so professional.

Thanks to my classmates Arthur and Sarah for the link!

Cookie dough = Love

Would you look at these?  I am a die-hard cookie dough lover and these cupcakes speak to me.  WOW!

Cupcakes Take the Cake blogged about these cookie dough cupcakes from Flour and Sun Bakery in Pleasantville, New York.  Hmm I wonder if they deliver…

Baking, meet science

Check out this elaborate periodic table of cupcakes.   Clever and nerdy, which is why I like them.  I bet they are delicious too!

By Foodie Friday

Thanks to Sarah for the link!