Betty Crocker Cake Mix to the Rescue
The Cake Mix for Busy People
Everybody in Tokyo seems to constanly be on the move all the time. With most of my friends being in a creative field that includes never-ending projects and deadlines, it's a rare treat that we all are able to get together at the same time.
Last Saturday night, two of my closest friends just happened to be free and decided to invite themselves over for dinner. I had been working all day and had been in a state of stress all week so I decided that a nice meal with friends would be the best thing to do. As usual they would be bringing the wine while I make dinner.
I decided on a Pan-Asian theme for the meal. The menu consisted of a seafood salad with Hawaiian salt, curry croquettes with marinara sauce and grilled salmon with a teriyaki-corn relish. The menu decided, I headed to the supermarket to get the ingredients for my dinner and rushed back home to start cooking. While doing last minute preparations I realized I was missing something-the most crucial part of the entire meal.
I had completely forgotten about dessert! As my mind panicked and scrambled for quick ideas, I started to hyperventilate. At this point, I decided that taking a nice hot shower would be the best thing.
Betty Crocker to the Rescue!
Taking a quick shower never fails to rejuvenate me. Once I got dressed, I started to look around my cupboards to see if I had anything I could use for dessert. That's when I found a box of Betty Crocker Cake Mix I had been saving for a rainy day.
After brainstorming for a full two minutes, I figured cupcakes would bake faster. I also had some nice powdered green tea that I purchased on a recent trip to Kyoto and it was nearing its expiration date. It was quickly decided that green tea cupcakes were going to be the finale to my meal.
I have to say that I'm surprised at how easy it is to make a good-tasting cake with Betty Crocker cake mixes. All I needed was 3 eggs, oil and water. You basically mix these basic ingredients and then pop it into the oven to bake. While my cupcakes were in the oven, I quickly made the green tea frosting combining powdered green tea, some cream, butter and confectioner's sugar. My cupcakes were done and decorated with the frosting in about 30 minutes.
The great thing about Betty Crocker's French Vanilla cake is that it has a rather subtle flavor that pairs well with other flavors. I sometimes like to simply eat the cake with some fruit preserves for a delicious afternoon treat.
A Fabulous Dinner with a Sweet Ending
In the end, my dinner turned out great and my dessert came out quite nice considering it was something I whipped up at the last minute. My friends and I enjoyed the dinner and while my salmon was a bit overcooked, the cupcakes were a hit.
The cake turned out moist and had a good flavor that didn't overpower the green tea frosting. In the future, I would like to experiment with other flavors such as chocolate and lemon. I love to cook and I do enjoy making cake from scratch now and then. But when I'm pressed for time, Betty Crocker is always a good bet.
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I'm always busy whipping up easy recipes in my tiny urban kitchen in Tokyo. Here are just a few you might like.
