Aug
28
Turning $2 into a $20 dessert
It’s amazing what kind of magic a $2 cake batter
The cake mix calls for the standard 3 egg, 1/2 cup vegetable oil and 1 1/4 cups water. I follow this recipe exactly but I also add 1/2 cup of unsweeted cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon of espresso powder, and an extra 1/2 cup water and 1/4 oil. The unsweetened cocoa is the best way to un-sweeten this batter and the espresso powder makes this taste extra chocolate-y. Then, I fill the batter in the pan, I add 2-3 bars of bittersweet chocolate and I top it off with more batter. I follow the baking instructions exactly.
You can really add anything in the middle, maybe some fresh raspberries or I imagine some chopped bacon would be extra devilish. I like to keep it standard with my molten chocolate bars.
This mini metal pan is from Ikea, I bought it from the Children’s play section, they have these fake cooking sets. I love to use them for desserts and small stews. I bake it in the metal pan but I also serve it in the same pan to keep the cake warm. Make sure to dust your cake with cocoa powder after it’s done baking for a gourmet flair.
I tried this on my friend one time she came over. She did not believe me when I said it came out of a box. She thought it was better than what they serve at restaurants. Not too sweet, so moist..Now she makes it all the time, it’s always a hit.
I don’t like chocolate. I don’t like cake. I hate chocolate cake. But this … this looks DELICIOUS.
i have a stupid yet curious question.
i admire your fine taste in clothing and accessories, your style and choices in fashion brands. but how one affords herself all that amazing food and luxurious lifestyle?
just wondering, since – at least for me – owning even barely a namebrand perfume is very costly.. obviously i’m just curious here! wondering how stylish people afford such lives.
i agree with y.
i just wonder too.
btw love your blog like everyone else!!
@y… Money. That’s how. xx
Now I’ll be craving chocolate cake all night, yum!!
Are the pans oven-safe? What temperature do you use?
This looks amazing! I totally want to make this and surprise my family, since I’m totally not a baker or good at anything involving the kitchen. The added ingredients are super easy and I love the little pans.
Every time I think I’ve found your best post, you come out with something even better!
I was in IKEA the other week and saw all of their kid’s cooking utensils and immediately started thinking they’d be perfect for making small meals and servings. It’s good to hear that they actually do work well that way!
I think it’s extremely rude and rather crass to ask a stranger about their financial situation in their blog comments! Wow!
There are always going to be people in the world who can afford more things than I can, and many many who can afford far less. I’m not saying I don’t feel envy of the lifestyle of some, but I try and focus on what I can do myself to achieve more of what I want for myself.
If Luxirare answers, does it change anything whether the answer is hard work, a high level job, successful investments or a good inheritance? No, didn’t think so.
@PattOh. Do not conclude that style is only a function of money. Style is a consequence of imagination and adventure. And, this lady has it.
That is such a great quote. I just made it my desktop background, thanks.
ohmygod that chocolate cake.
Make me regret being a sooooo bad cook!!
And for the “lifestyle” question… I think it’s none of our business
Y and N, come on…
Luxirare, thank you for sharing. When you get older, you’ll laugh at this comments. I do have my own recipes for this batters. And yours are great! I’ll try it, for sure! Thank you.
This looks divine! My mom does something similar with one of the boxed mixes (I can’t remember the brand). She adds 1 cup of full fat sour cream – it is SOOOO good!
Definitely going to try this someday! It looks so delicious and I’m definitely not one to bake from scratch.
LOVE this post. If you have any other transformation recipes, I would love to see it!
hiiiiiii
Awesome! Great tips.
Being vegan for 18 mos now, I’ve got some good vegan cake batters down pat. But I’ve been curious about how to make the boxed mixes taste good, and keep them vegan. I read recently that substituting 10oz club soda for the egg and milk requirements will do it, assuming the rest of the batter is vegan, too, and I know extra unsweetened chocolate can add richness and round it all out. Hmmmm, I am inspired to experiment now. Thanks.
It really does look like something that came out of a restaurant! Look really good. It’s amazing how you can make things look so good just by serving it the right way!
But that in the middle, is it red? And what is it? It look nice
SWEET PETROLEUM
http://froekensteenberg.blogspot.com/
I think I will try this next week. My daughters have been asking me to bake a cake but I don’t care for the box mixes. Thank you for the recipe!
ditto first commenter. I don’t like chocolate and I don’t like cake, but I WANT SOME CHOCOLATE CAKE THIS GODDANG MOMENT!
ooh, this looks like something my sister would scream YESSS too
Wow, I never use cake mixes but this idea is brilliant!
xx
effin brilliant. i’m so trying this.
Mmmm very nice cant wait to try it.
http://inhalefashionandbeauty.blogspot.com/
This really appeals to me, and I haven’t bought a cake mix in years. I like that the extras don’t add a ton of calories, and I like the mini size.
I’ve always secretly lusted after Ikea’s kiddie kitchen stuff, had no idea it could actually be used! I will probably go crazy next time I’m there.
What do you think of angel food cake mix? I haven’t had one in a long time, but that was my favorite flavor and the least fake-tasting to me when I used to buy them.
i’ve never been one for any kind of chocolate cakes. so why do i suddenly crave one really bad?
what i love about your blog is that besides all the fine dining, gorgeous travels, and exquisite craftsmanship in your garment designs, you still love your popeyes chicken and $2 cake mixes! i don’t know what i’d do without your posts. i look forward to them everyday. i haven’t had the balls yet to try ANY of your recipes (even the easy ones) but i think this one may be my gateway luxirare drug.
you are amazing as always!
~ichiban fan!
p.s. what kind of chocolate bars did you use to melt in the middle of the cake?
In reference to the question asked about Luxirare’s finances, it is not clear whether she has a job or not; nor is it anyone’s business than her own. But it is clear that she designs, creates sells her own designs and she also sells many of her vintage shoes and bags. These often sell out very fast and her own designs aren’t cheap. Therefore via some small research of her website it is quite obvious how she funds some of her projects and expensive taste.
Hi…you probably have already thought of this but……..you may want to check the metal/material content in the IKEA children’s toy pan. Since it is for play versus cooking use, it may contain something harmful that will leech into your food. We don’t want you to harm those super creative brain cells!!!!
@carol
The material is cook/oven safe.
hi Luxirare!
Great post; a careful mixture of simplicity, deliciousness, and creativity. Love it, as always.
I love your blog and read it often. I probably check it 2-3 times a day. So glad that you’ve been updating more often these past few months!
I have a request (or possibly a challenge?) Do you think you could cook up a recipe…anything… with the spice nutmeg? I love it, and I’d love to see what creative thing you could come up with! If you hate nutmeg, I totally understand, and you can totally ignore this request. (Though, I’ll be honest, if you hate nutmeg, there is no chance we can ever be friends.)
AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It seems that there are a lot of teens reading this post!
If you’ve read luxirare’s older posts or even visited her E-shop, you can notice a bit of information about her supportive parents. Luxirare shopped Pradas and Guccis since she was in high school. Her E-shop has many high-end items and you can add their before-use price up with rent, occasional Moet & Chandons, dog food, monthly visits to the vet, groceries, etc. Check out her clutch and I don’t remember… was it Benz? Does she show her car key?
There’s nothing wrong with being lucky and wealthy; Luxirare seems to be using her assets more creatively and productively than many 20s who shop at Coach. (Personally, I never shopped and assume never will at Coach unless there’s a revolution.)
…and Louis Vuitton.
I just realized n and y also show the lack of financial education in school; they both have no idea!
Wealth doesn’t necessarily give you taste. Some even with the given opportunity/lavish spending do not develop a certain level of taste even in “old age”, while some do without wealthy parents.
Luxirare definitely deserves credit; think about her passion and effort of making all kinds of those Luxirare labels and packages.
If you’re reading my comments Luxirare, how about adding a link directly to the main page to the huge Luxirare logo on top? Perhaps it’s because I don’t visit here often, but I have clicked at the logo on top after reading a post forgetting that there’s no hyperlink.
It’ll be more convenient to click once on the logo than to click the address bar and type to the main luxirare.com page.
@ ‘C’: try hitting the ‘back’ button on your browser.
I’ve done one of these before. SO EASY AND YUMMY! Love your posts and have you bookmarked!
xx
Wow, I’ve been reading these comments and I’m speechless*.
I don’t like chocolate cake but I know people who do passionately… So I might try this one day. As for finances, there are so many ways to acquire luxury items. Some of them are out of hand, but some of them are more accessible than one could think.
*not so speechless after all
oh god, this looks so yummy
That looks devilishly delicious!
Shoot. Now I’ll be stealing my daughters’ Ikea pots and pans. They’ll be pissed.
Can’t wait to try this!! I’d love more posts on how to make basic things extra special!!
you can bake in those pans? everytime i go to IKEA, i look at those pans, but i hesitate to buy them because i’m not sure if you can bake in them!
Amanda
softandstiffpeaks.blogspot.com
way to miss the point, guys! this cake cost a few dollars to make.. and you want to know how luxirare affords her lifestyle? get a life buddy!
I have a question about the espresso powder. You said you used it to make the cake taste extra chocolate-y. I’m wondering if it has any of that espresso/coffee taste in it as well. I want to make this for my dad, but he doesn’t like coffee in the slightest.
Tried this as a bundt cake and used dark chocolate chips. Beautiful!
Actually tried this with yellow cake. I bought it by mistake. Used dark chocolate Lindt balls for center. Baked in bundt pan. Delicious and MOIST!
I usually add a packet of lemon jello to a yellow cake mix, then cover the cake in glaze made from lemon juice and powdered sugar. But with chocolate in the middle it would be even better.
This was amazing. I used regular brewed coffee instead of espresso powder and baked it in a 9 x 13 pan. It was so good I nearly cried. I’m going to try cupcakes next, and just stick bits of chocolate in the cups and top with cream cheese frosting and strawberries.
Thank you for this, and keep them coming!!!!
omg, this is amazingly good. For some reason my cakes taste good but can never get that super fluffy texture of the boxed cake, so this totally helps.
I used chocolate chips inside, and ate it with whipped cream and rasberry. yummm…
This is almost similar to what Gina of Fitnessista.com posted on her blog. Both are deliciously yummy but this is mouth watering with the moist you can see inside. so yummy!
Thank you! This was absolutely divine! You can doctor up a white cake mix into an amazing coconut cupcake/cake…I substitute 1 1/2 cups of coconut milk for water, add 1 cup finely minced coconut, 2/3 cup oil, 4 eggs and 1 box instant coconut pudding….fill with tart lemon curd…yummm
There could be some thing wrong with your on page links. You should have someone have a look at the site.