The Cake Doctor has a new cookbook and a signing in Memphis
Making show-stopping desserts can be as simple as starting with a box of cake mix. Best-selling author Anne Byrn wants to show you how.
“A New Take on Cake: 175 Beautiful, Doable Cake Mix Recipes for Bundts, Layers, Slabs, Loaves, Cookies, and More!” is Byrn’s latest cookbook on her favorite subject, cake. The book was released Nov. 16, and she will be in Memphis on Saturday for a book signing.
Byrn’s series of “The Cake Doctor” cookbooks debuted two decades ago, and amassed a cult following by delivering exactly what people wanted and needed: a shortcut for delicious and beautiful cakes that appeared to be from scratch and that didn’t take all day to make.
“A New Take on Cake” features 50 modernized classic “The Cake Doctor” recipes and 150 brand-new recipes, featuring simple variations for different diets and using today’s most popular flavors.
With each recipe, Byrn shows you how to create stunning desserts with “from-scratch” flavor.
Whether you are following a glutenfree, sugar-free or plant-based diet, or are just a fan of a good old-fashioned yellow layer cake with chocolate fudge icing, you’ll find a recipe in this book – and won’t have to spend all day making it.
“This book is really different from ‘The Cake Doctor’ books,” said Byrn, explaining she has a new, more modern approach to baking. “Times have changed, and people are baking for different reasons. People are less judgmental about using shortcuts like boxed cake mixes. They really just want to make a beautiful cake.”
Inspired by the shifting landscape of the baking aisle, Byrn has updated the way she bakes, and in her new book, she offers guidance on using natural cake mixes, shifting from butter to olive oil, baking vegan, gluten-free, and low-sugar cakes, and baking smaller babycakes.
“I, like many others, am baking with less sugar and not using as much frosting,” Byrn said. “I also am taking advantage of new ingredients available in the stores to make desserts that are less sugar, vegan or gluten-free.”
Byrn has retooled 50 recipes that were in her original cake books. “A decade ago, cake mixes used to be sold in 18.25-ounce boxes. Now, most boxes are 3 ounces less,” she said. “I redid favorites like the Chocolate Covered Cherry cake and the Better Than Sex cake to work with the smaller cake boxes.”
The 125 all-new recipes show readers how to use new flavors and ways of baking.
Flavor profiles like tahini and blood orange are used while staying true to beloved classics like chocolate and coffee. These are recipes that are sure to please adventurous bakers as well as traditionalists.
Byrn is also redefining how cakes are baked, thinking beyond the traditional 9-inch round cake pan.
“I have recipes for smaller 6-inch cakes, cakes in iron skillets, cakes in springform pans, even cakes in 10-inch
loaf pans,” Byrn said. “I have also included recipes for cake mix cookies and bars.”
For the Thanksgiving holiday, Byrn recommends making a Pumpkin Skillet Crumble. “It has the flavors of pumpkin pie,” she said.
Byrn, who lives in Nashville, will be in Memphis on Nov. 20 for two booking signings. She will be at the Barnes & Noble in Wolfchase Galleria (2774 N. Germantown Parkway) at 11 a.m. and the Barnes & Noble in Collierville (4610 Merchants Park Circle) at 1 p.m.
Jennifer Chandler is the Food & Dining reporter at The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jennifer.chandler@commercialappeal.com and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @cookwjennifer.
From “A New Take on Cake: 175 Beautiful, Doable Cake Mix Recipes for Bundts, Layers, Slabs, Loaves, Cookies, and More!”
Serves 12
The original version of this recipe has been a favorite for 20 years. It’s a nice change from pumpkin pie, plus it’s portable, and so easy. All that is still true with this new recipe. But now the crust is crispier, the crumble more decadent, and the pumpkin filling creamier.
1 (15.25-ounce) package yellow or butter cake mix
1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
1⁄2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
3 large eggs
1 (15-ounce) can unsweetened pumpkin puree
1 (5-ounce) can evaporated milk
1⁄2 teaspoon maple extract (optional)
Sweetened whipped cream
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. For the crumble, place 1 cup of the cake mix in a food processor or a large mixing bowl. Add 2⁄3 cup of the brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon, and 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of the chilled butter. Pulse or beat until the mixture comes together into a ball, 1 to 2 minutes. Fold in the pecans. Remove to a medium bowl and set the crumble aside.
3. For the crust, place the remaining cake mix in the food processor or mixing bowl — no need to wash it — and add 1⁄2 teaspoon of the cinnamon, the remaining 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, and 1 of the eggs. Pulse or beat until the mixture is smooth, about 1 minute. It should have the consistency of thick frosting. Using a metal icing spatula, spread this crust mixture into the bottom and 1⁄2 inch up the sides of a 12-inch cast-iron skillet. Set aside.
4. For the filling, place the pumpkin, evaporated milk, maple extract (if using) and the remaining 2 eggs, 1⁄3 cup brown sugar, and 1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon in the food processor or mixing bowl. Pulse or beat until smooth, about 30 seconds. Pour the filling into the crust. With your fingers, break the crumble into pieces and scatter it over the pumpkin filling, nearly covering the top.
5. Place the skillet in the oven and bake until golden brown and it jiggles slightly when you shake the pan, 45 to 50 minutes.
6. Serve warm with whipped cream. Remove leftover cake from the skillet and store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can reheat the cake in a metal pie or cake pan in a 300°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes.