5 Ways With Vanilla Cake Mix (Part 1) - Plum sponge pudding, Banana choc pops, Cute cupcakes

Use your favorite packet mix to create these fabulous sweet treats!

Plum sponge pudding

Serves 8 – 10 min

Prep 15 min

Cook 30 min

Ingredients

·           Dark plums, 825g can, drained, ¾ cup syrup reserved

·           Custard powder, 2 tablespoons

·           Butter cake mix, 340g packet

·           Ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoons

·           Desiccated coconut, 1 cup

·           Icing sugar, for dusting

·           Custard or ice-cream, to serve

Directions

1. Preheat oven to moderate, 180⁰C. Lightly grease an 18cm x 28cm ceramic baking dish.
2. Remove seeds from plums and discard. Arrange plums in dish and pour reserved syrup over. Sift custard powder over.
3. Sift cake mix and cinnamon into a bowl. Prepare cake following packet instructions. Fold coconut through. Spoon evenly over fruit.
4. Bake 25 – 30 minutes. Dust with icing sugar and serve hot with custard or ice-cream.

Plum sponge pudding

Banana choc pops

Makes 28 min

Prep 45 min (plus freezing)

Cook 50 min

Ingredients

·           Butter cake mix, 340g packet

·           Banana, mashed, ½ cup

·           Dark chocolate, 100g, finely chopped, plus 200g extra

·           Vanilla frosting, ¼ cup

·           Wooden paddle pop sticks, 28

·           Desiccated coconut, 1 cup

Directions

1. Preheat oven to moderate, 180⁰C. Lightly grease and line a 20cm round cake pan with baking paper.
2. Prepare cake following packet instructions. Add banana and mix well. Spoon into pan. Bake 45 – 50 minutes, until cooked when tested. Cool in pan 5 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely.
3. Trim cake edges. Crumble cake into fine crumbs into a bowl. Add chocolate and frosting, mixing well. Roll mixture into walnut-sized balls. Arrange on tray and freeze 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, melt 50g extra chocolate. Dip the tip (about 1cm) of each wooden stick into chocolate and insert in a ball. Repeat. Freeze for further 30 minutes.
5. Melt remaining extra chocolate and pour into a mug for easy dipping. Dip each pop into chocolate, allowing excess to drip off. Insert each stick into a piece of Styrofoam, or place in a glass. Set aside 10 – 15 minutes, until almost set, then dip one side of each pop into coconut. Chill until firm, then store in an airtight container in the fridge until required.

Banana choc pops

Cute cupcakes

Makes 12 min

Prep 25 min

Cook 20 min

Ingredients

·           Paper patty case, 12

·           Butter cake mix with icing, 340g packet

·           Silver cachous, edible icing flowers, to decorate

Directions

1. Preheat oven to moderate, 180⁰C. line a 12-hole muffin pan with paper patty cases
2. Prepare cake following packet instructions. Spoon into case until two-thirds full.
3. Bake 15 – 20 minutes, until lightly golden and cooked when tested. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely
4. Prepare icing following packet instructions. Make butterfly cakes (see tip) and decorate cupcakes with icing, silver cachous and edible icing flowers.

Cute cupcakes

Top tips

• Cupcakes are cooked when a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean and dry.
• To make butterfly cakes, use the tips of a knife to cut a deep circle from the top of each cake and reserve. Spoon whipped thickened cream into each recess. Cut cake circle in halves and place in cream to resemble wings. Dust with icing sugar to serve.