The Ancient Mixer

Many people wonder why I don't cook or bake more often. Well, since my family consists of my husband and myself, and our schedules are completely different, I don't cook large meals during the week. I do however, love to bake no matter what day of the week it is. Lately, I haven't been making many cakes or recipes that require a mixer. Why? Well, my mixer is very old. I mean, from the 70's old. It still works, but it sits in an upper cabinet out of sight. It's a hassle to drag it down and plug it in.

I admit, I am jealous of all those people who have the shiny, new KitchenAid mixers. Heck, I would even settle for a nice hand mixer! No, I am stuck with this lovely contraption.






It does the job. Even today, when I decided I would make a lovely chocolate pound cake for company. So, I dragged down the ancient mixer, cleaned it off, plugged it in and went to town. The results were worth it.

A Lighter Chocolate Pound Cake

Chocolate from the Cake Mix Doctor

Vegetable oil spray for misting the pan
Flour for dusting the pan
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain devil's food cake mix
1 package (3.9 ounces) chocolate instant pudding mix
1 cup vanilla low-fat yogurt
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly mist a 12-cup Bundt pan with vegetable oil spray, then dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour. Set the pan aside.

2. Place all the remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. The batter should look thick and well combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it out with the rubber spatula. Place the pan in the oven.

3. Bake the cake until it springs back when lightly pressed with your finger, 48 to 52 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes. Run a long, sharp knife around the edge of the cake and invert it onto a rack to cool completely, 20 minutes more.

4. Slide the cake onto a serving platter and slice. Serve with toppings, if desired.