T's French Vanilla Cake (doctored up cake mix) and Chocolate Frosting

French Vanilla Cake or Cupcakes

(I normally do not use or like the taste of any cake from a box but this one cake mix, Signature French Vanilla by Duncan Hines is pretty darn good for a box mix!)

Ingredients:

1 box Duncan Hines Signature French Vanilla

1 cup milk

4 large eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 box vanilla instant pudding

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a deep bowl, add butter and eggs. Beat on medium speed until they are combined. Add the cake mix, pudding mix, milk, vanilla and beat until everything is combined properly. Pour this batter into 2 butter and floured 8” or 9” round cake pans.  Or  use 1 - 9” X 13’ pan or 2 cupcake pans lined with papers. Bake at 350 degrees for about 26- 30 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  A 9” x 13” cake will take longer to bake.

*   For a coconut cake use French Vanilla Cake mix and a box of coconut instant pudding mix - this is yummy too!  Frost it with a cream cheese frosting but only use 4 ounces of cream cheese and then cover the frosted cake with coconut.  You can make a chocolate cake use chocolate cake mix and chocolate instant pudding but I only like chocolate cakes from scratch.

Chocolate Frosting

Ingredients:

1 stick butter, softened

2 ounces or ½ bar of Baker’s Unsweetened Chocolate, melted

1 box powdered sugar

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa

Dash salt

2 tablespoons, approximately Half and half or cream

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon almond extract or use all vanilla

Beat butter and melted chocolate together.  Then add powdered sugar, salt and cocoa and beat well.  Add extracts and then slowly add enough half & half  just until frosting is spreading consistency.