A revolution in baking mixes! I finally tried the Love Goddess cake mix from Vosges Haut-Chocolat. This is no Betty Crocker cake.
Since I went all out with the Triple Pink Cupcakes for Mini Whipped’s toddler birthday bash, I decided to take a shortcut for her family gathering a few days later. I must admit that I have a Duncan Hines marble cake mix in my cupboard. It was the cake of choice for our childhood birthdays and it still tastes good to me due to the heavy helping of nostalgia I gulp down with each bite. But, I have been meaning to try the new Vosges Haut-Chocolat Love Goddess Cake from Katrina’s line of luxury baking mixes and I decided this was the perfect opportunity.
I like to keep a rule of full disclosure on Whipped so that you never stop trusting me or my opinions on products I recommend. You may have noticed the Vosges Haut-Chocolat ad on the right side of my blog. I have worked with Katrina at Vosges Haut-Chocolat for many years and I actually help manage many of their marketing programs. So, I am a little partial and love to support them:) However, I would not post about any of my clients’ products if I did not truly feel you would love them! And, lucky for me, Katrina is a client but also a friend and a creative genius who makes a darn good chocolate cake.
The Love Goddess Cake Mix is much more expensive than most grocery store mixes at $12 a box but you will taste the difference. As I opened the pouch of cocoa included, an earthy smell of cacao filled the kitchen. Instructions are a bit more complicated than adding a few eggs and water but not too hard for a beginning baker to follow. I have two favorite things about this cake:
1. The suggested whipped cream frosting. It is VERY forgiving. The most time consuming part of a layer cake is usually the assembly and frosting. Sometimes I am a glutton for the tedious task. The whipped cream frosting is so easy to manage that I didn’t level the cakes at all. I just spread the whipped cream between layers and all over the top and sides and it looked amazing! (I tinted my cream pink to please the birthday girl.)
2. This cake is BETTER if you make it ahead. Ever seen how whipped cream gets a little watery if you leave it in the fridge overnight? Well, that liquid soaks into the cake while the outside sets beautifully. Make this cake the night before your party and put it in the fridge. Buy one organic rose, pluck off all the petals and sprinkle them on top before putting this beauty on display.
If you are a novice baker or a pro without much time, I would highly suggest keeping a few of these cake mixes in your pantry. As always, it is up to you whether or not you choose to reveal that you started with a “box.” With this mix, your guests will not suspect it!