Things You\’ll Need

• Canned frosting

• Glass measuring cup

• Small saucepan

• Spoon

• Microwaveable bowl

• Waxed paper

• Milk or water

• Icing knife

Drizzling thinned frosting on cakes produces a light, lacy effect. Image Credit: Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images

Standard cake icings are made with a combination of butter, powdered sugar, milk and flavorings. Called buttercream frostings, their flavors and colors can be changed with different extracts and artificial food coloring. Buttercream icings are also available premade and are generally sold in small resealable tubs in the baking section of the grocery store. Like homemade frosting, canned icing can be thinned to produce a glaze that can be spread more thinly or drizzled on cakes and other desserts. The glaze takes on a less fluffy consistency and produces a shinier icing that lends itself well to decorating with candies, nuts and small fruit.

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Stove-top Instructions

Step 1

Remove the lid and inner liner from the can of frosting and spoon the contents out into a small saucepan.

Step 2

Place the saucepan over low to medium heat and stir the frosting until it starts to thin, which should take about 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 3

Test for thinness by drizzling a small amount of the frosting off the end of a spoon onto waxed paper or a small dish.

Step 4

Add milk 1 drop at a time while stirring if the frosting still does not drizzle properly and repeat the waxed paper test.

Step 5

Remove the pan from the heat when the icing reaches the desired consistency and drizzle the icing immediately on the cooled cake, cookies or pastry.

Microwave Instructions

Step 1

Line the bottom of the microwave or turntable with a paper towel and remove the lid and inner liner from the container of frosting.

Step 2

Spoon about 1/3 cup of frosting into a microwaveable bowl and heat on "High" for 5 to 10 seconds. Increase the heating time to 10 to 20 seconds to microwave 2/3 cup of frosting.

Step 3

Stir the frosting and drizzle over the cake or pastry.

Tip

If adding food coloring to canned frosting before thinning, it's best to use the gel form of coloring sold in tubes, as liquid coloring may thin the frosting too much.

Warning

If heating the opened frosting can in a microwave, be sure it is microwave-safe and that there are no metal parts, such as aluminum foil from an inner seal, left on the rim. Microwaving aluminum foil creates flashing and may start a fire.

Use canned frostings labeled as "rich and creamy," and avoid any labeled "whipped."

Canned frosting thinned in a microwave may be too thin and sink into the surface of the cake after 24 hours if it is spread too thinly. Refrigerating the cake may prevent his by hardening the glaze more quickly.

You may love the taste of homemade cake, but boxed cake mix is just so convenient. Using a mix doesn't mean your cake is destined to be dry or flavorless. Think of a store-bought mix as a basic starting point, or a culinary blank canvas. Then get experimenting — your kitchen probably already holds the ingredients you need to take your cake to the next delicious level.

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1. Swap Oil for Melted Butter

Is there anything that melted butter can't improve? Yeah, that's a no. Butter gives dry cake mix that homemade, straight-from-Grandma's-kitchen flavor. So leave oil out of the recipe and use melted butter instead. The swap shouldn't change the cake's texture much but will improve its taste.

2. Add Buttermilk

Buttermilk adds a creamy tang to a basic boxed cake mix. Bring that complexity to your dessert by using buttermilk in place of all or some of the water. If you don't have buttermilk on hand, make a substitute by combining a spoonful of lemon juice with a cup of milk. Let the mixture sit for five minutes before measuring out what you need for your cake mix.

3. Stir in Pudding Powder

Boxed mixes tend to produce cakes that are almost too light and airy. To give your cake a denser texture, try adding a packet of instant pudding mix to the cake. No need to follow the directions on the pudding package. Just add the powder right into the cake mix before adding wet ingredients.

4. Add Extra Egg Yolk

Egg yolks add creamy fat to your cake mix. It's no wonder they make such a delicious addition. Add two extra yolks to the mix to get optimal results. This tweak yields a cake that's moist and rich.

5. Use Hot Water

When the back of the box calls for water, you probably fill the measuring cup from the tap without thinking much about temperature. But using hot water is best, especially if you're making a chocolate cake. The heat will bloom any cocoa powder in the mix, intensifying the chocolate flavor.

6. Swap Coffee for Water

Craving mocha cake? Use hot coffee instead of water when making chocolate cake from a mix. The finished cake should have a distinctive mocha flavor. Another option: Make instant espresso and add the hot espresso to give the cake an even more intense coffee flavor.

7. Use Soda

Want to simplify your life? Forget measuring out oil and cracking eggs. One of the absolute simplest ways to prep a boxed cake mix is to use just two ingredients — the mix and a can of soda. Experiment with different combinations, like cherry cola with chocolate cake or lemon-lime soda with vanilla.

8. Or Sub Milk for Water

No buttermilk, soda or coffee available? You can still do better than adding plain water to your cake mix. Swap in your favorite kind of milk to give the cake a little creaminess. The higher the fat content of your milk, the richer the finished cake will be. You might even try using chocolate milk!

9. Experiment With Mayonnaise

Okay, hear us out: Mayonnaise may actually be the perfect complement to your boxed mix. It should make your cake incredibly moist and tender, but no one will be able to taste the secret ingredient. If it's your first time adding mayo to the mix, start with just one big spoonful; if you like the results, try adding a little more the next time you make a cake.

10. Layer, Layer, Layer

Take your cake to another level (literally) by adding layers! Simply bake two or three box mix cakes in round or square pans, then stack them with a layer of sweet frosting in between each layer of moist cake for a more professional look and taste. More layers equals more frosting, which equals more deliciousness.

Things You\’ll Need

• 2 9-inch store-bought pie crusts or pie dough

• 4-inch cookie cutter or cup

• Muffin tin

• Cooking spray

• Parchment paper

• Dried beans or rice

• Fork

You can turn any pie dough into a miniature treat. Image Credit: Push/Digital Vision/Getty Images

Make miniature pies for a whimsical take on a favorite dessert. You don't need any special equipment, just your favorite pie crust and a muffin tin. Make pies bite-sized by using a miniature muffin tin, all you need to do is adjust the baking time. Before you add your filling, bake the pie shells for a few minutes to ensure that your miniature crusts keep their shape. This process, known as blind baking, prevents the crust from becoming soggy from wet fillings. It's also used for fillings that don't require baking, like custards and cream pies.

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Step 1

Roll out the pie dough as you would normally, whether you're making it from scratch or using store-bought crusts.

Step 2

Cut circles from the pie crust using a 4-inch round cookie cutter or cup (For mini muffin tins, use a 3-inch cookie cutter). Two 9-inch crusts should be enough for 12 muffin cups, with some dough leftover.

Step 3

Coat the muffin tin liberally with nonstick cooking spray.

Step 4

Press each pie crust circle into a muffin tin cup. Place the muffin pan in a refrigerator, and allow the crusts to cool for five to 10 minutes. Allowing the crusts to cool will help them keep their shape while they're baking.

Step 5

Cut out 4-inch squares of parchment paper and press them into the pie crusts. Fill each muffin cup with dried beans or uncooked rice. Push the beans or rice right up against the parchment paper to prevent the sides from collapsing.

Step 6

Bake the miniature crusts at 425 degrees F for six minutes. Remove the beans and parchment paper and lightly puncture the bottom of the crust with a fork to allow steam to escape.

Step 7

If the pie filling must be cooked, bake the crusts for an additional minute. Scoop the filling into the crusts and bake them according to recipe directions. If you're not baking the filling, bake the empty crusts for an additional three to four minutes, or until the crusts are lightly golden brown.

Step 8

Allow the crusts to cool completely before removing them from the muffin tin to prevent breaking. If you're having difficulty removing the crusts, run a butter knife around the edge of the crust to loosen it from the pan.

Most fruit pies freeze well, even if they\’re made with previously frozen fruit. Image Credit: Alexandra Grablewski/Lifesize/Getty Images

Fresh-baked pies are a welcome complement to any meal, but getting them to the table can be time-consuming. Before the finished pie can go into your oven the pastry must be made, rolled and cut, and the filling must be both prepared and — often — cooled. Preparing several pies at once and freezing them for later use is one way to simplify the process. Pies can be frozen either baked or unbaked, even if you're working with previously-frozen fruit.

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Re-Freezing Ingredients

Many cooks and bakers are reluctant to re-freeze ingredients that have previously been frozen and thawed. There are two primary reasons for this. One is that freezing and re-thawing creates the possibility of microbial activity, and with it the risk of foodborne illness. A second is that repeated freezing and thawing cycles can cause food's texture to deteriorate. Food safety is seldom a concern in the case of pies made with frozen fruit, because any molds or bacteria are subsequently killed by the baking process. Texture is a non-issue as well, because baking the fruit has a larger impact that re-freezing.

Baking with Frozen Fruit

When fruit is frozen the water contained within its cells expands, rupturing some of the cell walls. When the fruit is thawed juices escape from these damaged cells, making frozen fruit juicer than fresh. Bakers must compensate for that by either draining and concentrating the juices, or by thickening them with starches such as cornstarch or flour. Cooked fillings made with frozen berries are more problematic, because cornstarch and flour release some of the moisture from the pie filling after they're frozen and thawed. Tapioca starch and commercial gelling products are more suitable choices for those pies, and can be ordered from baking supply shops or online vendors.

Freezing Baked Pies

Remove your pies from the oven, and let them cool completely before you freeze them. To avoid condensation, they should be frozen uncovered or loosely covered, then bagged or wrapped individually once they're fully frozen. You can remove the frozen pies from their pans if you wish, or leave them in the pan to protect them from accidental damage. A pie that's well-wrapped in airtight packaging should retain its flavor and quality for four to six months in your freezer. To reheat a pie, return it to its pan and let it stand for one hour at room temperature. Bake it at 350 or 375 degrees Fahrenheit until fully heated and bubbling, usually 35 to 50 minutes.

Freezing Baked vs. Unbaked Pies

Whether you choose to freeze your fruit pies baked or unbaked is largely a matter of personal preference. Fruit pies frozen unbaked have a fresher fruit flavor than fully-baked pies, which after reheating leave the fruit tasting thoroughly cooked. On the other hand, fruit fillings often have time to soak into the bottom crust before an unbaked pie is fully frozen. When baked, those pies will have a soggy, doughy crust. Fully baked pies are less likely to be soggy, because the crust is fully cooked and the filling fully thickened before they go into the freezer.