Make-Bake-Decorate Series

MAKE.

It's the moment you all have been waiting for - the first post in the step-by-step process of making my mom's birthday cake. I know some of the details are a bit, say, elementary, but have you ever really taken pictures of your process? It's actually really fun. Especially if you have a photographer boyfriend. ;)

Today's post is all about getting the ingredients ready to make a cake from a mix.

Alright. Let's do this.

All that I needed for this cake was eggs, water, oil and the cake mix. The cake mix was for a white cake, so I needed to separate the eggs. My trusty tool of choice? My own hands.

To do this, simply crack the egg gently. Remove the top portion of the shell, and pour the egg yolk and egg white into your hand. Gently rock the egg yolk back and forth between your hands and let the egg white fall into a small bowl.

It helps to have two bowls when you are doing this - one for the egg white and one for the egg yolk. I like to use my left over yolks in scrambled eggs.

I have never used an egg separator, so I don't know how this process compares, but it works the best for me. A little messy, yes, but it works.


Next, I mix the oil and water together. Just measure and pour.

I mix the water and oil together in a separate bowl from the eggs. This is just a precaution - if I make a mistake, it's easier to start over with fewer mixed ingredients.

Call me silly, but I like watching the oil and water separate in the bowl.

Then, I add the eggs and the cake mix.

I usually use a white cake mix. It's my personal favorite flavor of cake.

Referring back to my post on mixing cakes, I used an electric hand mixer for this one. It's up to you. I mix it for 2 minutes to add air to the batter to make the cake fluffy. Skip this step once, and you won't make the same mistake again.

I can tell the difference between a cake batter with air and cake batter without. It's subtle, but it's a detail you don't want to skip.

Alright, there you have it. My process for making a cake. Next up is baking, and it's a hot little post you won't want to miss!