ALL food should be good food!
It’s Earth Week and today is Earth Day, so I’m celebrating by baking a cake. We Bailey’s have a sweet tooth and I’m certain it’s been genetically passed on to my son. I digress for a moment to prove this to you. Over the weekend, while dining at Olive Garden, my son proceeded to grab one of the chocolate mints off of the check tray, open it with a defiant, try and stop me look, and then eat it (all while I’m calmly asking him to please give me the chocolate). He then contentedly smiled, said “mmmm” and signed “more.” My almost two year old toddler, has never had candy before. The fact that he knew what was in that green foil wrapper PROVES to me that his sweet tooth is genetic.
Back to the subject on hand…I find baking to be an enjoyable, relaxing activity. And oh how Martha Stewartish I try to be with my homemade cookies, scones, and cakes. There are two different ways to bake…from scratch and from a box. As a busy, working mom, I don’t have a lot of time these days to bake from scratch. And those boxed cake mixes are so quick and easy that it’s tempting not to want to use them all of the time. Unfortunately, many of the boxed cakes and cans of frosting contain artificial, unhealthy ingredients like trans fats and hydrogenated oils (yuk!).
Fortunately, there is a healthier, all-natural way to get the convenience and taste of a homemade cake from a box. A week ago, a box of Naturally Nora cake and frosting mixes arrived at my house. Here is a little more information from the site:
We think that great tasting food should be created in a kitchen, not a laboratory. We pride ourselves on partnering with leading natural ingredient suppliers, use environmentally-friendly packaging, and produce our products in facilities certified to be among the best in the country. This ensures that we provide the highest-quality, all-natural products on the market.
There was no waiting to review these! The first thing I did (which is what I always do) is read the back of the box. It’s become a habit of mine to read nutrition information and the ingredient list before my family consumes anything. The only ingredients you’ll find in the mixes are those you’d find in your own kitchen like flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. The mixes also contain natural flavoring (like vanilla) and natural thickening agents (like guar gum). They are colored with elderberry juice and spinach extract. You won’t find artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, or hydrogenated oils. They mixes are also Kosher and soy/dairy free (before you add the milk of course). Once I was content with what I read on the back of the box, I started by baking the cake according to the directions. The only ingredients I needed to add were eggs, oil, milk, and butter (for the frosting). It mixed quickly, just like conventional boxed cake mixes. Once it was done, I tasted a piece without frosting to be sure I got the full flavor of the cake in the real! It was so rich, moist and the perfect amount of sweetness. I think I was most surprised at how good the frosting is. It’s thick and spreads easily and is sweet…frosting sweet (just the way I like it).While I was making the frosting, my husband came in and started “taste testing” with his finger! He really is the judge of whether a dessert is good or not. I’ve tried to pass off No Fudge Pudge for brownies and he has yet to go for that substitution. He had two pieces before the night was over (frosted of course) which makes them a winner in our household.
Because I like to go off the beaten path, I decided to sub applesauce for my next batch a few days later. According to Nora, you can sub applesauce for oil in the same exact ration (i.e. 1/2 cup applesauce for 1/2 cup oil). Honestly, the only real difference I noticed was that it was a bit lighter. My husband preferred the version with oil (of course!) but I am going to make the applesauce version for my son since it’s a bit healthier. If you’re interested, the site compares their cake mixes with conventional manufacturers.
Naturally Nora All-Natural Baking Mixes are available at select retailers near you although there are no physical stores in California yet so I must get my sweet cravings satisfied via Amazon! You can buy in bulk, which makes each box approximately $3.69. The price isn’t much more than conventional cake mixes.
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I have seen these and I am dying to try them! I would make them with applesauce too!!! Thanks for the review. I’ll keep my eye open for these!
Leslie