My love for baking was born from a humble box of Betty Crocker Super Moist Chocolate Fudge.
I had been attempting to make Giada De Laurentiis’ recipe for a chocolate-raspberry layer cake — my first attempt at baking a cake, period. So instead of starting from scratch, I opted for something that leaned into the shortcuts, unapologetically. Giada called for one 18.25-ounce box of chocolate cake mix, which was blended with raspberry puree, vegetable oil, eggs and a dash of water in a large bowl. Within minutes, the batter was ready, poured between buttered pans and thrown into the oven. The finished dessert was a cake baked to perfection, with nary a crack, dome or sunken center in sight.
