The new Betty Crocker GF desserts

[rpf1007]

A co-worker knew I was looking for them and found them for me at a store in the south suburbs of Chicago. She bought a couple of cake mixes and a cookie mix and I think they were $3.69 each. That seems like it is about the same as the regular mixes.
_________________
Rachel

[kb9oyo]

Rachel: Where in the Chicago suburbs??? I live in Western Springs and I haven't yet spotted them. Jewel tells me it takes months before they get new products in I try to check each of the different stores that I have to shop in to find the various gf stuff that I need.

Sue B.
_________________
Sue Beyer

[ostrich]

The mixes have finally arrived! DH picked up the yellow and chocolate cake mixes (the brownies and cookies were sold out). For the record, 1 box of their cake mix costs $4 and makes one round layer of cake. 1 bag of GF Namaste cake mix costs $6 and makes the same amount. So they are slightly cheaper. I'll let you know how they turn out.
_________________
Ostrich :>--O==={

Time falls away, but these small hours
These little wonders still remain

[rpf1007]

[cruelshoes]

I found all 4 flavors in the local Albertson's store today. I bought one of each, at the full price of $4.29. I better be able to see the future and read minds after making these.
_________________
-Colleen

Where are we going, and what am I doing in this handcart?

[celiacmaine-iac]

OK Colleen. It's official now! I am definitely more of a cheapskate than you. No way am I paying that for a 1 layer cake! I hope they are everything you want them to be!
_________________
Steph

[cultureslayer]

[cruelshoes]

I stuffed my cheapskate tendencies just this once to further the celiac cause. Hopefully if many people buy them, they will continue to be offered, and maybe go on sale or be offered with coupons in the future.

I made the brownies last night. They are good, but I don't think they are better than what I can make from scratch or from another mix that would cost less. I think the TJ's brownies are just as good and are less expensive. I defintely would not make these a regular purchase at $4.29. We just cannot afford that. I think we will try the yellow cake next, as that is what I am most picky about. Still, I can't see myself spending over $8 to make a 2 layer cake. It's nice that they will be widely available for family to buy when they are having us over, though.

They didn't give me the ability to levitate furniture or bend spoons either.
_________________
-Colleen

Where are we going, and what am I doing in this handcart?

[ostrich]

Colleen - But if you don't have a Trader Joe's (like me) and want a mix, this seems to be your cheapest option. And I agree: perhaps if enough people buy it they'll lower the price. Or perhaps this price is just a feeler.

If I'm not too busy tonight I'll make the yellow cake as well, though I'll probably turn it into cupcakes. Also, does anybody else think 1 stick of butter per mix is a little excessive?
_________________
Ostrich :>--O==={

Time falls away, but these small hours
These little wonders still remain

[cultureslayer]

[ostrich]

Yup! 1 stick of butter for 1 layer of cake (or 12 cupcakes). I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks that's a bit much. They also appear to cook longer than normal mixes (around 30-40 minutes).
_________________
Ostrich :>--O==={

Time falls away, but these small hours
These little wonders still remain

[cultureslayer]

sorry, but if I'm gonna eat that much fat at once it'd better be a BIG bar of chocolate and not just shoving a whole stick into 12 cupcakes. That sounds like it'd make them greasy and disgusting, honestly. My sensitive stomach could be clouding my judgment though, I just don't eat anything with that much fat it in.
_________________
Lauren
Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional.

[ostrich]

Aaaaaand they're done! In the interest of full disclosure, I did change one thing about the whole process. I creamed the butter, then added the milk, eggs, and vanilla. And then I added the mix. Otherwise I followed the directions to the letter.

First of all, I was rather startled by the mix itself. Not only did it only take up 1/4 - 1/2 of the box, but it was stark, paper white! See:



The mix next to the box. My white mixing spoon is in front. I know the mix is mostly starches, but still. Are NGF yellow cake mixes that white?

Anywho, I mixed the whole thing up and poured it into 12 cupcake holders. They were done in 18 minutes. Fresh from the oven:



From the side. They puffed up pretty high:



I even tasted one before eating anything else so my taste buds would be pristine. Yeah, that's totally the reason. >.>

Pros:
- Stupidly easy to make. The only thing you have to remember is to let the butter soften.
- Texture is soft and spongy, just like any other cupcake.

Cons:
- As others have mentioned, the price. One box of mix is $4 here.
- They're pretty greasy. They left tiny pools of melted butter at the bottom of the cupcake tin. I'm not sure about subbing out with applesauce (I've never had good luck with that). But there's got to be another way to keep the moisture and cut the fat.
- They don't really....taste like anything. The texture is spot-on, but I seem to recall yellow cake having a strong vanilla-y flavor. These tasted like soft, fluffy nothing. Maybe it's just me. I'm curious to hear what other people say about them.

All in all, I won't be buying these again unless they drop the price and fix the flavor. $4 was completely not worth it. Maybe the chocolate ones will turn out better.
_________________
Ostrich :>--O==={

Time falls away, but these small hours
These little wonders still remain

[cardine45]

Os, I don't remember yellow cake tasting like much before I was gf, so I rarely ate it. The devils food cake tasted just like NGF as far as I can remember, and 2 friends tried it and they said the same thing.

The devil's food has the same instructions as far as I can remember, but I didn't think it seemed greasy at all. I thought the amount of butter was a ridiculous amount too. I made a cake out of mine, and I'll try to post some pictures of it tonight. I used a cake pan that was far too big, so it was not a very tall cake.

I'm going to try e-mailing my friend who sent me the mixes to see if I can get some info about the price point. Maybe I can get some insider info

[rpf1007]

I was going to post today about the stick of butter thing...but never got a chance! Any thoughts on amounts to substitute for at least some of that?I have the devil's food, so I might try to make that tomorrow.
_________________
Rachel