3-2-1 Cake Mix, Ways to use it and gift it!

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     Last year, in our Women's Group at church, we did classes on making your own mixes and pantry staples.  We put together a cookbook for our group and had tasting and samples.  
      One of my favorite recipes that we used came from my friend, Vayna.  It is this 3-2-1 cake mix.  this mix is so simple and versatile and perfect for those times when you want a piece of cake, but you don't want to bake an entire cake!  It is also perfect for empty nesters, or small families or people living on their own.  It is a quick dessert for when you need just a little something sweet.  You can make it in any flavor and you can add in extra stir-ins like chocolate or fruit, and top it will all sorts of toppings!  I enjoyed this mix so much, I decided to gift it this year at Christmas!  Click the read more button and I will share Vayna's recipe with you and tell you all about how to gift it and ways to eat it to make it even more special! 

     The reason this mix works is mostly due to the angel food cake mix that you put in it.  Angel food cake is mostly dry egg whites, and that is what give this cake its rise.  The other cake mix is mainly for flavor.  
   When Vayna introduced us to this cake, she had vanilla flavor which she served to us with strawberries and ice cream.  It was delicious!  Vanilla cake is also versatile because you can add any fruit that you would like on top, or add fruit or chocolate or swirls of jam to it and it will be so good! Anyone making individual mug cakes will be able to personalize their cake to their own taste.  So, a white or yellow cake mix is a great choice for 3-2-1 mix. 

      Then, I decided to make a chocolate version and it turned out amazing.  To the chocolate cake mix, when I make it, I love adding chocolate chips or Hershey Kisses for that extra molten chocolate bite in the center.  Then, you could simply dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar, or add whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream!  A little chocolate sauce over it all would be extra decadent!  
       

Mix the mix in a large mug. I like a large mug that will leave room for toppings and also won't spill over in the microwave.

Here it is after one minute in the microwave.

You can be minimalistic and simply sprinkle on powdered sugar.

...Or, go a step further and add whipped topping!

     The recipe couldn't be easier for this mix.  Here is a printable version, just click it for the pdf.
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     I decided that a quart jar of this mix would make great gifts for the little families of my children and some of my friends.  I made them the chocolate version with a couple of Tablespoons of extra cocoa added to the mix to boost up that chocolate flavor.  I filled up quart jars and tied on those cute wooden spoons with baker's twine.  I added label directions on the lid.  I think that they came out pretty cute.  I'll give you the printable for the label below.  

Other ways to gift this mix: 

     *If you don't want to use quart jars, there are other ways to present the 3-2-1 Cake Mix as a gift.  
A couple of my gifts needed to be mailed, so I didn't want to send a glass container.  Instead I used a tall plastic storage container with a screw on lid, similar to these.  I still attached the spoon and the label. 

     *You could put a couple of servings worth of the mix in  a bag, tied with a bow and the recipe to a nice new microwave safe mug!  

     *Give the mix, plus some toppings, like whipped cream, sprinkles, chocolate chips, kisses, fruit, chocolate syrup.  So many options!  

     *Be sure to include the recipe card, or the label like the one below! click on the picture for the pdf. 
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Cute spoons I used with my mixes.