Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Cheap and Easy(Bake)

Did you have an Easy-Bake Oven when you were little?  I had this one:


I'm quite sure it must have come from a garage sale or something because a) I'm not that old (this appears to be the original 1963 version) and b) it would be extremely rare for me to have any kind of "in" toy otherwise (no Baby Alive or Rub a Dub Dolly for me).

Oh my goodness, I found the Rub a Dub Dolly commercial on YouTube!  Tugboat shower!



Anyway, back to the Easy-Bake...we got one for Pinkerbelle for Christmas a couple of years ago, and only then did I realize the ridiculous prices on the baking mixes (which is probably why I don't remember using my Easy-Bake Oven very often).

Not to be deterred, I got online and found instructions for using regular cake mix.  For one of the little round cake pans:
3 Tbsp cake mix, any flavor
1 Tbsp milk

1. Spray pan with baking spray
2. Combine cake mix and milk until smooth; pour into pan.
3. Bake in preheated Easy-Bake Oven for 15 minutes.

We've been using the same box of cake mix ever since we got the oven (I know, I know, but I do reseal the bag with a clip, and besides I figure it's so preserved it's like a Twinkie and never spoils).  I printed out those instructions and taped them to the box.

Now, whenever the stars align and Pinkerbelle's desire to use her oven coincides with my willingness to put up with a little mess, we have the mix ready to go in the pantry.


9 comments:

Amanda @ Serenity Now said...

So cute!! I know my oldest would flip for one of those. Do you think a 5 year old could handle that with supervision?? She'll turn 5 in December, and that might be a fun gift....

the thrifty ba said...

i always wanted and easy bake...my best friend had the holly hobby one and we stuck a plastic toy in it and almost burned down the house. maybe my folks/santa were smart not getting me one.

Melissa said...

I always wanted an EasyBake Oven but didn't have one. My mom bought one for me when I was about 35 years old, just so she could say that she'd given me what I always wanted. (sigh ... Family issues? Nah ....)

Using a portion of cake mix sounds like a great idea. I've seen the EB mixes in the store and they're insanely expensive. :)

Melinda said...

How fun for Pinkerbelle!
Smart to find how to use a regular cake mix!

Sounds like yummy fun.

Melinda

Anna said...

thank you for sharing your thrifty ideas again. My daughter got one for Christmas 2 years ago and we've only used it twice, really for the same reason that the mixes are so expensive!

Wendy @ Ramblings from the Sunshine State said...

Thanks! I hate buying those mixes.

And wow at that commercial! I cant imagine little girls being shot in a commercial like that these days.

Barbara said...

I sooo wanted an Easy Bake Oven, but never got one and unfortunately I am old enough to have owned to "vintage" model. LOL! But I do remember having a "Besty-Wetsy" doll. I'm off to You-tube to see if I can find a commercial for that.
:-)

Kim said...

Well I AM that old and I'm pretty sure mine was even that same color. LOL
I don't remember using it all that much (you're probably right about the high cost of the mixes) but it was fun just having it as part of my play kitchen.
How fun for your daughter!

Bring Pretty Back said...

I loved my easy bake oven! I know ! Aren't the mixes outrageously priced! I also had a baby alive! Thanks for bringing back mamories!