Once you learn how to make vanilla cupcakes yourself, you’re all set when it comes to providing an extra special treat for all these occasions (and, yes, just because you’re craving cake is a ...

Rather than a 9-inch, 2-layer cake for the little birthday boy, with this same recipe, I made a 2-layer, 6-inch cake for him, and used the rest of the batter and frosting for 10 cupcakes.

According to Workman, the publishers of Anne Byrn's "The Cake Mix Doctor" series, 90 percent of home cooks use packaged cake mixes. So this article is for the 10 percent who might actually go ...