Carrot Cake

Nothing fancy about this recipe. Just the carrot cake recipe I always make. Really, how can you mess up carrot cake - it is moist, simple to make, and covered in that luscious topping called cream cheese frosting. I made this miniature cake for my hubby for his birthday. You see, our birthdays are just 4 days apart so when we gather as an extended family on Sunday to celebrate we get to pick what we want to eat and what kind of cake. I usually don't have an opinion because as long as I don't have to cook it, I don't care what it is :-), so I let him pick. He suggested carrot cake. I shot it down (I know I said I don't usually have an opinion). If there's one thing in this world I couldn't live without it is chocolate. I didn't want a birthday cake made out of vegetables :-). I felt bad, so on the night before his birthday I made him a mini-carrot cake. It was delish, but certainly not chocolate so at least we both got what we wanted!

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups finely shredded carrots
1 cup cooking oil
4 eggs

Grease and lightly flour two 9x1-1/2-inch round baking pans or grease one 13x9x2-inch baking pan; set pan(s) aside.

In a large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add carrots, oil, and eggs. Beat with an electric mixer till combined. Pour batter into the prepared pan(s).

Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 30 to 35 minutes for round pans or 35 to 40 minutes for 13x9-inch pan or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean. Cool layer cakes on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans. Cool thoroughly on wire racks. Or, place 13x9-inch cake in pan on a wire rack; cool thoroughly. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting. Cover and store in refrigerator. Makes 12 to 16 servings.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

2 3-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla
4-1/2 to 4-3/4 cups sifted powdered sugar

Beat together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups of the powdered sugar, beating well. Gradually beat in enough of the remaining powdered sugar to reach spreading consistency.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

For those who don't know, my 2 year old is gluten-intolerant, as is my mom. And since I would prefer that the little girl (currently 5 months) does not end up with the same condition, I myself am not eating gluten while nursing her. That means finding lots of recipes that don't contain gluten (wheat, barley, rye, etc.), which means no wheat flour. I have a neighbor who has celiac disease and she has shared some of her secrets with me, including a great flour substitute. Unfortunately, a lot of gluten free foods have a grainy texture due to the rice flour. I thought there must be some sort of flourless desserts out there, so I headed to Google. I found A LOT of recipes. . . . this is one that I found and then altered to make it my own. It was amazing! Really fudgy and extremely rich. I served it with sweetened whipped cream, and macerated strawberries. It would also be good a la mode. Enjoy!

4 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened)
1/2 cup milk chocolate chocolate chips
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
5 large eggs, separated
3/4 unsweetened cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 375°F and butter an 9-inch round baking pan. Line bottom with a round of wax paper and butter paper.

Chop chocolate into small pieces. In a double boiler or metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water melt chocolate with butter, stirring, until smooth. Remove top of double boiler or bowl from heat and whisk sugar into chocolate mixture. Add eggs yolks and whisk well. Sift cocoa powder over chocolate mixture and whisk until just combined. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form; fold these into chocolate mixture. Pour batter into pan and bake in middle of oven 25 minutes, or until top has formed a thin crust. Cool cake in pan on a rack 5 minutes and invert onto a serving plate.

Dust cake with powdered sugar and serve!

German Chocolate Cake

German Chocolate Cake has always been one of my favorites. I would always request it on my birthday growing up. I haven't had/or made it for years, but my aunt requested it for her birthday cake and I was asked to make it. Now I know why I love it so much......butter. There is so much butter it is frightening, but there is no way around it. My suggestion is just to enjoy every delicious, moist bite!!

1/2 cup water
4 (1 ounce) squares German sweet chocolate
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
2 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease, flour and line 2 - 9 inch round pans with parchment paper or wax paper rounds. Sift the flour, add baking soda and salt to flour. Set aside. In a small saucepan, heat water and 4 ounces chocolate until melted. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
In a large bowl, cream 1 cup butter and 2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in 4 eggs, one at a time. Blend in the melted chocolate mixture and vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture, alternately with the buttermilk, mixing just until incorporated. Do not over mix.

Pour into 2- 9 inch pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto wire rack. Wrap in Saran or other plastic wrap and place in freezer until frozen and ready to fill and frost cake.


Coconut Pecan Filling

4 egg yolks
1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
1-1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter or margarine
1 pkg. (7 oz.) flake coconut, I used sweetened (about 2-2/3 cups)
1-1/2 cups chopped pecans

Beat egg yolks, milk and vanilla in large saucepan with wire whisk until well blended. Add sugar and butter; cook on medium heat 12-15 minutes or until thickened and golden brown, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Add coconut and pecans; mix well. Cool to room temperature before frosting cake.


Chocolate Frosting

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature
1/4 to 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 to 2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2-3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream butter. Stir in cocoa and salt. Add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 1 1/2 cups frosting.

Assembly:

Take cake layers out of freezer.

Place one layer on serving plate.

Top with half of filling.

Lay other layer on top.

Frost sides of cakes with chocolate frosting.

Spread rest of filling on top of cake.

Shred some chocolate on top of cake.

Chocolate Raspberry Torte

I found this recipe looking through a ward cookbook. I am not normally a fan of fruit and chocolate together (I especially don't like orange and chocolate), but for some reason this sounded really good. Maybe it's the pregnant hormones :-)! Turns out, it IS really good! I think it is a great combination and it's not too rich. As you can see in the pictures, I had some issues with the glaze. I figured it would kind of drizzle down the sides of the cake, but it didn't. It ended up just plopping down on the plate. Next time I think I will just keep it on the top! Who cares what it looks like, it tastes great and was really simple to put together!

2 c. sugar
1 3/4 c. flour
3/4 c. cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 c. milk
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. boiling water

Heat oven to 350. Spray three 9" round pans with cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl stir together dry ingredients. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat on medium speed. Slowly stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Divide batter among prepared pans. Bake 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes, remove to wire racks, cool. Layer with raspberry filling.

Raspberry Filling:
1 12 oz. bag frozen raspberries
1 c. whipping cream
2 TBS. sugar

Whip cream with sugar until stiff. Mix in raspberries. Layer cake and filling - cake being last layer. Glaze.

Chocolate Glaze:
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. cocoa
1/4 c. water
2 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

In a small saucepan over low heat melt butter, add cocoa and water stirring constantly until slightly thickened. Remove from heat, add powdered sugar and vanilla beating with a wire whisk until smooth. Add 1/2 tsp. water if needed. Spread glaze over top of torte. Refrigerate until ready to serve and any leftovers.

Flag Cake

I have been making this cake on either the 4th or 24th of July for most of our marriage (10+ years). It is a Barefoot Contessa classic and the first time I made it I had no idea how good it was going to be. Seriously, one of my favorite cakes ever. I love the combination of the moist yellow cake, cream cheese frosting and berries! Not only does it taste good, but it looks so darn festive - almost makes it hard to cut into :-)! I have used both raspberries and strawberries ( just slice the strawberries and lay them flat). I also rarely have blueberries around, so I have actually tinted mini-marshmallows blue (just put some mallows in a plastic bag with a few drops of food coloring and mix it around) or I have tinted a bit of frosting blue and just piped blue stars. There are endless possibilities. This is one tradition that will be around for years to come!

1/2 c. butter, softened
1 ½ c. sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 c. sour cream, at room temperature
1 ½ c. flour
2 ½ TBS. cornstarch
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking soda

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/2 c. butter, at room temperature
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
3-4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

To assemble:
½ pint blueberries
2 pint raspberries

Heat the oven to 350. Butter and flour a 9X13 baking pan. Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer, on high speed until light and fluffy. On medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, then add the sour cream and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and stir until smooth. Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan, smooth the top. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool to room temperature.

For the frosting, combine the butter, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer, mixing just until smooth.

Spread ¾ of the frosting on the top of the cake. Outline the flag on the top of the cake with a toothpick. Fill the upper left corner with blueberries. Place 2 rows of raspberries across the top of the cake, like a red stripe. Put the remaining frosting in a pastry bag fitted with the star tip and pipe two rows of white stripes (or stars) below the raspberries. Alternate rows of raspberries and frosting until the flag is complete. Pipe stars on top of the blueberries.
I store this in the fridge after serving.

Hershey's Chocolate Cake

By far my FAVORITE chocolate cake recipe. Honestly, I don't love the chocolate cake, chocolate frosting combination but this cake always comes out moist and delicious - no matter the topping. If it were up to me I would use my favorite mousse frosting, but it is my brother's birthday and he requested just plain old chocolate frosting. I used the frosting recipe listed below, but I one and one-halved it and it barely made enough to cover the cake. I rarely get fancy with my frosting spreading. I like when it looks swirly, messy and homemade (plus it is easier than trying to make it smooth). We decided to dress it up just a bit with some M&M's! Looks fun, huh? I think he'll like it!

2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

Frost with Perfectly Chocolate Chococlate Frosting.

VARIATIONS:

ONE-PAN CAKE: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350° F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.

THREE LAYER CAKE: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.

BUNDT CAKE: Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost.

CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.

Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Frosting:
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine
2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 SKOR bars, diced, optional

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla and SKOR bar if desired.

Teacup Lemon Cakes (Angie's)

A good friend made these a few weeks ago for a girls lunch we had! They were SO cute and super delicious. We all begged for the recipe and she was happy to oblige. I have not made these myself yet, so no pictures. These sound so easy to make and I can tell you they are delicious. Plus, who doesn't like a special-looking dessert?! She made ours look amazing by slicing a strawberry on top.

Teacups
1 T. Melted Butter
Brush the inside of 6 teacups with butter and sprinkle with sugar
Put 1 slice of lemon in the bottom of each teacup

Cake
1-T. Melted Butter
1-T. Lemon Zest
1-Egg
1-Jiffy 9 oz. yellow cake mix or 1/2 of a regular cake mix
1-8 oz. Sour Cream
Whisk together for 1 minute or until smooth

Scoop batter into cups (about 1/2 full)
Place all teacups in a circle on the turntable of the microwave
Cook on High 4-5 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean

Carefully remove from microwave
Cool for 5 minutes and turn upside down on saucer and tap all sides of the cup to release
Pour glaze over the top and top with favorite fruit

Glaze
2-T. Melted Butter
2-T. Lemon Juice
1/4-cup Sugar
Cook on High 30-60 Seconds in the Microwave

Devil's Food White-Out Cake

Some of the foodie blogs that I follow participate in a weekly baking event called "Tuesdays with Dorie." They all bake the same thing from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours. I saw this recipe and decided to try it out! It's a pretty good combination of dense deep chocolate cake and a fluffy marshmallow frosting. Plus, it is just plain fun to break up a cake layer and use the crumbs!

For the cake
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1/2 cup buttermilk or whole milk, at room temperature
1/2 cup boiling water
4 ounces semisweet or milk chocolate, finely chopped, or 2/3 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips

For the filling and frosting
1/2 cup egg whites (about 4 large)
1 cup sugar
3/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 cup water
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

GETTING READY: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 8-x-2-inch round cake pans, dust the insides with flour, tap out the excess and line the bottoms with parchment or wax paper. Put the pans on a baking sheet. (I used three 9-inch cake pans; I made a 2-layer cake and crumbed the third layer).

TO MAKE THE CAKE: Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add the sugars and continue to beat for another 3 minutes. Add the eggs one by one, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Beat in the vanilla; don't be concerned if the mixture looks curdled. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the melted chocolate. When it is fully incorporated, add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, adding the dry ingredients in 3 additions and the milk in 2 (begin and end with the dry ingredients); scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed and mix only until the ingredients disappear into the batter. At this point, the batter will be thick, like frosting. Still working on low speed, mix in the boiling water, which will thin the batter considerably. Switch to a rubber spatula, scrape down the bowl and stir in the chopped chocolate. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and smooth the tops with the rubber spatula.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pans at the midway point. When fully baked, the cakes will be springy to the touch and a thin knife inserted into the centers will come out clean. Don't worry if the tops have a few small cracks. Transfer the cake pans to a rack and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unmold them and peel off the paper liners. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up. (The cooled cake layers can be wrapped airtight and stored at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to 2 months.)

When you are ready to fill and frost the cake, inspect the layers. If the cakes have crowned, use a long serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion to even them. With the same knife, slice each layer horizontally in half. Set 3 layers aside and crumble the fourth layer; set the crumbs aside.

TO MAKE THE FILLING AND FROSTING: Put the egg whites in a clean, dry mixer bowl or in another large bowl. Have a candy thermometer at hand.

Put the sugar, cream of tartar and water in a small saucepan and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, cover the pan and boil for 3 minutes. Uncover and allow the syrup to boil until it reaches 242 degrees F on the candy thermometer. While the syrup is cooking, start beating the egg whites.

When the syrup is at about 235 degrees F, begin beating the egg whites on medium speed with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer. If the whites form firm, shiny peaks before the syrup reaches temperature, reduce the mixer speed to low and keep mixing the whites until the syrup catches up. With the mixer at medium speed, and standing back slightly, carefully pour in the hot syrup, pouring it between the beater(s) and the side of the bowl. Splatters are inevitable—don't try to scrape them into the whites, just carry on. Add the vanilla extract and keep beating the whites at medium speed until they reach room temperature, about 5 minutes. You should have a smooth, shiny, marshmallowy frosting. Although you could keep it in the fridge in a pinch, it's really better to use it right now.

TO ASSEMBLE THE CAKE: Put a bottom layer cut side up on a cardboard cake round or on a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper. Using a long metal icing spatula, cover the layer generously with frosting. Top with a second layer, cut side up, and frost it. Finish with the third layer, cut side down, and frost the sides and top of the cake. Don't worry about smoothing the frosting—it should be swirly. Now, cover the entire cake with the chocolate cake crumbs, gently pressing the crumbs into the filling with your fingers.

Refrigerate the cake for about 1 hour before serving. (If it's more convenient, you can chill the cake for 8 hours or more; cover it loosely and keep it away from foods with strong odors.)

Better Than . . . Cake

This was Megan's birthday cake request! It is always a favorite and is pretty darn easy to make! I just don't use cake mixes.....don't want any of that stuff in me that I cannot pronounce so I've put a link to a great chocolate cake recipe. Sometimes I will do caramel sauce and hot fudge sauce instead of the sweetened condensed milk. No matter what's in it, it is just moist and delicious! I use a wooden chopstick to poke my holes, or sometimes will use a meat fork!

1 recipe chocolate cake
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 pint Mrs. Richardson's butterscotch caramel fudge topping
½ pint whipping cream
3-4 TBS. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2-3 SKOR brand candy bars, crushed

Remove cake from oven when done. Poke holes randomly into the cake using the a skewer, or large meat fork. Spread the can of sweetened condensed milk over the top of the cake. Spread the butterscotch caramel fudge topping over the sweetened condensed milk. It may take 5-10 minutes for the cake to absorb it all, so just be patient.

Meanwhile, beat the whipping cream with sugar and vanilla until stiff. Stir in half crushed SKOR bars.

When cake has cooled spread the whipping cream over the caramel. Sprinkle with remaining crushed candy bar. Serve immediately. Keep refrigerated.

If making dessert several hours before serving, refrigerate after spreading on the caramel layer. Spread the whipped topping and sprinkle the candy bar on immediately before serving).

Velvet Crumb Cake

This easy cake reminds me of my grandma and cold days. It rained today and just felt like the kind of day for this cake. I always double the frosting (that's the best part, right?)! It's crumbly, but light and delicious!

1 Tablespoon butter
1/2 cup milk
1 cup flour (sifted)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a small saucepan bring milk and butter to a boil. Set aside to cool a bit, while mixing the other ingredients.
In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl beat eggs until thick. Add sugar and vanilla. Stir egg mixture into milk and butter mixture. Slowly add these liquid ingredients to the flour mixture - stirring as mixtures are combined. Beat well.
Pour batter into shortening greased 9" square cake pan. Bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes.

Broiled Topping:
1/2 c. coconut
1/3 c. brown sugar
3 T. margarine, softened
2 T. milk

Spread topping over cake. Set oven control to broil. Broil about 3 inches from heat for about 3 minutes or until golden (watch carefully).

Rocky Road Cake

This is a classic, delicious, easy stand-by dessert! It is one of our family favorites, I mean who doesn't love chocolate and marshmallows? I actually am not a huge fan of chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, but this cake is the exception. I found another version of this cake from Paula Deen, so I am going to include that here as well.

1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. oil (I use canola)
1 c. water
2 c. flour (I use half whole wheat)
1 3/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/4 c. cocoa
2 eggs
1/2 c. buttermilk
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Bring butter, oil, and water to a boil and then allow to cool for 10 minutes. Combine the flour, sugar, salt and cocoa; add the butter mixture. Mix the buttermilk with the baking soda and add to the chocolate mixture along with the eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Pour into a greased 9X13 pan and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Allow cake to cool 20 minutes and then frost.

Frosting: (I like a lot of frosting, so I usually 1 1/2 the recipe)
1/4 c. cocoa
1/3 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. mini-marshmallows (or more)
1/2 c. nuts, chopped (I omit the nuts)
3-3 1/2 c. powdered sugar (enough to make spreading consistency)

Heat cocoa, buttermilk, and butter until the butter is melted. Add powdered sugar and vanilla; mix until a nice spreading consistency. Add marshmallows and nuts.

Mississippi Mud Cake

cake

This recipe is courtesy of Paula Deen. It is very similar to my Rocky Road Cake recipe. I say use either one and you'll be happy, but I put them both here so if you're like me, you can compare! Enjoy!

2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup cocoa
1/4 cup water
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 bag miniature marshmallows

Icing:
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons cocoa
6 tablespoons milk
1 (1-pound) box confectioners' sugar
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 13 by 9-inch baking pan.

Combine the sugar, salt, and flour in a large mixing bowl. Bring the butter, oil, cocoa, and 1/4 cup water to a boil in a saucepan. Add to the flour mixture.

Beat together the eggs, baking soda, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add to the chocolate mixture, mix well, and pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 25 minutes.

While the cake is baking, make the icing by melting the butter in the cocoa and milk over low heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, then remove from the heat. Stir in the confectioners' sugar. Slowly mix in the nuts and the vanilla. Take the cake from the oven, and when it cools a bit cover it with miniature marshmallows. Pour the warm icing over the cake and the marshmallows. Cool the cake before serving.

Nectar Cake

1 pkg. yellow cake mix
4 eggs
3/4 c. apricot nectar
3/4 c. oil

Glaze:
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. lemon extract
1 c. powdered sugar

Mix cake, oil and nectar until blended. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after adding each egg. Pour into greased and floured bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 50 to 55 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan, puncture with a fork. Drizzle glaze over top.

Hummingbird Cake

1 1/2 c. Crisco oil
3 c. plain flour
2 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 eggs, beaten
1 (8 oz.) can crushed pineapple
2 c. chopped bananas
2 c. chopped pecans (1 c. for cake, 1 for top)

Mix together dry ingredients: sugar, flour, salt and soda. Beat eggs and add them and the oil to dry mixture. Mix with a spoon until all ingredients are moistened. Do not use mixer. Stir in banana, pineapple and nuts. Mix will. Pour into three 9-inch pans that have been greased and floured. Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes or until done. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely on racks.

Cream Cheese Icing:
1 box powdered sugar (3 1/2 c.)
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. butter or margarine, softened
1 c. pecans, chopped or broken

Cream together butter and cream cheese. Mix in sugar and vanilla. Beat with electric mixer until smooth. Spread on cooled cake. Sprinkle on top.

Pumpkin Roll

3 eggs
1 c. sugar
2/3 c. pumpkin
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. baking soda
1 c. flour

Frosting:

8 oz. softened cream cheese
1 c. powdered sugar
2 T. margarine, softened
1 tsp. vanilla

Blend eggs at high speed for 3 minutes. Gradually add sugar, pumpkin, flour and spices. Grease and flour cookie sheet or jelly-roll pan. Pour into pan and bake 375 for 15 minutes or until done. Cool 10 minutes. Turn out on kitchen towel sprinkled with powdered sugar. Roll up and put in fridge to cool. Unroll cake spread with frosting and roll without towel. Wrap in foil until ready to use. Put in fridge.

Cherry Chip Cake

I have a memory of my dad making this for cake for a boy who was our family friend after his dad died. It really is yummy and I honestly don't love cherries. I decided to make Conner's birthday cake from this because it will look like little bits of "candy" in the cake.

3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 3/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
10 oz. maraschino cherries, chopped; reserving liquid
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2/3 c. butter
2 eggs
Milk

Sift flour, baking powder and salt together. In separate bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add cherry liquid and milk to measure 1 1/4 cups. Add eggs and vanilla to sugar mixture, mix well. Add milk and flour mixtures to sugar mixture, mix well and then beat for 1 minute. Fold in chopped cherries and put in a 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees until done.
Frost with cream cheese frosting.

Tunnel of Fudge Cake

1 ¾ c. sugar
3 ½ sticks butter, softened
6 large eggs
2 c. powdered sugar
2 ¼ c. flour
¾ c. baking cocoa
2 c. chopped walnuts

Chocolate Glaze:
¾ c. powdered sugar
¼ c. baking cocoa
6-8 tsp. milk

Preheat oven to 350 and position a rack in the middle of the oven. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the sugar and butter together on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar. Stir in flour, cocoa, and nuts until well blended.
Spoon the batter into a greased bundt pan and smooth the top. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the top is set and the edges are beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan (this cake has a soft center, so testing with a toothpick will not work).
Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 1 ½ hours, then invert onto a serving platter and cool for at least 2 hours.
To make the glaze: In a small bowl, stir together all the ingredients, adding enough milk to achieve a drizzling consistency. Spoon over top of the cake, allowing some to run down the sides.

Lemon Pound Cake

1 c. butter, softened
2 c. sugar
3 eggs
3 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 c. evaporated milk
2 tsp. lemon extract

Cream butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add eggs and beat well. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour batter into a well greased bundt pan and bake at 350 for 55-60 minutes.

Lemon Glaze:
½ c. butter
1 c. sugar
¼ c. water
1 egg, beaten
3 TBS. lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon zest
In a medium saucepan, mix all ingredients together. Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Serve over cake slices.

Good Chocolate Cake

2 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 TBS. cornstarch
2 c. flour
5 TBS. baking cocoa
3 eggs
½ c. oil
2 c. buttermilk

Mix together oil and sugar, add cocoa and eggs. Mix all dry ingredients together and add alternately with buttermilk, ending with flour mixture.
Pour into a greased 9X13 pan and bake at 375 for 35-40 minutes.

German Chocolate Cake

1/3 c. cocoa
1/2 c. boiling water
1 c. butter
2/3 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
4 eggs
2 c. flour
1 t. soda
1/2 t. salt
1 c. buttermilk

Mix cocoa and boiling water, then cool the mixture. Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla and coca mixture. Add eggs 1 at a time. Alternate flour mixture and buttermilk.
Pour batter into 3 9 inch cake pans, that have been well greased. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Coconut Icing:
1 c. evaporated milk
1 c. sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c. butter
1 t. vanilla
1 1/3 c. coconut
1 c. pecans

Cook milk, sugar, butter, and egg over medium heat until thickened (12 minutes), stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add vanilla, coconut and pecans.

** Sometimes I toast half of the coconut (for better flavor and coloring). To toast coconut, spread in an even layer on a cookie sheet and put in a 350 oven. Stir occasionally until desired doneness.