I hear from several friends back in Texas that I needed to blog this recipe as it is sooooo good! That is Texas talk for very good. So here it is. I will be making it as soon as I loose the two pounds I gained while in Phoenix. After reading that last sentence, it seems pretty silly that I would worry about 2 lbs that I gained last week, when I have 30 lbs that I need to loose, so guess I won’t wait for the 2 lbs to come off. I’ll go ahead and bake the cake this weekend. Since I know that it would be FOREVER if EVER I lost the other 30 lbs that should go with the newly gained 2…

 

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

2 cups self-rising flour (I used regular flour and added 1 ¼ tsp. baking powder and 1/8 tsp salt to each cup of flour.)

3 sticks butter, melted

1 cup chopped pecans

2 tbsp. vanilla

 

Mix by hand the sugar and eggs, add flour, mix well. Add butter, pecans and vanilla, mix well until the batter absorbs all of the butter. The batter will be of a more fluid consistency than normal cake batter. Pour into a greased and floured bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Check at around 50 minutes to see if tests done. Cool right side up for 5 to 10 minutes before turning out onto serving dish.

 

After visiting with a friend, via “text” last night, I realized I had never put this recipe on the blog. It is a great “go to” cake to take to friends when they are sick, getting out of the hospital or just to have a slice with a cup of coffee/tea.

Preheat oven to 350.

1 box Duncan Hines Lemon cake mix

1 package ( 3.4 oz size) instant lemon pudding

1/3 cup poppy seeds

1 cup low-fat lemon yogurt

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup dry sherry* I use 1/4 cup milk & 1/4 cup water instead

4 large eggs

Spray a  10″ tube or bundt pan with Pam and sprinkle with sugar so outside of cake will be coated with the sugar.

Place cake mix, pudding mix, poppy seeds, yogurt, oil, liquid (sherry or milk/water combo) in large mixing bowl. Blend with electric mixer on low speed for 1 min. Stop and scrape down sides of bowl. Beat for another 2 min on medium. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 45-50 min or until knife inserted in middle of cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool for about 20 min and invert it onto a rack to finish cooling.

Store this cake, covered, at room temperature….just need a little sprinkle of powdered sugar and it is complete, even without the powdered sugar.

What a beautiful cake to serve for Valentines Day..I love this month, I love all the pinks, reds and hearts and all the sweets associated with this sweet day. You cannot think of Valentines Day without thinking….chocolate! But…this cake will turn your head away from chocolate….well, at least while you are eating this scrumptious cake…but if you cannot think of serving a dessert for Valentines day without chocolate, then dip whole cherries to top the cake, that way you have your cake……and chocolate too!

This is Paula Deens recipe of the week and it is worth sharing!

1 cup butter, softened

1 3/4 cups sugar

2 tables maraschino cherry juice

1/2 teas vanilla extract

3 cups cake flour

2 1/2 teas baking powder

1/4 teas salt

1 cup whole buttermilk

5 egg whites, beaten until stiff

1 cup finely chopped maraschino cherries

Cream cheese-cherry frosting

Garnish maraschino cherries (dipped in chocolate?)

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 3 ( 9 in) bakng pans with nonstick baking spray with flour. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add cherry juice and vanilla, beating until combined.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; sift. Gradually add to butter mixture, alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating until combined after each addition. Gently fold in beaten egg whites until mixture is smooth. Gently stir in maraschino cherries.

Spoon batter evenly into prepared pans. Bake for 20-25 min or until a wooden pick comes out clean. Cool completely.

Remove from pans and cool completely on wire rack. Spread frosting evenly in between layers and sides and top.

Cream Cheese Cherry Frosting

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup maraschino cherry juice

6 cups powdered sugar

In large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until creamy with mixer. Slowly beat in cherry juice until mixture is smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until smooth.

 

Hope you are enjoying a great weekend. We have a dinner to go to tomorrow night and I offered to bring dessert as I wanted to bake the vanilla caramel cake that I posted a couple of weeks ago. I changed the frosting to just putting a butter cream instead of the cream cheese and sprinkled crushed up Symphony Bar that has the toffee chips in it….on top of the cake. This caramel cake is so moist and so light, I cannot wait to sink my little pearly whites into it tomorrow night, until then, I will just have to scrape the rest of the frosting out of the bowl. 

These beautiful little cakes are in the new addition of Southern Lady and will be one dessert I will be making for different parties for Valentines!

Not only are they delicious, but they are beautiful and will make a gorgeous centerpiece for your dessert table.

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

2 teas vanilla extract

3 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teas salt

1 cup whole milk ( I will probably use Evaporated milk using 1/2 cup milk to 1/2 cup water…Gives it a more rich taste)

1/2 cup sour cream

Cream Cheese Frosting

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 13×9 ” baking pan with nonstick spray with flour

In large bowl, beat butter and sugar at medium speed with mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time,m beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla.

In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder (notice this is a TABLESPOON, not teaspoon),  and salt.

Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat until well combined. Beat in sour cream. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan.

Bake for 35-40 min or until a toothpick comes out clean from center of cake. Cool in pan for 10 min over wire rack. Remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

Trim 1/2 ” off each side of cake. Level cake by using a serrated knife to trim off rounded top. Cut cake into 3×2″ pieces. Spoon Cream Cheese frosting on top of each cake piece. Garnish with Sugared Fruit, Mint and Zest, if desired

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (8 oz) softened cream cheese

2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup whole milk

In medium bowl, combine cream cheese and powdered sugar. Beat at medium speed with mixer until smooth. Beat in milk

Sugared Fruit

1 egg white

1 tables water

Fresh raspberries

Fresh blueberries

Fresh mint sprigs

Sugar

In a medium bowl, whisk together egg white and water. Using a small paintbrush, brush raspberries, mint leafs  and blueberries with egg white mixture. Sprinkle with sugar, shaking off excess. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper to dry. Use on top of each little cake square.

Get to the store as soon as you can and buy a jar of Smucker’s Hot Caramel Topping and go home and make this cake. It is sooooo good. The jar of caramel goes into the cake and when I saw this recipe from Southern Lady over the holidays, I knew that as soon as I got home, it would be the first recipe I posted.

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 (12 oz) jar caramel topping

1 teas vanilla

6 large eggs

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teas baking powder

1 teas baking soda

1/4 teas salt

1 cup sour cream

Vanilla Frosting* recipe follows

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 3 (9 inch) round cake pans with Pam baking spray with flour.

In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar and caramel topping. Beat at medium speed with a mixer until creamy. Add vanilla, beating to combine. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Spoon batter into prepared pans and bake for 18-20 min or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans on wire racks.

Spread frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake.

Vanilla Frosting

1 cup butter, softened

2 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scrape out seeds, reserving them to mix into frosting.

1/2 teas vanilla extract

5 cups powdered sugar

In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed until smooth. Add vanilla bean seeds and vanilla extract, beating until well combined. Gradually beat in powdered sugar and beat until smooth.

This recipe will work beautifully as a cake or cupcakes…..Sprinkle white sparkles on top to decorate.

 

1 tube (8 oz) crescent rolls
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teas cinnamon
1/4 teas ground nutmeat
1 can (21 oz) apple pie filling, chopped
Topping:
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup cold butter
1 cup flaked coconut
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Unroll crescent roll dough into an ungreased 13×9 baking pan; seal seams and perforations. Bake at 375 ro 10 min. Combine the apples, nuts, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and sprinkle over crust.
In small bowl, combine flour and brown sugar, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in coconut and nuts. Sprinkle over filling. Bake at 375 for 18-22 min or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.