Category: Cakes

Cakes · Chocolate · Desserts · Super Bowl Recipes

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Sheet Cake

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SUPER BOWL DESSERT!!! Perfect for the dessert table Sunday. I was needing one more recipe other than the pecan pie bars and oatmeal cookies and Chocolate Cream Cheese Brownies and here it is. Love love love the flavor of peanut butter and chocolate.

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 teas baking soda

1/2 teas salt

1 cup water

1/2 cup butter, cubed

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup cocoa

3 eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

2 teas vanilla

Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup softened butter

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup milk (add gradually as it might not require the whole 1/2 cup)

1 teas vanilla

1/2 cup chopped peanuts

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 13×9″ baking pan. In large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.

In a small saucepan, combine water, butter, peanut butter and cocoa; bring just to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moistened.

In a small bowl, whisk eggs, sour cream and vanilla until blended. Add to flour mixture, whisking constantly. Transfer to prepared baking pan. Bake 25-30 min or until cake tests done.

Prepare frosting while cake is baking. In a large bowl, beat the powdered sugar,  butter,  peanut butter, milk and vanilla until smooth. Remove cake from oven when done and place on wire rack. Immediately spread with frosting; sprinkle peanuts over top if desired. Cool completely and cut into squares.

Cakes · Chocolate · Desserts

Hazelnut Chocolate Cake

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I guess you can tell that I’m in my cake mode. I get in cookie mode, pie modes and now cake. I have one piece left of the Tuxedo cake and am saving it for tonight to eat during The Good Wife. But this cake, (once again, thank you Paula Deen) well…I will be making it Tues so I can watch Adventures of Laura and have cake.

1 1/4 cups butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 tables vanilla

5 large eggs

2 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 1/2 teas baking soda

1 teas baking powder

1/4 salt

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup sour cream

Chocolate-Hazelnut Frosting

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)

1 1/2 cups chocolate-hazelnut spread (such as Nutella)

1/2 cup sour cream

5 cups powdered sugar

Cake:

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 3 (9″) cake pans with Pam. Coat with flour if you are not using the Pam with flour.

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

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and next 4 ingredients. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until all is combined. Stir in sour cream. Spoon batter evenly into cake pans. Bake for 15 to 20 min, or until cake tests done. Let cool in pans for 10 min and remove from pans onto wire racks.

Spread frosting between layers and on sides and top of cake when completely cool. Garnish with chopped hazelnuts if desired.

Frosting:

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter with a mixer at medium until creamy. Beat in Nutella and sour cream until combined. REduce speed to low and gradually add powdered sugar, beating until well combined and no lumps remain.

Cakes · Chocolate · Desserts

Chocolate Tuxedo Cake

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2015-01-09 16.27.07

This truly is my favorite cake. I know I say that about several cakes, but really, this time I mean it. If I knew that I could only have one piece of cake before the doctor told me I couldn’t have any cake the rest of my life, it would be this one. I made it for friends who were coming over last night after we all went out to eat. One of the friends who I won’t name but is the tallest of all my friends, was sitting there enjoying the conversation when she got up and went into the kitchen. I assumed she was going to go get another cup of coffee (yes, I am a terrible hostess, I forget to ask people if they want more coffee). When she returned to the conversation, she was standing there with her plate; she had gone and cut herself a 2nd piece of cake. One of the guys in the living room began to yell, “Trudy, this is the most awesome cake EVER!!! It is spectacular” (but in all fairness, that is Jack’s go to word.) But the layers of chocolate and vanilla cake layered with chocolate frosting and then vanilla almond frosting on the outside with the chocolate ganache on top, just tops it off. It is really easy and just makes such a great presentation.

1 Duncan Hines French Vanilla Cake mix

1 Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate cake mix

1 box of Dream whip (contains 2 envelops-use 1 envelope with each cake mix)

8 eggs

2 cups water

1 teas almond extract (for making the vanilla cake mix)

Mix the vanilla cake mix with 4 eggs, 1 package of Dream Whip and one cup of cold water, and 1 teas almond extract.  Beat for 4 minutes. Pour into 2 greased and prepared 9″ cake pans. Bake for about 25 min at preheated 350 oven or until cake tests done. Cool on wire racks.

Repeat with the chocolate cake mix. Follow same instructions as you did with the vanilla cake mix, except do not add the almond extract. Pour into 2 prepared greased 9″ cake pans and bake as directed above. Cool on wire racks.

You will notice that when using the Dream whip, the cake will bake up a little higher than without it. I like that because it makes the cake moister and looks so much higher on the cake plate.

Chocolate Frosting for between the cake layers.

1 stick butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

1 teas vanilla

Enough milk to get frosting to spreading consistency. About 1/4 cup…maybe a little more. Don’t add the 1/4 cup all at once, in case you don’t need all of it.

Vanilla Frosting

1 stick butter, softened

1/4 cup Crisco

2 teas almond extract

3 cups powdered sugar

Enough milk or whipping cream to make it spreading consistency (about 1/3 cup, possibly a little more). Beat all ingredients until smooth and well blended.

Chocolate ganache

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2cup heavy whipping cream

Melt chocolate chips in the cream, stirring over low heat until chips are melted and mixture is smooth. I had to add a little more whipping cream to be able to spread over top of cake so it would drip over sides of cake.

Use one of the chocolate cake layers and place on a serving platter. Spread chocolate frosting on top, but not the side. Place one vanilla cake layer on top of chocolate frosting. Spread Vanilla frosting on sides and top of cake. When chocolate ganache is made, allow to cool so it won’t melt frosting on cake. When ganache is cool, spread on top of cake allowing it to fall down the sides of the cake. Set in fridge to allow the frostings to set. Take out at least one hour before serving.

If you want to use all 4 layers, you will need to increase the amount of frosting you make, as you will need more.

If you don’t use but the 2 layers, you can wrap the other two layers and freeze in freezer bags for a later use.

Cakes · Desserts

Paula Deen Ooey Gooey Butter Layer Cake

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The fireplace is on, and all I want to do is stay home and bake. I love the Ooey Gooey Cake that Paula gave us the recipe several years ago and when I saw this, I knew I would have to try it. It has to be scrumptious. It is from Paula, it is ooey, gooey and it has butter in it. How could it not be good?

1 1/2 cups butter, softened

2 1/4 cups sugar

5 large eggs

1 teas vanilla

3 1/2 cups flour

1 tables baking powder

1/2 teas baking soda

1/4 teas salt

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

1 cup sour cream

Ooey Gooey Butter Filling

Cream Cheese frosting

Preheat oven to 350

Spray 3 (9″) round cake pans with nonstick baking spray with flour.

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

In another large bowl, whisk together flour and next 3 ingredients. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat just until combined after each addition; stir in sour cream. Spoon batter into prepared pans.

Bake for 18-22 min or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 10 min. Remove from pans and let cool completely on wire racks.

Spread Ooey Gooey Butter filling between layers; cover and freeze for 1 hour. Spread cream cheese frosting on top and sides of cake.

Ooey Gooey Filling

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup orange juice

4 large eggs

1 (8 oz) cream cheese

In the top of a double boiler, melt butter over simmering water. Remove from heat and whisk in sugar, orange juice and eggs until mixture is smooth. Return double boiler to heat and cook, whisking constantly for 10-15 min or until mixture is very thick. Remove from heat and whisk in cream cheese until smooth. Let cool for 30 min.

Spoon mixture into a medium bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing wrap onto surface of mixture to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or for up to 3 days.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1 tables vanilla

6 cups of powdered sugar

In a large bowl, beat butter, cream cheese and vanilla with mixer on medium speed. Gradually add powdered sugar and beat until all is smooth.

*Note-the cake layers can be made ahead of time and frozen up to 2 weeks. Wrap slightly warm cake layers in heavy duty plastic wrap and freeze in large resealable plastic bags. Let the cake layers thaw overnight in the fridge before assembling

Cakes · Desserts

Pineapple Pound Cake

Chocolate Castles2 Comments

I have to make this..it just sounds so moist and think how good it will be to put a spoonful of whipped cream over a slice.

Cake

1/2 cup Crisco

1 cup butter, softened

2 3/4 cup sugar

6 large eggs

3 cups flour

1 teas baking powder

1/4 cup half and half or (dilute 1/8 whipping cream with 1/8 cup water)

1 teas vanilla

3/4 cup crushed pineapple with juice

Cream butter, Crisco until fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time.

Sift flour and baking powder. Add to creamed mixture 1 spoonful at a time, alternately with milk.

Stir in crushed pineapple with it’s juice and vanilla. Pour into a large well greased tube or bundt pan.

Place in a cold oven and turn oven on to 325. Bake for 1 1/4 hours or until cake tests done. Remove from pan and place on wire rack to cool.

Glaze

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup crushed pineapple

Enough water to be able to drizzle over cooled cake (I will probably use milk instead of water).

Cakes

French Vanilla Orange Raspberry Cake

Chocolate Castles1 Comment

One of my Bff’s is having a dinner party for her work friends tonight and I volunteered to make the dessert for her party as she is not one of that loves to spend time in the kitchen…other than putting a frozen TV dinner in the microwave. When I began to describe a few of the new recipes that I had found this season, she choose this one. It turned out just awesome. Combined the flavors of orange and raspberry.

1 Duncan Hines French Vanilla Cake Mix

1 envelope of Dream Whip

4 eggs

1 cup cold water

Mix above ingredients and bake according to directions on box for the 2 layer cake. But beat for 4 minutes instead of 2. The addition of the Dream Whip gives you a much fluffier cake layer.

Frosting

1 (1 lb) box of powdered sugar

Zest of 1 orange

1/2 cup raspberry preserves

1 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

Blend the softened butter, cream cheese, zest and powdered sugar and beat until well combined and smooth. Place one cake layer on serving plate and spread 1/3 of the frosting. Spread the raspberry preserves over the frosting. Place 2nd layer on top of preserves. Frost sides and top with remaining frosting, (saving about 1/2 cup to decorate the top) Using your cake decorator, use the star tip and decorate top with stars to place fresh raspberries around the edge. Keep cake in fridge and take out about 30 min before serving.

Orange Raspberry Vanilla Cake
Orange Raspberry Vanilla Cake
Cakes · Desserts · Fruit · Holiday Fare

Gingered Fruit Cake

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Do not think that this is your normal fruit cake that gets passed around from house to house at Christmas. It is way beyond that. Last year I discovered that I love using fresh ginger in biscotti, cookies and now this fruitcake. You will be proud to have it sitting on your dessert buffet during the holidays. I won’t be waiting for Thanksgiving to make it. It is a great recipe to make to have on hand during the Fall when guests show up unexpectedly. Whip up some homemade whipped cream and put the coffee pot on.
3/4 cup pecan halves, toasted
2 cups flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tables baking powder
1/2 teas salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)
2 eggs
1 teas vanilla
1 cup dried apples, chopped
2/3 cup dried apricots, chopped (not unsulphured)
2 tables grated fresh ginger
1 recipe Honey Bourbon Butter (recipe follows)
Preheat oven to 350. Grease and lightly flour a 9″ spring form pan; set aside.
Place 1/2 cup of the toasted pecans in a food processor; cover and process until finely ground; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine ground pecans, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add milk, butter and eggs. Add vanilla.
Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until combined. Beat for 1 min.
Fold in dried fruit and ginger. Transfer to prepared pan.
Arrange remaining pecans (1/4 cup) on top of batter.
Bake about 40 min or until cake tests done. Cool in pan on wire rack 10 min. Remove sides of pan; cool completely on rack. Remove bottom of pan.
To serve, pour Honey Bourbon Butter over fruitcake if desired and whipping cream if this doesn’t have enough calories to make you feel guilty.
*Honey Bourbon Butter*
In small saucepan melt 1/4 cup butter. Add 2 tables bourbon and 1 table honey. Stir until heated through.
If you want to make this ahead of time for the holiday dinner or party* See below.
Use bourbon or orange juice to moisten a large piece of 100% cheesecloth. Wrap cake in cloth and place in a large resealable plastic bag or wrap in plastic wrap. Store in fridge up to 1 week.

Cakes · Daily Thoughts · Desserts

Eagle Brand Pound Cake

Chocolate Castles4 Comments

OMGosh, you are kidding me! I cannot believe I just found a recipe using a can of Eagle Brand in a cake!
Eagle Brand, to me, should be in it’s own food group. I would probably even like liver if it was soaked in Eagle Brand. This recipe was in the old cookbook that had the “possum” recipe. I have to have some friends over so I have an excuse to make this wonderful cake.

1 lb (yep, you heard right, a whole pound) softened butter (do not use margarine as I will turn you in to the butter police)
2 cups sugar
8 eggs
1 can Eagle Brand Condensed Milk (there is only the one size)
3 cups flour
1/2 teas salt
2 teas vanilla
1 teas lemon extract (I will probably use butter extract as I like that combo of flavor with the vanilla)

Sift flour and salt and set aside. Grease and flour 10″ tube pan. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Continue beating, adding eggs, 1 at a time. Add flour and Eagle Brand alternately, blending just until well mixed. Add flavorings last.
Pour into pan and bake at 325 preheated oven for 1 hour. Reduce oven to 300 and bake about 25 min more, or until cake tests done.
Sprinkle powdered sugar over cooled cake if desired. Or set out different toppings, such as fudge sauce, fresh strawberries, ice cream or whipped cream when serving.

Cakes · Chocolate · Desserts

The Amazing Mug Cake

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Ok, just when I thought that there were some nights when I was just too tired to get in the kitchen to whip up something sweet at 9 or 10 p.m., which would allow me to actually go a whole day without dessert, comes this Mug Cake. It goes from bowl to mouth in 5 minutes. So now, I don’t ever have to go to bed without a sugar high. The recipe is in the back of the Food Network Mag and gives several different toppings for this cute little “cup” cake. I have to admit that I have never made a cake or any dessert, for that matter, in the microwave. So as soon as I’m off this computer, I am going to go nuke my first dessert.

Lightly butter 4 microwave safe coffee mugs. Place 1/2 cup ea: sugar and buttermilk, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1 egg, and 1/2 teas almond extract or vanilla in a large bowl. Mix until smooth, about 2 mins.

Whisk in 1/2 cup flour, 1/8 teas baking soda and a pinch of salt. Combine with oil mixture and mix until smooth.

Pour 1/2 cup batter into each mug. Microwave 1 at a time until puffed and cake test done in middle (about 1 minute.) Bake at 15 sec intervals if needed.

Let it cool slightly and frost as desired. Sprinkle any topping, such as strawberries, chocolate chips, nuts, marshmallows, caramel, etc.

If you want to make the cake chocolate, decrease the flour to 1/3 cup and add 2 tables cocoa to flour mixture.

Top cakes with ice cream if desired.

Cakes · Chocolate · Desserts

The Perfect Chocolate Cake

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This recipe comes from a blog, Two Chums, which are ladies that I met while living in California. The story behind this recipe is just so sweet that I encourage you to go to their blog and read about the background to this cake. It is in my oven as I write. I cannot wait to taste it.

1 1/2 cups melted butter

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

Add and mix well:

3 cups sugar

3 cups flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 heaping Tablespoon of baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Then add and mix again:

1 1/2 cups boiling water

Line 3 round 8″ cake pans with waxed paper and butter the sides of the pan to prevent sticking when cake is done. Pour batter evenly amongst the 3 pans in a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for about 30 minutes or just until the center of the cake feels firm to the touch and the sides of the cake are beginning to pull away from the pan. Cool thoroughly and remove from pans. (You can wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at this point if you are making the cake a day ahead or hours ahead of when needed.) Spread icing liberally and smile….perfect chocolate cake is on its way.

Icing

1 cup butter at room temperature

8 oz. package cream cheese, at room temperature

12 oz. package chocolate chips, melted

1/4 cup cocoa

1 1/2 lbs. powered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Enough heavy cream to soften