Super Moist White Cake

I found this recipe at the taste of home website here and tweaked it to my needs. I have always wanted to find a moist from scratch white cake mix and this worked great for my daughters cupcakes for her birthday. Hope that you enjoy. It is moist soft and just what you want a white cake to be.

Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour (or cake flour)
1 1/2 cups + 2Tablespoons superfine sugar (make your own with a blender)
1 Tablespoon baking powder
3/4 cup butter, softened (no sub.)
4 large egg whites + 1 large egg
1 cup + 2 Tbs milk
3Tbs Vanilla

Directions:
Mix all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl, using a mixer to aerate.
Add softened butter and mix to a "paste".
Add egg whites, one at a time, then mix in whole egg. Beat to build volume after each.
Mix milk and extract, add to cake, 1/3 at a time, beating and keeping the mixture fluffy.

Bake at 325º-350º.
Grease and flour pans of choice:

2-8" or 9" round or square cake pans

1-9"x13" pan, or cupcake tins (using papers).

Check at 5 minute intervals after 18-20 minutes for cupcakes or layer pans, 30 minutes for 9"x13"

Banana Cake

This has been a favorite cake of mine to make since whenever I have old bananas I feel resourceful by putting them into the cake. It also was a favorite of my college roommates. In fact I had a few roommates that would have their bananas go bad just so that I would make this. Then it would be gone quickly. The recipe calls for buttermilk for this since I never have it on hand I simply fill my measuring cup with the listed amount and then add 1 tsp lemon juice, lime juice or vinegar. And let it sit for a minute or two. Which creates what I need to replace the buttermilk. You can eat it plain, sift powdered sugar, or frost with cream cheese frosting. So enjoy!

Sift together:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt (opt)

Add:
2/3 cup oil
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 1/4 cup mashed bananas (approximately 3 bananas)
Mix for 2 minutes

Add:
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 large unbeaten eggs

Fold In: OPTIONAL
2/3 chopped walnuts

Pour in a greased and floured 9x13" pan. Bake at 350 degree for 30-35 minutes.

JoAnne's Hot Fudge Brownie Cheesecake

So this is a rich and very yummy cheesecake. It is also huge. But what can we say we love it and can only enjoy it on rare occasions since it really fattening. You can cut back on fat by using a lower fat cream cheese. I usually do half regular fat and half fat free. It just makes me feel better. So please enjoy it is fabulous!

Ingredients

1 brownie mix
5 pkg cream cheese (8 ounces)
1 3/4 c. sugar
3 tbsp. flour
2 tbsp. vanilla
5 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 pt. heavy cream

Directions

Bake and cool brownie mix, as directed. A less dry fudge-like mix works best. Line the bottom and sides of 10-inch spring form pan with brownies. Combine cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, mixing VERY slowly. Blend in cream by hand. Use only 1 oven rack at lowest level. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Bake 10 or 12 minutes or until set. Then reduce heat to 250 degrees and bake 1 hour. Cover with foil, if browning occurs. Turn off oven, keep door closed for 15 minutes. Then remove and cool on rack. Cool and drizzle hot fudge sauce. Refrigerate.

Raspberry Filling

Ok so I have had a request for this recipe by a few people so here it is. I use this as a filling for my white cake. That I then top with my Cream Cheese Frosting found here. I usually will just by a regular Super Moist White Box Cake and put this in between 2 8" round cakes. I have also used this for a freezer jam by cooking a tiny bit longer and as a syrup by using any berries on hand and even peaches and cooking a little less. The sky is the limit.

Ingredients:
12 oz fresh raspberries
1 cup sugar
2-3 T vanilla

Directions:
Put all in a sauce pan and boil on high constantly stirring until it starts to thicken. Then take off and let cool. Add to cake for filling or put in a container and freeze it works great as a freezer jam as well. Enjoy!

Triple Tasty Fudge Bars

My mother-in-law asked for the recipe since she really like them at a Christmas party we attended. The recipe itself comes from some random cook book I own.


Ingredients:

1 15-ounce package fudge frosting mix
1 18.5 ounce German chocolate cake mix
1/4 cup water
1 egg
1/2 cup sour cream
6 ounces of chocolate chips

Directions:

Prepare frosting mix as directed on package. I personally skipped this and just used the canned frosting.

Combine dry cake mix (I used Fudge rather then German Chocolate), 1/2 cup frosting, water, and egg. Stir by hand until cake mix is moistened (mixture will be stiff).

Pat into 9x13-inch pan, greased on the bottom only.

Beat sour cream into remain frosting. I used equal parts frosting and sour cream.

Spread over base.

Sprinkle with chocolate chips.

Bake at 375F for 40-50 minutes. Top will be puffy and an inserted toothpick will NOT come out clean (chocolate chips also don't really melt).

Cool and cut into bars

Lemon Cake

I took this recipe from here, and well think it's worth sharing. Since I'll copy and paste most of the recipe I'll just add my own thoughts in italics.

1 1/2 c. (3 sticks) of REAL butter (umm yeah I used half butter and half vegetable oil spread came out just fine though I can't recommend less then half real butter)
3 c. cake flour (no substitutions here--you really need the lightness of cake flour)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 c. sugar
5 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice (I squeezed 1 lemon and got 2T)
Zest of 2 lemons (just zest the other lemons before you squeeze them)
1 c. buttermilk (yeah. no buttermilk here I used the substitute of 1T vinegar and enough milk for that to become a cup)


Preheat oven to 325.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 4-5 minutes. Don't go skimping here--you want the mixture to be almost white and super fluffy. This is absolutely essential to the outcome of the cake. (yeah if I had a stand alone electric mixer, a hand mixer worked fine but it did take longer to get the desired results- Don't be afraid to look at the recipe I used to see a picture of how this should look)

While butter and sugar are mixing, sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Set aside. After butter and sugar have mixed sufficiently, With the mixer running, add eggs, one at a time, beating to incorporate after each addition. Beat in vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest.

With mixer on low speed, alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and beating until fully incorporated. (don't just dump them in at the same time it's important to get it all mixed together and all mixed together creamy)

The recipe I used was for cupcakes at 325 (20-25 minutes). I did bake it at 325 but I bake mine in a 9x13 for 35-40 minutes. Be very careful not to over bake.

Also there is a lemon butter cream frosting to top it. For actual frosting wait until the cake is completely cooled and mix the following.

1 1/4 c. butter (2 1/2 sticks)
2 tsp. grated lemon rind
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
3 c. powdered sugar

Beat butter, lemon rind, and lemon juice in an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating to spreading consistency. Makes 2 3/4 c.

For my cake since my husband prefers a glaze on his lemon cakes I added 1/8c water decreased the amount of butter by half (I just didn't need that much frosting since I was turning it into a glaze) I'm not sure how much sugar I used since I just kept adding it until I liked the consistency. Then I drizzled the glaze on while the cake was still warm.

Personally I thought YUM. This was amazingly light but not airy. The flavor was wonderful it wasn't "just a hint" nor was it overpowering. Perfect for summer because really who doesn't love a citrus dessert in summer? Two thumbs way by from me and my family (birthday boy included).

Jello Poke Cake

This is our Easter Dessert. One of the few times a year that I will make dessert for my family. It is extremely easy and very yummy. Hope that you enjoy. I used strawberry jello and strawberries.

Ingredients:
1 white cake mix
1 small package jello
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese
1 8 oz pkg cool whip
Fruit to match jello

Directions:
Make cake according to directions on box. When completely cooked allow to cool for 1/2 hour. Then poke holes all over cake with butter knife or back of wooden spoon. You want to have a lot of holes. Then make jello and pour all over cake completely cover the top. After drenching with jello put cake in fridge. In a mixer beat cream cheese and then add cool whip and beat together. After stir in or using beaters mix fruit in with cream cheese and cool whip. Spread evenly over chilled cake and serve. Store leftovers in fridge.

Peanutty Goober Cake

1 package yellow cake mix
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup water
3 large eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup peanut butter/chocolate morsels
1 cup chocolate covered peanuts (goobers)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 13x9 inch baking pan.
Beat cake mix, peanut butter and sugar in large mixer bowl until crumbly. Set aside 1/2 cup crumb mixture. Add water, eggs and oil to remaining crumb mixture; blend on low speed until moistened. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup morsels. Pour into prepared baking pan.
Sprinkle Goobers, remaining morsels and reserved crumb mixture over batter.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack.

Halloween Spud Nuts

I had intentions of getting this up sooner but then life threw me a curve ball that turned my world upside down, so I'm just now getting this up. In fact, my mom has these rising on the counter at this very minute!

2 cups warm water (at least half of it being potato water from preparing your mashed potatoes)
2 cups sugar
1 tab yeast
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup melted shortening
2 beaten eggs
1 cup mashed potatoes
7-9 cups flour

Combine yeast, sugar and water and let sit for about 5 minutes. Mix in remaining ingredients to make a soft dough. Let raise until double. Knead down, let raise again. Roll out on floured surface until 3/4 in thick, then cut and set on floured surface for about 1/2 hour. Prepare glaze by mixing 1 pound powdered sugar with hot water in a large bowl to make a thin syrup. Fry in hot oil til golden brown, flip over and fry til the other side is golden brown. Dip spud nuts into glaze right after pulling out of the oil and place on a baking rack or hang on wooden dowel or spoon handle to cool. Enjoy! (Makes about 5 dozen.)

Tres Leches Cake (Three Milk Cake)

courtesy of Kari Celaya and Sandra Martinez

1 yellow cake mix - prepare and bake as usual

1 can of each: evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and coconut milk.

When cake is done, with a fork, poke holes throughout the cake. Mix all the can of milks together and pour over cake….and refrigerate.