Maple Apple Spice Cake

As a pastor's wife, I'm often needing to whip something up for the church functions we go to....we try to attend them all. I keep a few easy recipes on hand that save me time and don't break the bank.

1 box spice cake mix
1-2 peeled cored diced apples
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
maple syrup

Mix cake according to package instructions. Add apple and bake in a greased and floured bundt pan. Let cool completely. Mix 1 tbsp of maple syrup at a time into the powdered sugar until desired consistency. Drizzle glaze over the cake after slicing so that it goes between the slices.

Coconut Wet Cake

This is amazing! Yum. I found the idea for it online when I was trying to come up with a recipe to represent the wet cake that is common in Mexico for my kid's homeschool co-op presentation on foods in Mexico. I tweaked the recipe to make it my own and will be making this again it was so good. Terribly unhealthy so brace yourself as you read these ingredients!

1 box cake mix

Mix and bake according to instructions.

While cake is baking, mix together:
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1 can of coconut milk (14 oz.)

When cake is finished baking, remove from the oven and while it is still hot poke it with forks to cover it well with holes. Pour the milk mixture over the cake slowly being sure to spread with a spatula evenly over the cake as it slowly absorbs into the cake. This may take some time.

Let cake cool completely and then refrigerated. It can be made ahead of time and refrigerated over night as well.

When ready to serve, frost the cake with cool whip or homemade whipped cream frosting mixed with 1 cup of shredded coconut (I would toast mine and sprinkle it on top but I didn't use it at all in the pictured version).

The cake is spongy wet...it's so good! My friend Robin says she makes something similar but sometimes makes it with chocolate cake and tops it with slivered almonds so that it taste like an Almond Joy cake! Now that's something I'm going to have to try! I love Almond Joy....terrible I know.

Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake

I made up this recipe a few years ago when I was trying to use up apples. This coffee cake is wonderful in the fall or winter but the best part is that it's easy!



1 box spice cake mix (plus ingredients on the back of the box)
2-4 apples peeled, cored, and chopped
1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 c brown sugar combined (optional)


Mix the box cake mix, the apples (2 large or 4 small) together. Add the ingredients called for on the back of the box EXCEPT for the water. The juice from the apples will make up for the water you are leaving out. Mix well until it looks like peanut butter and apples. Pour into a greased pan and sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon if desired. Bake according to box mix directions. Test center for doneness.

It doesn't look like much when you spread it into the pan but it does bake up.

Cream Cheese Frosting

12 oz of cream cheese
1 c softened butter
4 tsp vanilla
4 c sifted powdered sugar (or more if needed)

Beat cream cheese and butter till smooth. Add vanilla and gradually add sugar while beating well. Add as much sugar as needed to make frosting smooth for spreading. This will be a thick frosting in the end.

This frosting goes well with any type of pumpkin cake or muffins as well.

Carrot Cake

I guess this is about as healthy as cake gets right? It also happens to be one of my husband's favorite cakes (the other one is Fillmore Orange Cake) and I make it for him almost every year. I made it recently for my brother's birthday too.





1 c white flour
1 c whole wheat flour
2 c sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
3 c finely shredded carrots (I run mine through the food processor)
1 c vegetable oil
4 eggs

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add carrot, oil, and eggs. Beat well. Pour into two greased and floured cake pans (9 in.). Bake @ 350 degrees for 30-35 min. or until center bakes up and center comes out clean (use a toothpick or cake tester). Cool for 15 min. and then invert onto wire racks to cool completely.

I make mine ahead of time and then wrap them with cling wrap and foil and freeze till ready to frost.

Variation~ this recipe comes out great using 2 cups white flour instead of 1 cup white flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour.

Cream cheese frosting...coming tomorrow.

Corn Cake

This is a recipe that my kids and I made from a book as we were studying the foods of Brazil. They celebrate corn on St. John's day so we made this recipe for our homeschool co-op. It actually didn't turn out from the book recipe so I re-made it my way and fixed it. It turned out so well, we were asked if we would post it on here and I think we will be making this every fall now as a tradition. It's really good.

1 can of canned corn, drained
7 tbsp butter, softened
1 2/3 c whole wheat flour
3 eggs
1 can of coconut milk
1 tbsp baking powder
1 c granulated sugar
------------------------------
Grind corn coarsely in food processor leaving it still chunky. Mix all of the ingredients together including the corn. Beat till it is well mixed. Pour into two greased and floured bread loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for approx. 50 min. or until center comes out clean with cake tester. Let cool out of oven for about 10 min. and then remove to a cooling rack. Serve plain or with butter/honey.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

With a few cooler days around here I'm getting that Fall feeling even though I haven't done nearly as much summer cooking as I had hoped. So the other day I decided to try out another version of the this eggless chocolate cake recipe. Instead of Devil's Food Cake mix, you use Spice Cake mix. Once again, I'm totally impressed.

1 box spice cake mix (I use Better Crocker)

(do not add any of the ingredients on the box.)

1 14 oz can of pumpkin or 1/2 of a 28 oz can (can NOT be pumpkin pie filling...just pure pumpkin)

Mix together and bake at 350 degrees for about 35 min. or until centers come out clean with a cake tester.

Notes: These were SO yummy that they could easily stand up to any complex pumpkin spice cake recipe. They were super moist too.

Try sprinkling with a bit of powdered sugar for presentation.

WW points (2 points per muffin) for all those keeping track.

Ice Cream Cake

Now, don't laugh at this ice cream cake....I made it in a hurry, with melted ice cream, and was making it really tiny for our family of four...but I wanted to show you the process so I swallowed my pride and took pictures for you. This was more like a "tower" ice cream cake. I've made several ice cream cakes in the past (one of my favorite types of cakes to make) and I assure you they are easy and can turn out beautiful!

2 boxes of ice cream

crushed cookies

cool whip or whipped cream frosting

The easiest way to make an ice cream cake is to buy the boxed ice cream that you can completely open and slice in large slices. (In the pics I used ice cream that came in a carton so it was difficult to work with. I've never done it this way but was in a hurry. I wouldn't recommend it.) First let it sit out to soften for a few minutes (but try to avoid allowing it to melt like in my pictures!). For a rectangle cake (NOT pictured) you would cut the slices into about 4 slices long ways and lay them flat to make a rectangle. Then layer a filling on top. Crushed cookies work best for ice cream cakes because they hold the ice cream layers apart better than a cream filling. You can mix other things with the crushed cookies (like whipped cream or sundae toppings) if you want to. In the pictures I used crushed oreos and then poured caramel sauce over top. Then cut your next box of ice cream into four slices and layer on top. Frost with cool whip or whipped cream frosting. Doing this method will give you a pretty tall 9x13 sized cake.

TIPS:

~The best tip I can give you is to freeze it in-between layers as you build it. Do your first layer and then freeze it. Add the filling and freeze it. Add the top layer of ice cream and then freeze it. Then frost it and freeze it.

~Also, use ice cream flavors that are generally liked by most people. Chocolate chip, chocolate, cookies-n-cream - are all good flavors to use. (In the pictures here, I used Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough on top and Moose Tracks on the bottom).

~You can also do a fruit flavored one by using strawberry ice cream, blueberry cheesecake, or types like that. For the filling, layer with sliced berries or something like Keebler Vienna Finger cookies.

~You can also make ice cream cakes in a round shape by using a cheesecake pan. Line it with cling wrap first so that you will be able to easily get the cake out. Let ice cream soften quite a bit and then press it into the pan to shape the first layer. Freeze and remove from pan. Wrap in cling wrap and freeze until ready to assemble. Press into the round shape your final layer of ice cream and freeze. Remove and put on your filling (crushed cookies, etc.). Place your first round of ice cream on the top and freeze the cake as a whole. After freezing it, frost it.

The bug cake in this post is an ice cream cake made by the above described method. It was decorated with crushed graham crackers for sand.....

Sneaky Chocolate Cake

Here is the other eggless cake recipe and this one is extra sneaky with a whole can of pumpkin that you can NOT taste in the cake! I'm so impressed with this recipe because of it's rich texture! It's wonderful to sneak squash into kids, bring to a party when you're on a diet, or camping when you don't have eggs!

1 box devils food cake mix

1 14 oz can pumpkin or half of a 28 oz can (can NOT be pumpkin pie filling)

Mix the above together till well blended. (it's a little dry to mix at first but keep mixing. If needed you can add a bit of water but I haven't needed to)

Bake in cake pans or as cupcakes @ 350 for approx. 35 min. or until centers are done.

Variations:

~ mix in 1/2 cup of your favorite nuts

~ mix in 1/2 cup chocolate chips

~ top with frosting

~ top with whipped cream

~ top with whipped cream and sliced strawberries

~ serve hot with vanilla ice cream

~ bake in a 9x13 with chocolate chips mixed in as a brownie

THANKS to my two friends who told me about this recipe and the one below!

Pineapple Angel Food Cake

Okay, I'm back! Sorry for the long delays....

I'm going to post two eggless cake recipes. These are great for camping since you don't have to take eggs with you. You can do them in a dutch oven over coals as well. Here's the first one. It has a refreshingly light texture.

1 box angel food cake mix
1 can crushed pineapple in it's juice

mix the above together and pour into an UNgreased glass 9x13 pan and bake @ 350 degrees for 30 min or until center is done.

Optional toppings: whipped cream, cool whip, sliced strawberries, sliced bananas, pie filling, etc.

First Wedding Cake

It's a funny story...I actually didn't know that I was going to be making it...I was helping bail a friend out of something she got herself into. So, I ended up making this cake never having taken a cake class and not totally knowing what I was doing...but my young friend didn't know the first thing about it and I knew enough to know that you had to build support in the center of it (she didn't know this). So, on a rainy day we got together to make this darn cake and it ended up taking ALL DAY! In fact, she left for work half way through leaving me with a barely started cake and two of her friends helping me who I had just met. I did a terrible job in my opinion and looking back I'm like "why didn't I make the top flat???" Crazy. Anyway, I hear the couple (total strangers to me) was just grateful to have a cake at all! Hurray! Success I guess. Anyway, sorry for rambling but all to say, I could do a much better job now that I've had lots more practice and experience. =0) And I like white wedding cakes better than cream color (this must have been before I knew about clear vanilla...but also the real picture looks white compared to this scanned picture). This was made with my whipped cream frosting before I knew how to properly melt and smooth the frosting. Wow, the top of that thing is lousy! It's a funny memory.

Some of my cakes

I thought it would be fun to post some of the cakes I've made through the years so that my kids can see them in this book someday. I've done a wedding cake but can't find the picture. I have a few others as well so I'll add them to this post when I find the pictures of them.


Carrot Cake ~ made from scratch....I'll post the recipe in another post. It's incredibly moist and fabulous! Cream cheese filling and frosting. Decorated Hawaiian style for one of Grandpa's birthdays.

Mocha Cake ~ used to make this all the time. Haven't made it in a long time. Makes me want to have it again. The frosting is a chocolate mocha whipped cream frosting with a chocolate mocha cake. I love square cakes....

Bug Cake ~ Ice cream cake with graham cracker crumbs, rocks, and bugs. The center is filled with oreo cookie crumbs.











Dirt Cake~ A layer of crumbled chocolate cake, topped with a layer of chocolate pudding and then another layer of crumbled chocolate cake. Despite looking like mud and dirt, this is a really yummy cake. It doesn't look as tall in the pictures but it actually was built up quite high.

Brunch Berry Cake~ Vanilla cake layered with fresh whipped cream frosting and lots of sliced berries and sliced kiwi. This is a very moist and refreshing cake! Great for summer time. =0) It has 3 layers of cake and two layers of filling. The filling is a vanilla mousse.

Good old Bob and Larry. Just had to put these on there! =0) I think one was vanilla cake and one was chocolate both frosted with homemade butter frosting.

Scrapbook Cake~ this thing was huge! It's two 9x13 cakes side by side! It's frosted in all whipped cream frosting with a white chocolate mousse filling. The decor was made with stickers that I laminated with clear contact paper. This cake was a huge hit and tasted great too. It was for a baby shower of over 50 people and we still had a little leftover.

Butterfly Cake~ Not really a cake but you get the idea. This was simple and great for a two year old birthday. The 2 candles are the antennae. It worked well for little toddlers to have their own cupcake. My daughter loved this cake.

Bird Nest Cake~ This cake was a hit because it tasted so good! I threw a shower with a baby bird nest theme. This was vanilla cake with a thick custard filling and toasted coconut on top to form the nest. I never knew toasted coconut tasted so good with cake until I made this. Those are 3 hard boiled eggs in the nest. The frosting on the cake is again whipped cream frosting....my favorite and just about all I use anymore. Looking back, I should have died the eggs light blue and then speckled them with brown paint.


Okay, I've also had fun making diaper cakes. No, you don't eat them. They are a stack of diapers made to look like a cake as a gift for a new mom to be. Here are a few pictures of ones that I've made. All you do is start with a round piece of cardboard or an actual cake making board and start rolling diapers around each other until you get the size of the cake you want. Use some sewing pins to help secure them and tie a ribbon around them to hold them. Stack your layers and decorate with little baby gifts like you would frosting. =0) Wrap with cellophane and tie with a bow.

Here is another diaper creation I made for a friend who was having twin boys and her baby shower theme was two peas in a pod. I made the baby pea heads with rolled diapers just like I did for the diaper cakes just smaller, covered them each with a cloth diaper and drew the faces on with a pen. I used two fleece matching blankets stuffed with diapers and overlapped and folded up to make a pod. I tied the ends of the pod with raffia. Then I dressed the little peas with hats, bibs, and stuck a binky where their mouths would be. Tucked a bottle next to each one and I was done.

Whipped Cream Frosting

It was requested that I post this recipe....

I've always loved whipped cream frosting ever since Costco began (back when it was the Price Club) and I first had one of their famous sheet cakes with whipped cream frosting....back when it was around $10! Shortly after being married, I began to hunt for a way to make that same wonderful frosting. As time went on I began to really hate sugar and butter frostings. Then, I found it.....here it is so you too can make impressive whipped cream frosting.

Whipped cream frosting is different than just whipped cream. To use whipped cream as an actual frosting, you need to stabilize it so that it can sit out and not melt. There are different kinds of stabilizers but my preferred choice is piping gel. Wilton makes a clear gel that you can buy in a small tub at cake decorating stores and some craft and party stores. Piping gel is designed to be tinted with food coloring and then used to write words on a cake or cookies or use it to make an area of your cake look like water. Using it in your whipped cream frosting makes it stabilized so that it won't melt even when sitting out. I've used this to frost wedding cakes that sit out for a few hours.

So, here's how you make it. You'll need:


2 cups heavy whipping cream
4 tablespoons powdered sugar
4 tablespoons Wilton Piping Gel
1 teaspoon clear vanilla


Why "heavy" whipping cream?
Because it will whip faster and thicker than not heavy whipping cream.


Why "powdered" sugar and not granulated sugar?
Because granulated sugar will leave a gritty texture to your frosting. Using powdered sugar will give it a smooth texture. I do not sift my sugar...there is no need to.


Why "clear" vanilla?
Because regular vanilla will turn your white frosting into an off white color. If you want pure white frosting then you have to use clear vanilla.


Directions:
First- whip the whipping cream until it begins to thicken but is still smooth.
Second- add the sugar, gel, and vanilla
Third- continue whipping until the cream begins to take on a moldable thickness. A good judge of whether you've whipped it enough to use it as a thick frosting is whether or not it holds in the beater attachment on your mixer. If it falls through, it's not done. Just be careful to not whip it so long that it begins to separate into butter and liquid (buttermilk).


The measurements above are just a guide. I actually don't measure anymore. I just dump in a large amount of cream and spoon in sugar until it tastes sweet enough....add a dash of vanilla and a couple spoons of gel and I'm good to go.

Fillmore Orange Cake (Dreamsicle Cake)

Disclaimer...sorry the pictures aren't that great of this cake...but trust me, it taste so yummy!

I got this recipe back when we lived in an orange orchard farming town in California called Fillmore. It was given to me by a friend (Tracy) from church there that had gotten it from a school cookbook which was submitted by some ladies she was friends with. The recipe reads, "from Martha from Carol." (I've left out all the last names. I knew Martha but only relatives of Carol. All of these women's families go back many generations in that town and getting to be a part of their lives for a little bit was such a blessing. Every time I make this recipe (now one of my husband's favorite deserts) it always brings me back to the smell of orange blossoms as I walked to church strolling my baby. So, in all reality, I don't know who really created this cake recipe but I can tell you that the wives of orange orchard farmers sure do know how to make an orange cake!

The recipe doesn't come with very complete instructions so this is how I do it:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together:

1 yellow cake mix

1 3 oz box orange Jello

4 eggs

3/4 c oil

3/4 c water

Pour into a buttered 9x13 glass pan. Bake for 30-35 min.

While the cake is baking, juice oranges to get 2/3 c fresh squeezed orange juice (at least 2 large oranges). Mix together the orange juice and 1 lb. powdered sugar, 2 tbsp unsalted butter melted, and the zest of one orange. (be careful not to get any of the white rind from the orange peel because it will be sour)

When the cake is done baking (center comes out clean with a cake tester) the center will be puffy. While it is still warm, poke holes with a fork all over the top. Pour the sugar glaze topping on it and it will soak into the holes.

Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream making it similar to a dreamsicle.

Variations:

~serve warm or cold (some prefer it cold and some prefer it warm)

~use lemon juice and lemon jello for a lemon flavored cake.