Chocolate Cake

I have had a lot of chocolate cake in my life time but this one out shines them all! This cake should be called the disappearing chocolate cake, because that is what it kept doing. I would want a piece and it would be gone. What happen to the cake I would ask and know body seemed to know! So I would make another one and that one would disappear also!

How did this wonderful disappearing chocolate cake come into my life? A few years ago my friend Susan asked me and my daughter Ariel to a charity luncheon and they handed out programs and in the back of the program there was recipes and this was one of them. I held on to this one because it sounded yummy and I just love chocolate cake and the frosting reminds me of my fudge recipe.
When I stared making it I noticed that the cake recipe seemed familiar; that was because it is the same cake recipe on the back of the Hersey's cocoa powder can; and I have made it before and loved it! But the frosting is the main reason I wanted to try this cake. and boy am I glad that I did!
Now if I can just keep it from disappearing!

Chocolate Cake

2 cups sugar
1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
¾ cup Hershey’s cocoa powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
½ cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup boiling water

Frosting

1 can sweetened condensed milk
¼ cup butter
1 (16oz) bag chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350⁰F. Grease and flour two 9 inch baking pans.

In a large mixing bowl combine dry ingredients; add eggs, milk and vanilla; beat on medium speed 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be very thin). Pour into prepared pans.
Bake for 30 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes; remove from pans and let cool completely before frosting.

For Frosting:

Combine all ingredients in a microwave safe bowl; microwave on high for 2 minutes. Stir until all chocolate is melted and ingredients are incorporated. Let cool. Then frost cake.Pin It

Banana Split Dessert

My daughter Ariel is having a baby! My first grandchild! Her name is Marley Kay, what a cute name! I can’t wait to meet her!

I bet you can’t tell that I am a little excited. Ariel’s due date is May 26. She has been dealing with contraction since the being of April; I think that Marley can’t wait to meet me just as much as I can’t wait to meet her!

On Saturday Brandy and I threw Ariel a baby shower. It was so much fun!

 

 Our guest sign in table.

I found the idea for these cute little monkeys on Pinterest!

We played alot of games!

We had so much fun with our family and friends!

 

I decided not to serve cake for dessert, I wanted something different. If you can’t tell already we had a monkey theme. I want a dessert to match that theme. I remember my Aunt Roda making this dessert when I was younger but I never got the recipe. So I Goggled it and this was the first site that popped up. The Brown Eyed Baker so I decided to use her recipe because the others used eggs in a way I just couldn’t handle. You can always goggle it yourself if your curiosity gets the best of you.

I did changed one thing on the recipe I added 2 tablespoon of sugar to the crust, other than that I left it the same, oh and I changed the name.
It was a big hit and everyone wanted the recipe!

 

Banana Split Dessert

Crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
½ cup butter, melted

Filling:

12oz cream cheese
¼ cup sugar
1 (8 oz) container Cool Whip Whipped Topping

Toppings:

3 to 4 bananas, sliced
1 (20oz) can crushed pineapple, drained
2 cups of sliced fresh strawberries
1 (8oz) container Cool Whip Whipped Topping
½ cup chopped walnuts
Chocolate syrup
Maraschino cherries

Directions:
In a medium size bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, 2 tablespoons sugar and melted butter. Pour into a greased 9x13 inch greased baking dish and press evenly into the bottom of dish, set aside.
In a mixing bowl mix together the cream cheese and ½ cup; on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Fold in whipped topping until combined. Carefully spread mixture over graham cracker crust.
Top the cream cheese filling with a layer of sliced bananas, and then add a layer of crushed pineapple, and then add a layer of sliced strawberries.
Cover the strawberries with the last container of cool whip, sprinkle with the chopped walnuts, and then drizzle with as much as the chocolate syrup as your heart desires; last but not least top with cherries.
Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

 

 

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3 2 1 Cake

3 2 1 Yum! What a nice little treat and so simple to. When one is trying to watch their weight and want to have a little something then this little cake is perfect.

Yes it is as simple as 3 2 1 cake! Just 3 tablespoons of cake mix and 2 tablespoons of water and 1 minute in the microwave is all it takes. My little dessert is only 2 points for the cake 1 point for the chocolate sauce and the strawberries are 0 points, that equals a big YUMMY for me!

3 2 1 Cake

1 box angel food cake mix
1 box any flavor cake mix

Mix both cake mixes together in a gallon-size food storage bag.

For each individual cake, mix together 3 tablespoons of cake mix and 2 tablespoons of water in a microwave safe container; microwave for 1 minute. Enjoy! Makes 48 cakes, 2 points each.

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Canned Peach Cobbler

This is a very easy cobbler recipe and very tasty too. I had this can of peaches for awhile now I bought it last year to make a peach cake with but never got around to baking it, at least that’s what I think I bought the peaches for.  Like I sais in my previous post I am trying to come up with or find recipes to use up my food in the pantry before I go shopping for more.

I have a wonderful cobbler recipe that I posted a few years ago. But this time I wanted to do something different. Something like the cobblers I grew up with. Also that would use canned peaches. I found quite a few out there on the web. But most of them used self-rising flour, which I don’t have. So I added the extra ingredients to make the batter rise.

This turned out great and I well be making this again! But next time I think I might sprinkle a little cinnamon and sugar over the top before baking. That me, always changing recipes!

Canned Peach Cobbler
1 (28oz) can sliced peaches; drained; reserving syrup
½ cup butter
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350⁰F.

Melt butter in a 13x9 inch baking dish in oven. Meanwhile combine flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and sugar in a medium size bowl add milk and blend until smooth.
Remove baking dish from oven; pour batter over melted butter. Spoon sliced peaches over top of batter, and then pour reserved syrup over top of peaches.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown. If desired serve with vanilla ice-cream!Pin It

Pineapple Pie

Who would have guessed that when I made this pie that it would have started a family feud! This pie can about when Richard and I walked past a Hostess display at the store the other day. I stopped and looked to see if they had one of my favorites the Suzy Q and of course they didn’t. Which led us into a discussion about Hostess treats that we love. Richard mentioned that one of his favorite from his childhood was the pineapple pie which is very hard to find now. I started thinking why couldn’t I make a pineapple pie myself. So I went looking for a recipe and found this one on the Dole web-site. Now let me tell you about our little family feud.

I made this pie last Tuesday and we all loved it. And then I was thinking as I drove to work on Wednesday that I hope that pie doesn’t go to waste. You see because I bake so much it’s not a special thing in my house to have such threats around. Sometimes I have to give them away to friends. Well later that night Richard pulls out the pie for dessert and more than half the pie is gone. Ariel yells what happened to the pie I only got one piece. Richard says I had some for breakfast and Ariel says it must have been a big piece then. Richard tells her it’s been here all day you could have had some. All I know is that they went back in forth this way for a while and then they decided in the end to just split the rest of the pie.
So I guess I don’t really need to tell you how this pie tasted, I just hope it doesn’t start a feud in your house like it did in mine!

Pineapple Pie

1 (20 oz.) can DOLE Crushed Pineapple
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt (optional)
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Pastry for 9-inch double-crust pie

Combine crushed pineapple, sugar, cornstarch and salt in saucepan. Cook, stirring, until thickened and clear. Stir in butter and lemon juice. Cool slightly.
Pour filling into unbaked 9-inch pastry shell. Top with second crust and flute edges, cut slits in several places.
Bake at 400^⁰F., 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly golden brown.

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Easy Apple Dumpling

As I mention in my previous posting that I bought a package of egg roll wrappers for a recipe that I had in mind, will this is it. I thought why not use egg roll wrappers in place of the pie crust that I normally use when I make apple dumplings.

It was a lot less work. And it did cut bake on the calories. If you want you could cut back a lot more if you use Splenda blend in place of the sugar that would make a very low calorie dessert.
I did fine that the dumpling were browning to fast. If you have the same problem just do what I did I placed a sheet of aluminum foil on top to help prevent over browning.
And what about the taste they were delicious. I gave one of my friends at work who told me that she really liked it. And I know that you will to. And I know that you will to.

Easy Apple Dumpling

8 small granny smith apples, peeled and corded
1 package large eggroll wrappers
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup water
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 425⁰F.

In a small dish combine the ½ cup sugar with the ½ teaspoon cinnamon; set aside. On a work surface place an eggroll wrapper. Place one prepared apple then spoon 1 teaspoon of cinnamon sugar mixture into core of apple.

With a pastry brush dipped in water brush the edges of wrapper; carefully fold wrapper over apple sealing edges.

 Place into a small baking dish. Repeat with remaining apples; set aside.

In a small saucepan heat to boil water, brown sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon and butter. Pour over apple in baking dish. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

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Strawberry Pie

Hey what is that up in the sky is that my Strawberry Pie! No it's our new air conditioner!

If you have been following my blog then you know that I have been with out an a/c for a week. Will they showed up this morning to take our old one away and to bring us a bright and shinny new one.

This is our old one. It is the only A/C that this house has ever known, it has been working hard for 28 years to keep this little old house warm in the winter and cool in the hot California summers.

And yes that is a crane. How else would they get a 3000 pound a/c onto a roof. You see out here in California they do some crazy things, like installing an a/c on the roof of house.

So out with the old and....

and in with the new!

And now after a week of the noise of 3 osculating fans, 1 ceiling fan, and 1 portable a/c; that were trying to keep us cool, with temperatures being over 100 degrees outside. We now get to enjoy the quite of our bright and shinny new air conditioner!

Strawberry Pie

1 cup fresh chopped strawberries

1 small box strawberry jello

1 cup boiling water

2 cups vanilla ice cream

1 graham cracker pie crust

In a large bowl dissolve jello in boiling water. Add vanilla ice cream and stir until melted. Add the strawberries; pour mixture into pie crust. Chill until firm.

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Banana Pudding

I love banana pudding I don’t make it that often because I could eat the whole dish. This dessert can take a little time to prepare but it is so worth it, what could be a better combination that cookies, pudding and bananas.

This pudding is very popular in the south. I remember my Grandma Whitley making it sometimes for dessert for Sunday dinner. One time she even replaced the bananas with crushed pineapple and the vanilla wafers with butter cookies. Now that was a great pudding.

Banana Pudding
½ cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
¼ teaspoon salt
3 egg, yolks (save the whites for later)
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 box vanilla wafers
4 to 5 bananas, sliced
3 egg whites
½ teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons sugar

In a medium saucepan; mix together ½ sugar, flour, salt, egg yolks, and milk. Stirring constantly, heat over medium heat until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
Line the bottom and the sides of a small baking dish with vanilla wafers; add a layer of sliced bananas and then a layer of custard; repeat layers.
In a large mixing bowl beat egg whites and vanilla on high speed until soft peaks form; gradually add remaining sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until stiff peaks form. Spread over custard, sealing edges of pan.
Bake in a 425⁰F oven for 5 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Can be served warm or chilled.

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Butterscotch Pumpkin Cake

Who would have thought that butterscotch and pumpkin would make a good combination? Not me for sure, but to my surprise it does! I bought a bag of Nestle Toll House butterscotch chip to make oatmeal cookies with and saw this recipe on the back of the bag; I just had to give it a try. I change the recipe just a little; I added the second cup of chips to the batter instead of making the butterscotch sauce that the recipe calls for.

You need to give this cake a try and if you want to serve it with the butterscotch sauce you can also find this recipe on the back of the bag of morsels or on the Very Best Baking web-site.

Butterscotch Pumpkin Cake
1 (11 oz. pkg.) Nestle Toll House butterscotch flavored morsels, divided
2 cups flour
1 ¾ cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup Libby’s 100% pure pumpkin
½ cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons powder sugar

Preheat oven 350⁰F. Grease 12-cup Bundt pan.
Microwave 1 cups morsels in small, uncovered, microwave bowl on medium-high power for 1 minute; stir. If necessary, microwave at additional 10- to 15- second intervals, stirring just until melted. Cool to room temperature.
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg in medium bowl. Stir together melted morsels, pumpkin, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla in large bowl with wire whisk. Stir in flour mixture and remaining morsels. Spoon batter into prepared Bundt pan.
Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 30 minutes; remove to wire rack to cool completely. Sprinkle with powder sugar.

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Peach Crisp

I love peaches, there is nothing better than a fresh peach picked right of the tree on a warm summer day, the sun warmed flesh busting in your mouth, while the juices run down your hand and arms! That is one of my fondest childhood memories, of eating peaches right off my grandparent’s trees. Now I have a peach tree of my own and every year I can’t wait until those peaches are ripe, and yes I still love to eat peaches right of the tree that have been warmed by the sun.


Yesterday afternoon Ariel and I picked a bowl full of peaches and nectarines, I wanted to make a peach crisp but it was too late in the afternoon. I didn’t want to turn the oven on, because I didn’t want to heat up the house and have to turn on the air-conditioned, so I waited until this morning to make the peach crisp. That was even better because I got to have peach crisp for breakfast!

Peach Crisp
8 cups peeled and sliced peaches
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 cup quick - cooking oats
1 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup (1 stick) butter, cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 375⁰F. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cook spray; set as side. Toss peaches, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, and vanilla in a large bowl; pour into baking dish.

Combine in a medium size bowl the oat meal, flour, brown sugar and ½ teaspoon cinnamon. With a pastry blender cut butter into flour mixture, until well combined. (If you don't have a pastry blender use you hands to mix the butter in, I love to do it that way somtimes).Sprinkle mixture over peaches in baking dish.

Bake for 45-50 minutes.Pin It

Chocolate Chip Cake

 
This cake recipe is a twist on my famous Death by Chocolate. I wanted to make a new cake that would become another favorite for my family, and I succeed. Ariel says that this is now her favorite cake, and I believe what she say’s because after she ate one piece she had to have another and she plans on having another later. So maybe this cake should come with a warning sign that says, Warning this cake may causes spontaneous consumption!

Chocolate Chip Cake
4eggs
1 cup sour cream
½ cup water
½ cup oil
1 box yellow cake mix
1 package vanilla instant pudding mix
12 oz. bag semisweet mini chocolate chips, divided

Divide a 12 oz. bag of mini chocolate chips three ways, ¾ cup for the glaze recipe, ¼ cup for sprinkling over glaze and the remainder of the bag is to be mixed into the cake batter about 1 ½ cups. Set aside.

Beat eggs, sour cream, water, and oil together in a large bowl until thoroughly mixed. Add cake mix and pudding mix. Beat until smooth. Stir, in the remaining chocolate chips, about 1 ½ cups. Pour into Bundt or tube pan bake at 350⁰ for 1 hour. When cool top with glaze; recipe follows, and then sprinkle the ¼ cup of mini chocolate chips over the top of glaze.

Satiny Chocolate Glaze
¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
¼ teaspoon vanilla

In a double boiler over hot, but not boiling water, combine chocolate chips, butter and corn syrup. Stir until chips are melted and mixture is smooth, and then add vanilla. Spread warm glaze over top of cake letting it drizzle down the sides.

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Chocolate Éclair Dessert

I have been preparing this dessert for more than 15 years; I found this recipe in a Jell-O cookbook. Whenever I take this dessert anywhere someone usually will ask me for the recipe. I have made it with low fat graham crackers, sugar free pudding, fat free milk and fat free Cool whip for a low calorie dessert. And it does taste just like a Chocolate Éclair!

Chocolate Éclair Dessert
1 box graham crackers
2 (3 oz.) boxes vanilla pudding
2 cups milk
1 (12oz.) container Cool Whip
1 container chocolate frosting

In a large mixing combine vanilla pudding, milk, Cool Whip; set aside. In the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking place a layer of graham crackers; spread ½ of the pudding mixture over the graham crackers, top with another layer of graham crackers then the rest of the pudding mixture, top with another layer of graham crackers. To melt frosting, place in microwave for 15 to 20 seconds; pour over top of last layer of graham crackers in dish. Refrigerate 12 hours or overnight before serving.Pin It

Pineapple Cake

I was at work the other day and I started thinking about cake recipes it’s not surprising I’m always thinking of either baking or cooking something. Will any ways the reason I was thinking about a pineapple cake recipes is because my co-worker were talking about pineapples that they bought at the flea market and I started thinking about my grandma’s pineapple cake with seven minute frosting, it was one of my favorites next to her chocolate marble cake. Oh wait a minute there is few more favorites her coconut cake and her red velvet cake. Now you know why I love to bake I love cake. And I think my grandma Annie Mae Whitley made the best cakes. This is not her pineapple cake recipe that recipe left this world when she passed away; she never wrote any of her recipes down she kept them all in her head. I wonder if my grandma was alive in this computer world of ours would she also have a cooking blog.

Pineapple Cake
1 yellow cake mix
1 small box vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
1/3 cup oil
20 oz. can crush pineapple, divided

Glaze
¼ cup butter
¾ cup crushed pineapple
2 cups powder sugar

Preheat oven to 350⁰F. Grease and flour Bundt pan or angel food cake pan. Set aside ¾ cup of crushed pineapple for glaze.
In a large mix bowl combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, oil and remaining pineapple. Mix on medium speed for 3 minutes. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
For glaze; in small sauce pan melt butter add the ¾ cup crushed pineapple and powder sugar, stir until sugar is dissolved. Spoon glaze over cooled cake.

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Easy Fruit Cobbler

I have made this cobbler many times over the years. My family just loves the topping and I love that it is so simple to make, I always have the ingredients on hand. Today I made the cobbler with Bing cherries that I bought a road side stand, 1 dollar a pound you can’t beat that price especially when the store sells them for 4 times that much. I want to think my friend and neighbor Val Templeton for giving me this recipe many years ago.

Easy Fruit Cobbler
4 cups fruit (your choice)
Cinnamon
Topping:
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
½ cup butter

Place 4 cups fruit in a lightly greased 13x9 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Mix sugar, flour, and butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over fruit and cinnamon mixture. Bake at 400⁰F for 40 to 45 minutes.Pin It

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

What a great combination! I have heard of rhubarb throughout my life but I have never tried it until a few years ago. I never wanted to give a try because I didn’t like the name rhubarb, it just didn’t sound good. And when I finally got to see what it looked like I really didn’t want to try it. Do you ever wonder what possessed the person who first saw this red celery like plant and said “Yum that looks good, let’s eat!” Will a few years ago I gave in and made a pie and you know what I liked it. So today when I came home I decided to make another. After all it is the first of two strawberry seasons here in California, one in the spring and one at the end of summer. And like I have mention in the past we do have the best strawberries in the world.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

1 box refrigerated pie crust
2 cups sliced rhubarb
3 cups sliced strawberries
1 cup sugar
½ cup flour
2 tablespoons butter, cut up
2 teaspoon milk
1 teaspoon sugar

Preheat oven to 400⁰F.

In large mixing bowl combine rhubarb, strawberries, 1 cup sugar and ½ cup flour; set aside.

Place one of the crusts into ungreased 9-inch pie plate pressing crust into and up the sides of the pie plate; Pour strawberry-rhubarb mixture on top of crust in pie plate. Scatter cut-up butter on top of filling. Place second pie crust over top of filling. Tucking edges under. Press edges together to seal. Cut slits in top of crust. Brush top of pie with milk; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar.

Bake on cookie sheet for 50 minutes. Cover edges with tinfoil to prevent over browning.

Allow to cool before serving.Pin It

Create Your Own Bundt Cake

This recipe I found many years ago on the Nortic Ware web-site, when I was looking for a recipe for one of their baking pans. What I like most about this recipe is that it is a very versatile you can mix and match the cake mix with the pudding mix and any combination that you like. Today I mixed a vanilla cake mix with vanilla pudding mix, I was look for a nice simple pound cake to serve with the strawberries that I bought today at the road side stand on the way home. I happen to think we grow the beat strawberries here in California; Watsonville has nothing on the strawberry growers here in Merced County. Watsonville holds a strawberry festival every year, but I think we should hold one here instead.

Create Your Own Bundt Cake
1 (18-1/2 oz.) package cake mix
1 (3-3/4 oz.) package instant pudding mix
4 eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
1 cup water

To create your own cake, choose cake mix and pudding flavor of your choice. Combine all ingredients together; beat 3-4 minutes. Pour batter into greased and floured pan (see below) and bake at 350⁰. Cool cake in pan 5 -10 minutes. Turn out on wire rack to complete cooling. Experiment with different glazes and toppings or sprinkle confectioners’ sugar over the top for a festive look.Pin It

Nutella Self-frosting Cupcakes

If you have never heard of Nutella then you are in for a treat. Here in the USA with love our peanut butter, but in Italy they love their Nutella. Will Nutella in a chocolate and hazelnut spread; you can find it on the same shelf right next to the peanut butter. When my daughter Brandy was home for Easter last week she was looking through my pantry and found my Nutella (she loves Nutella just as much as I do) she said I can’t believe that you haven’t’ eating all your Nutella yet. I just love to eat it with a spoon just like most people love to eat peanut butter. I told her I was saving it to make a Nutella pound cake recipe that I found on a web-site. Will today I decided to make the pound cake when I found this recipe on GroupRecipes.com and I just had to give it a try. When you make these cupcakes and I know you will, here is a hint for swirling the Nutella into the batter make sure to hold the paper liners with your finger tips.

Nutella Self-frosting Cupcakes
10 tbsp. butter, softened
¾ cup white sugar
3 eggs
½ tsp. vanilla
1¾ cups flour
¼ tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1/3 cup Nutella

Preheat oven to 325⁰F. Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners.
Cream together butter and sugar, add in eggs one at a time, until fully incorporated; add vanilla. Stir in flour, salt and baking powder until batter in uniform and no flour remains. Using a scoop, fill each liner ¾ full with batter. Top each cake with 1 ½ tsp Nutella.

Swirl Nutella in with a toothpick, making sure to fold a bit of batter up over Nutella.

Bake for 20 minutes. Remove to wire rack to cool completely.Pin It

Best Every Carrot Cake

I have been making this carrot cake for over 15 years; I received this recipe in an advisement for a cookbook all those years ago. I love the pineapple in the cake and I sometimes add raisins to the batter. I know that there is a lot of oil in the recipe but it makes the cake so moist.


Best Every Carrot Cake
1 ½ cups corn oil
1 ¾ cups sugar
3 eggs
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups peeled and grated carrots
1 cup chopped walnuts

1 can (8 oz.) crushed pineapple

Beat together corn oil, sugar and eggs until well combined. In a small bowl sift together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cloves. Add to egg mixture, mixing well. Add carrots, walnuts and pineapple to mixture. Blend to mix well. Pour batter into 3 greased 9 – inch pans. Bake at 350⁰ for 35 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. When cool frost with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting: Cream together 2 (8 oz.) packages of cream cheese, ½ cup butter; add 2 cups powder sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, blending well about 3 minutes.Pin It

Fresh Grapefruit Cake

A couple of weeks ago my friend Mary gave me a bag of sweet potatoes and a bag of grapefruit. I kind of forgot that I had them; I put them in the bottom of my pantry when she gave them to me and it just slipped my mind. When I was looking through the pantry yesterday I saw the grapefruit and reminded Richard and Ariel that we needed to eat them. I started wondering what a grapefruit cake would taste like, now I have made an orange cake before but never a grapefruit cake. I took the basic Bundt cake recipe that I had and used the juice from the grapefruit instead of water and added the zest of one of the grapefruits. For the glaze I used the recipe I had for my Southern Comfort cake I just used the grapefruit juice instead of the liquor that it called for. For the whole cake and glaze I used six grapefruits and I still have quite a bit of fruit still in the bag. That is the great thing about living in California nearly everybody has a lemon, orange or grapefruit tree in their yard. And everybody is always giving away fresh fruit.

Fresh Grapefruit Cake
Cake
1 (18-1/2 oz.) package yellow cake mix
1 (3-3/4 oz.) package vanilla instant pudding mix
4 eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
1 cup fresh squeezed grapefruit juice
2 tablespoon grapefruit zest

Glaze
1 cup fresh squeezed grapefruit juice
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup butter

Preheat oven to 350⁰F.
In a large mixing bowl combine cake mix, pudding, eggs, oil, 1 cup grapefruit juice and zest. Beat at medium speed for 3 minutes. Pour batter into a prepared Bundt pan. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
Meanwhile in a small saucepan combine the ingredients for the glaze; 1cup grapefruit juice, sugar and butter. Bring to a boil; remove from heat.
After removing cake from oven immediately pour glaze over cake while still in the pan; allow to cool 10 minutes than invert the cake onto a serving platter.Pin It

Death by Chocolate Cake

This is my most requested cake that I bake. Every year I donate it to my churches fundraiser, Mexico Outreach. Every year around Easter break a group of teenagers and adults from the church travel to Mexico for a little more than a week. They help out with building a church or a clinic and they also teach a vacation bible school. To help raise funds for the trip they hold a chili feed with a silent auction and a dessert auction. Year after year the bidding for my Death by Chocolate Cake goes higher and higher. I follow my recipe as followed I just dress it up a bit my drizzling a little while icing and filling the hole in the middle of the Bundt cake with Hersey hugs. This year the cake went for $135. Now you don’t have to wait for the fundraiser every year, you can enjoy this cake any time you want.

Death by Chocolate Cake
4eggs
1 cup sour cream
½ cup water
½ cup oil
1 box chocolate cake mix
1 package chocolate instant pudding mix
12 oz. bag semisweet chocolate chips

Beat eggs, sour cream, water, and oil together in a large bowl until thoroughly mixed. Add cake mix and pudding mix. Beat until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into Bundt or tube pan bake at 350⁰ for 1 hour. When cool, sift powdered sugar on top of cake or top with glaze.

Satiny Chocolate Glaze
¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
¼ teaspoon vanilla

In a double boiler over hot, but not boiling water, combine chocolate chips, butter and corn syrup. Stir until chips are melted and mixture is smooth, and then add vanilla. Spread warm glaze over top of cake letting it drizzle down the sides.Pin It