Fruity cake

Pineapple Upside-down Cake

Made: February 1, 2013

Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter or margarine
- 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 9 slices pineapple in juice, drained
- 9 maraschino cherries without stems
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup shortening
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 egg

Directions
- Heat oven to 350 F
- In 9-inch square pan, melt butter in oven
- Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over melted butter
- Arrange pineapple slices over brown sugar
- Place cherry in center of each pineapple slice
- In medium bowl, beat remaining ingredients with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly
- Beat on high speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally
- Pour batter over pineapple and cherries
- Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean
- Immediately place heatproof serving plate upside down over pan; turn plate and pan over
- Leave pan over cake a few minutes so brown sugar mixture can drizzle over cake; remove pan
- Serve cake warm
- Store loosely covered

It's a little darker than I expected, but my pan only fit 6 pineapple slices instead of 9, but the taste is really good! Even though the batter tasted odd before I baked it.

(Recipe used: Pillsbury)

A cake missing it's flour

Flourless chocolate cake

Made: June 27, 2012

Ingredients

- 6 oz semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
- 3 eggs, separated
- 1 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

- Preheat oven to 350 F
- Spray a 9-in pan with nonstick cooking spray
- Combine the chocolate chips and butter in a microwave-safe bowl
- Microwave on high in 30 second increments, stirring after each session, until melted
- Whisk the egg yolks into the chocolate mixture
- Add the sugar gradually, beating continually
- Beat in the cocoa, vanilla and salt
- Place the egg whites in an electric mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form
- Fold 1/4 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture
- Fold in the remaining egg whites
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan
- Bake until set, about 22  minutes
- Let stand to cool slightly on a wire rack

 Made for Jeanie's birthday; needed to be gluten free for her. So I found a new recipe to try. Beware of it sticking to your pan; make sure it's greased up good! I thought mine was and it stuck to the bottom :(

Cupcakes turned to cake

Black Bottom Cake

Made: June 20, 2012

Ingredients

Cake:

- 1 1/2 cup flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 cup oil
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla

Filling:

- 1 package (8oz) cream cheese
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions

- Sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda & salt
- Add water, oil, vinegar & vanilla; mix
- Pour into a 9x13 greased and floured pan
- Combine the cream cheese, sugar, egg & salt until blended
- Stir in chocolate chips
- Drop by teaspoonfuls onto the cake batter
- Bake 30 minutes at 350 F

I had a couple of issues with this cake, unfortunately. The middle wasn't done after 30 minutes. So I kept on checking on it and left it in 10 minutes longer. I wish I could've had it cook even longer as the middle still wasn't done all the way but the edges were going to burn. So I'll have to try and perfect this cake; either less filling in the middle or a different cooking method. So we'll see. But it still had a decent taste and the middle tasted like a gooey brownie. Hopefully next time will be a better turn out.

Green Nutty Cake

Pistachio Cake; before icing

Made: May 4, 2012

Ingredients

Cake:

- 1 package yellow cake mix
- 1 package (3.4oz) instant pistachio pudding mix
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup club soda
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Icing:

- 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
- 3/4 cup cold 2% milk
- 1 package (3.4oz) instant pistachio pudding mix
- 2 teaspoons confectioner's sugar
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

- In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, soda and oil
- Beat on low speed for 30 seconds
- Beat on medium for 2 minutes
- Stir in walnuts
- Pout into a greased and floured 10-in fluted tube pan
- Bake at 350F for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean
- Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to wire rack to cool completely
- In a large bowl, beat the cream, milk, pudding mix & confectioner's sugar on high until stiff peaks form
- Frost cake
- Sprinkle with the walnuts
- Refrigerate until serving

Pistachio cake; after decorating

Ken asked for his Pistachio cake and he got one! I was just happy that my cake came out in one piece! (Me and bundt pans do not get along!)

(Recipe used: Taste of Home - Quick Cooking 2012)

Jello and Pudding O' the Irish

St Patricks Day Poke Cake

Made: March 16, 2012

Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 package white cake mix
- 2 3-oz packages lime gelatin
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1/2 cup cold water

Icing:
- 1 cup cold milk
- 1 3.4-oz package instant vanilla pudding mix
- 1 8-oz carton frozen whipped topping, thawed
- Green sprinkles

Directions
- Prepare and bake cake according to package directions, using a greased 13x9x2-in baking dish
- Cook on a wire rack for 1 hour
- In a small bowl, dissolve gelatin in boiling water
- Stir in cold water and set aside
- With a meat fork or wooden skewer, poke holes about 2 in apart into the cooled cake
- Slowly pour the gelatin over the cake
- Cover and refrigerate
- In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes
- Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set
- Fold in whipped topping
- Spread over cake
- Decorate with sprinkles
- Cover and refrigerate until serving

First time making a "poke cake" I didn't use as much gelatin as the recipe requested. So it's not as green as it should've been. I was worried my cake was going to be a soggy mess though. But overall, it came out moist and delish! I added a couple of drops of food coloring to the frosting to add more green for St Patricks Day :)

(Recipe used: Taste of Home Cake Mix Creations)

Two for the price of one

Marble cake

Made: May 6, 2011

For the final week of the Friday Night Doubles league, I wanted to make something. Since I can't decide what to make and like to please the masses; I picked a marble cake. Best of both worlds. :D

Ingredients

- 2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter; softened
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions

- Preheat oven to 350 F
- Grease and flour baking pan
- Place flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla and milk into a mixing bowl
- Beat slowly to moisten, then beat with an electric mixer at medium speed for about 2 minutes until smooth
- Reserve 3/4 cup of the batter; pour the remainder into the pan.
- Stir cocoa into the 3/4 cup reserved batter.
- Drop by spoonfuls over top of white batter.
- Using a knife, swirl the cocoa batter into the white batter to incorporate it in a marble effect.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.

 I used a 9inx13in rectangle baking pan; the recipe called for a 9in round pan. This was a fairly easy cake to make :) I'm very pleased with the outcome! :D You don't have to icing the cake, but I did half to have some variation for people today. :)

(Recipe used: allrecipes)

An attempt to roll a cake

Cake roll with berries

Made April 23/24, 2011

For Easter, I decided to be adventurous and attempt a cake roll. They always look so pretty in the stores. I found a decent recipe and took a chance. Unfortunately, I didn't completely succeed and my cake broke on one side. I also had quite a few issues along the way as well. :/ But you learn from mistakes and mishaps ... so when I attempt again, I hope it comes out better :)

Ingredients

Cake:

- 3 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Powdered sugar

Filling/Frosting:
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup butter (softened)
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

- Line a greased 15in x 10in baking pan with wax paper and grease the paper; set aside.
- Preheat oven to 375 F
- In a large bowl, beat eggs on high speed for 3 minutes.
- Gradually add sugar, beating until mixture becomes thick and lemon colored.
- Beat in water and vanilla.
- Combine the flour, baking powder and salt & fold into egg mixture until no dry ingredients are seen.
- Spread batter into prepared pan.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched.
- Cool for 5 minutes.
- Invert onto a kitchen towel dusted with powdered sugar & gently peel off the wax paper.
- Roll up cake in the towel jelly-roll style, starting with the short side.
- Cool completely on a wire rack.

- For the filling - combine the flour & milk in a small saucepan until smooth.
- Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil; cook and stir 2 minutes more.
- Transfer to a bowl; press wax paper onto surface of mixture.
- Cool completely.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter, shortening and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in vanilla and salt.
- Gradually beat in milk mixture; beat for 5 minutes or until filling is light and fluffy.

- Unroll cake; spread filling over cake to within 1/2 in of edges.
- Roll up again, seam side should be face down.
- Refrigerate cake for 1 hour before serving.

Ready for serving

I seemed to have an issue with the towel and the rolling where parts of my cake stuck to the towel itself. So even though I thought I put a lot of powdered sugar on the towel, it didn't seem to help. Reading other cake roll recipes, they used wax paper or parchment paper instead; so I'll have to keep that in mind for the next time I try this. I also didn't like the taste of the filling as much; I feel like my flour and milk mixture didn't turn out like the book wanted. So I added in some puraied strawberries and the icing had more of a light flavor. Since my cake fell apart, I put the icing on top of my cake as well; you don't have to. It was just something that was a last minute thing for me. I also topped it with some strawberries for an added decorative touch :D

Even though the cake looked unappealing, the taste was there. So that's all that matters yes? :) Hope you guys had a lovely Easter!

(Recipe used: Taste of home)

Lemony surprise

Lemon Frosted Lemon Cake

Made: April 22, 2011

Ingredents:

Cake:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 eggs (large)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 large lemon
- 2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup lemon juice

Frosting:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:

Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Grease a 9in pan and then line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fully and pale in color (about 3 minutes)
- Add the eggs one at a time; mixing well after each egg.
- Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- Add dry ingredients to the batter along with the lemon juice.
- Mix only until incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the pan, smoothing with a spatual.
- Bake 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Place on a wire rack to cool.

Frosting:

- In a bowl, combine the sifted powdered sugar and lemon juice. You want the icing to be thicker than a glaze but still thing enough that it will just run over the sides of the cake.
- Adjust if needed.
- Pour the frosting over the top of the cake, allowing the icing to drip down the sides.
- Let the icing dry before covering and storing.

I didn't use parchment paper ... I didn't think it needed it. I also only cooked the cake for about 35 minutes as the sides were starting to brown. The middle was also clear when I stuck a knife in the middle. :) The icing I made still seemed too thin ... I wanted it to taste lemony and it just never got there for my liking ... so I'll have to play around with that part. :) Enjoy!

(Recipe used: Joy of baking)

Green Velvet Cake

Luck o' the Irish

Made March 18, 2011

Basically, same recipe as the Red Velvet, but with green food coloring. :) It didn't get as green as I would've liked after the baking process, but it was so bright in the mix, I didn't think it would affect it! :( But it still tasted delish! :)

Red Velvet Recipe