Gooey Chocolate Caramel Cake

Oh. My.  If you have never tasted this cake before, not only are you seriously missing out on a truly sweet experience, but it is probably one of my favorite cakes in the world.  Yes, that is a powerful statement.  And I have a little secret...I use a boxed cake mix.  Of course, you can make your cake from scratch if you like.  But for some reason, it's just the perfect recipe using a box. And why not? Taking a shortcut now and then isn't gonna kill you.  I promise.  This is one of the most simple cakes I make, but it is truly the sweetest and most perfect balance of taste and texture.  After the cake cools, you get to poke holes in it.  It's my favorite part.  It feels so wrong but so right at the same time.  It is than smothered in both hot fudge and caramel sauce. It seeps into the holes so with every bite you get fudge, caramel and cake.  Yum.  Top it with Cool Whip, chocolate chips and toffee bits, and you've got yourself one amazing cake.  Try it. You will fall in love.  You'll thank me later.  

Oh, and stay tuned for a giveaway coming soon.  It's gonna be great!

Gooey Chocolate Caramel Cake

1 box devil's food cake mix

1 jar hot fudge sauce

1 jar caramel sauce

1 8 oz. tub Cool Whip

mini chocolate chips

toffee bits

1. Grease a 9 x 13 cake pan.  Bake the cake according to package directions.  Let cool completely.

2. After cake has cooled, poke holes in cake.  Warm both the hot fudge and caramel slightly in the microwave, just enough so that the sauces are pourable.  Pour both sauces over the top of the cake.  Let the cake sit for about 15 minutes to let the sauces seep into all the holes.

3. Top the cake with the Cool Whip.  Top the Cool Whip with chocolate chips and toffee bits. Enjoy!

Heavenly Angel Food Cake

I'll make this a short post, because I've been behind lately and I need to catch up.  But that means some time in the kitchen!  I love Angel Food Cake.  I love the soft texture and the sweet flavor.  I love to cover it in Strawberries and Cream and enjoy the decedent flavor combination.  Growing up, my Mom would make Angel Food Cake and make a chocolate pudding filling, and cover it in a mixture of chocolate pudding and whipped cream.  She'd top it all off with chopped Hershey's milk chocolate bars.  Yum!  I will show that soon, but for now, I made it into a strawberry shortcake.  This recipe does take a dozen eggs, but if that does not intimidate you, try this because it is heavenly!

Angel Food Cake

adapted from an vintage Betty Crocker Cookbook

1 cup cake flour

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

12 egg whites (1 1/2 cups)

1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tarter

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 teaspoon lemon extract (or almond extract)

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Stir together flour and confectioners' sugar; set aside.

2. In a large mixer bowl, beat egg whites, cream of tartar and slat until foamy.  Add the granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating on high speed until meringue holds stiff peaks.  Gently fold in flavorings.  Sprinkle flour-sugar mixture, 1/4 cup at a time over meringue, folding in gently just until flour-sugar mixture disappears.  

4. Push batter into ungreased tube pan, 10 x 4 inches.  Gently cut through batter.

5. Bake 30-35 minutes or until top springs back when touched lightly with finger.  Invert tube pan on funnel, or bottle; let hang upside down until cake is completely cool.

Slice and cover with sweetened strawberries and cream, or cover with anything you like.  It is also delicious plain!

Glazed Lemon Cakes

These are delicious little lemon cakes with a nice, lemony glaze that is just the right sweetness for a sweet tooth!  And that is exactly what I have...a sweet tooth.  I have really been into lemon lately, and I was craving lemon very much this weekend.  I decided to give this recipe a try, and they turned out perfectly!  The cakes are very moist and just sweet enough, but when you bite into that glaze and get the fresh lemon flavor, it jumps out at you and just blends so well with the cake.  I will definitely be making these again!  If you love lemon like I do, give these a try and you will be in love!

Glazed Lemon Cakes

adapted from Martha Stewart's Great Food Fast

6 servings

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for muffin tin

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for muffin tin

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk or plain low-fat yogurt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon, plus 2 tablespoons juice for the glaze

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and flour a 6-cup jumbo muffin tin.  In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder and salt.  In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, vanilla, and lemon zest and juice.  Set aside.

2. With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of the buttermilk mixture.

3. Divide evenly among the muffin cups.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean, 20-25 minutes.  Cool for 10 minutes in tin, then cool completely on a wire rack.

4. Set the rack over parchment paper.  In a small bowl, stir confectioners' sugar with the remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice until smooth.  (I had to add some milk).  Pour over the cakes, spreading to the edges with a small knife.  Let set for 30 minutes before serving.

Buttering Muffin Tins

A pastry brush is great for coating muffin tins and other small baking pans with butter because it can reach into tight spots.

My Very First Daring Bakers Challenge!

I was so excited for my first Daring Bakers Challenge! I couldn't wait to find out what the recipe would be. I had to wait almost a whole month before I could even find out. Finally the recipe was revealed, and I have to admit I got a little nervous. It would be Dorie Greenspan's Perfect Party Cake, from her cookbook, Baking from my home to yours. I'm not sure why, but cakes have been challenging for me lately. I don't know if my oven is off or just the baker trying to use the oven, but my baked goods haven't been rising properly and I was worried that it would happen again for my perfect party cake. Then, I decided just to go for it, and hopefully all would end well. I also decided what better time to try it out than Easter! I woke up early Sunday morning and started my first journey. I was crossing my fingers that my cake would rise higher than I'd ever seen a cake rise before. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. My poor cake didn't even rise an 1/8 of inch. I questioned whether I should try for a second time, but just did not have the time nor the energy. So I just decided not to cut the cakes in half and just have a simple layer cake instead of the 4 layer cake I had intended.

I have to say, this was a delicious cake. I decided to keep my first challenge simple and so I stuck with a strawberry preserve and strawberries inside the layer. I wished that I had just gone for it and tried to cut the layers in half, I'm sure it actually would have worked out fine, but I was so scared that I would mess it up, I was trying to be a little too safe. But an extra two layers of strawberries and it would have been the best cake I had ever had! I absolutely loved the buttercream frosting. It was so different than any buttercreams I have tasted. Using egg whites instead of powdered sugar made it so velvety and smooth. It wasn't too sweet, it almost tasted like a sweet cream. Mmmm....My pictures didn't really turn out as I intended either, but hopefully for my next challenge I will feel more confident and I know everything will turn out perfect! I'm sooo excited to see what my next challenge will be! If you want to see a million more versions of this lovely cake, check them out here. And for the recipe, go here.

Cupcakes!!!!

Okay, so if you look at my past posts, it totally looks like I eat more sweets than real food...but trust me, it's true.  Just kidding, this was a special occasion!  My sweet baby girl is turning 3 years old tomorrow, and so I made her cupcakes for her special day.   Me and my husband of course sampled them when she was snug and sound asleep in her cozy little bed, and let me tell you they were absolutely the BEST chocolate cupcakes I have EVER had!!!! Until some time ago when I realized how much I love to bake, I would make cupcakes from the boxed cake mix.  I was always disappointed in how dense they were and a little too light and fluffy for my taste.  I searched and searched for a perfect cupcake recipe and I finally found it!  These are soooo delicious.  Nice and rich and the perfect texture for a lovely cupcake.  I topped them with buttercream icing, (of course..) and they were perfect! My little girl will love them too...hopefully there will still be some left for her birthday tomorrow.......  :)

Chocolate Cupcakes

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup cocoa

1/2 cup boiling water

Cream shortening and sugar.  Add egg and vanilla and mix well.  Dissolve baking soda in buttermilk and add to creamed mixture.  Blend in flour.  Blend cocoa and boiling water, to make a thick paste.

Combine chocolate mixture with creamed ingredients.  Pour into cupcake papers that have been placed in muffin pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes.  Makes approximately 18 cupcakes.

Adapted from Cooks.com

Buttercream Frosting

1 cup butter, softened

6-8 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl.  Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy,about 3-5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition, until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency.  You may not need to add all of the sugar.  If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly.  (Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled.) Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Makes enough frosting to frost 24 cupcakes or 2- 8 or 9 inch round cakes.

Adapted from cooks.com

Luscious Lemon Bundt Cake

Oh my goodness! I have been craving a bundt cake for the last year, and I have resisted the urge to add a couple of pounds to the rear end, but I couldn't stand it any longer! I had to take the plunge and vow to work it off for the next 2 weeks. Oh, it was so worth it. This cake is so moist and lemony (is that a word?) and it just melts in your mouth. So, if you want an excellent dessert that is worth EVERY calorie, make this!

Ingredients:

1 yellow cake mix
1 small pkg vanilla instant pudding mix
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 tsp vanilla
3/4 c oil

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. Pour into a greased Bundt pan. Bake at 325 degrees for about 40-45 minutes. Serve topped with Lemon Icing.

Lemon Icing:

Ingredients:

2 cups powdered sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice (real lemon is best)
milk

Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice, add milk 1 tbsp at a time until thin enough to drizzle over cake.