Almond Sheet Cake with Butter Frosting

2 cups flours

2 cups sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1 cup butter

1 cup water

1/2 cup sour cream

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp. almond extract

sliced almonds, for sprinkling on top

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a 15 x 11 jelly roll pan.  In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients and set aside.  In a small saucepan, combine butter and water-bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.  Add to flour mixture and stir to combine.  

Stir in sour cream, beaten eggs, and almond extract .

Pour into buttered pan and bake 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Spread warm (not hot) cake with butter frosting (recipe below). Sprinkle with sliced almonds. Cut into squares and serve.

Butter Frosting

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup milk (the higher the fat content, the richer it will taste)

1/2 tsp. almond extract 

3 cups powdered milk

In a medium saucepan, combine butter and milk.  Bring to a soft boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, and remove from heat as soon as it boils.  Whisk in almond extract, then gradually whisk in the powdered sugar until smooth.  Frost warm cake. 

Oatmeal Cake

1 cup oatmeal
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla

Topping
6 TBS butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup shredded coconut

Pour 1 1/2 cup boiling water over oatmeal and let sit for 20 minutes.
Sift flour, soda, salt and cinnamon together. Cream 1 cup brown sugar, sugar, and butter together; beat in eggs. Stir in flour mixture, oatmeal mixture and 1 tsp vanilla. Turn batter into greased 12x8 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Melt butter in saucepan; stir in remaining brown sugar, cream, coconut and remaining vanilla. Mix well and spread over hot cake. Broil until topping is bubbly and lightly browned.

Delicious cake from my friend Heather B.

Lemon Blueberry Poppyseed Bundt Cake

1 box white cake mix
4 eggs
2/3 cup oil
zest of 2 lemons
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup milk
1 cup plain yogurt
1 (3.4 oz-3.9 oz) pkg. lemon instant pudding mix
1 TBS. poppy seeds
1 1/2 cup blueberries, frozen or fresh

Lemon Glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 TBS. lemon juice
2 TBS. butter, melted
Fresh blueberries for decoration


Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a bundt cake pan.

1.  Sift cake mix into a small bowl to remove any lumps; set aside.
2.  In a large bowl, combine eggs, oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, milk and yogurt.
3.  Add cake mix and instant pudding mix;  stir well.
4.  Stir in poppy seeds
5.  Gently fold in blueberries
6.  Dump into bundt cake and and spread evenly
7.  Bake for 38-50 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
8.  Let cool in pan and then turn out.
9. Lemon glaze: whisk powdered sugar, lemon juice, and butter.  Add more lemon juice if you want a thinner glaze or more powered sugar to make it thicker.
10. Pour glaze over the cooled cake and serve with fresh blueberries.

Brown Sugar Pound Cake with Caramel Drizzle

Ingredients
1-½ cups butter, softened
2 cups light brown sugar, packed
1 cup granulated sugar
5 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
1 – 8 ounce bag of toffee bits
1 cup pecans, chopped

Caramel Drizzle
1 – 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 12 cup Bundt pan with nonstick baking spray with flour. Set aside.
Beat the butter until creamy. Add sugars, beating until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture in thirds, alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat until just combined. Stir in toffee bits and pecans. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake until a wood pick inserted near the center of cake comes out clean, 75 to 85 minutes. Don't over bake...It will get dry and trust me, you want this to be done, but barely, so it's moist and gooey!
TIP: Cover the top with foil to prevent excess browning is necessary. Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan, and let cool completely on a wire rack. Spoon HOT Caramel Drizzle over cooled cake.

Directions for Caramel Drizzle
In a medium saucepan, combine condensed milk and brown sugar; bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking frequently. Reduceheat, and SIMMER for 8 minutes, whisking frequently. Remove from heat; whisk in butter and vanilla. Let cool for 5 minutes before using. NOTE: Make sure you drizzle the caramel while it’s still HOT. When cooled the caramel does somewhat harden.

Chocolate Buttermilk Cake...

Put in a bowl:

2 c flour

2 c sugar

¼ c cocoa

Bring to a boil and add to the first mixture:

1 c butter

1 c water

Add:

1 tsp soda

2 eggs

½ c buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

Mix well and put in a 10x15” greased pan.  Bake at 385* for 15-16 minutes.  Five minutes before the cake is done make the frosting;

Frosting:

½ c butter, melted

1 lb powdered sugar (about 3 cups)

¼ c cocoa

5 TBS buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla.  

Mix well and pour over the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven.

Better Than Anything Cake

Recipe taken from: Chef in Training

• 1 box chocolate cake mix-any ingredients it calls for
• 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (16 oz) jar caramel topping
• 1 (8 oz) container cool whip thawed to room temp
• 3-6 Heath Candy Bars (I use 10 reese's peanut butter cups chopped, Candace)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Bake cake according to directions in a 9x13 pan.
2. Let cake cool for about 5 minutes.
3. Poke holes in cake with the handle end of a wooden spoon. 
4. While cake is still warm, slowly pour over sweetened condensed milk over the top making sure some gets in all the holes of the cake.
5. Next drizzle the caramel topping evenly over the cake slowly, making sure some gets in all the holes as well.
6. Spread cool whip over the top evenly.
7. Sprinkle with Reese's Peanut Butter Cup pieces
8. Store in fridge until ready to eat. Store any leftovers in fridge.

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake

Ingredients
Cake:

1 18 1/4-ounce package yellow cake mix
1 egg
8 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
1 15-ounce can of pumpkin
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 16-ounce box powdered sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To make the cake, combine all of the ingredients and mix well.  Pat the mixture into a lightly greased 13x9-inch baking pan. 

Prepare filling:
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth.  Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter and beat together. 

Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well. 

Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes.  Make sure not to over bake as the center should be a little gooey.

Serve with fresh whipped cream.

Lemon Lime Cake...

Lemon Cake Mix 
Small Lime Jello
1 1/2 cups Hot Water
Small lemon pudding
1 1/2 cups Milk
1/2 tub small Cool Whip

Make cake according to package directions.  Pour Jello in a bowl and add 1 1/2 cups hot water.  Whisk thoroughly.  Poke holes in cake and pour jello over cake and refrigerate.  Put Lemon pudding in a bowl and mix with 1 1/2 cups milk.  Let sit in fridge for 5 minutes and then fold in 1/2 tub cool whip.  Top cake with pudding and cool whip mixture.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Lemon Jello Cake

1 lemon cake mix
1 small box lemon jello
1/2 cup hot water
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon rind
1 small box instant white chocolate jello pudding mix
1 1/2 cups milk
1 small tub cool whip

Make the cake according to the box directions. Remove from oven and cool 15 minutes. Dissolve the lemon jello in the hot water. Add the lemon juice and rind. Poke holes in the warm cake with a large fork and pour the jello over the top of the cake. Put in the fridge for several hours.
Mix the white chocolate pudding with the milk until it starts to thicken. Fold in the cool whip and frost the cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Hawaiian Dream Cake

1 pkg. yellow cake mix

20 oz. can crushed pineapple, drain but save juice

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

8 oz. cool whip

1 pkg. instant vanilla pudding

1 cup milk

shredded coconut

pecans (optional)

Mix cake according to directions, substituting water with pineapple juice. Pour into greased and flour cookie sheet. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool in pan. Mix softened cream cheese with pudding, milk and drained pineapple. Spread on cooled cake. Spread cool whip over top and sprinkle with coconut and pecans. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Raspberry Buttercream

Delicious served on lemon cake or lemon cupcakes.

1/2 c. Seedless raspberry preserves
2 cubes butter
1/2 c. Shortening
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. Raspberry extract
1 1/2 lbs. Powdered sugar (yes, pounds!)
1-2 Tablespoons cold milk

Cream butter and shortening together in the bowl of an electric or stand mixer. Add extracts and raspberry preserves and mix well. Begin adding the sugar and mixing thoroughly after each addition. After all the sugar has been mixed in, begin adding the cold milk one tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency.

**If you don't have raspberry extract you can just add a bit more preserves until you reach your desired raspberry flavor.

Strawberry Cream Puff Cake

I made this tonight from Mel's Kitchen Cafe blog... it was so good. Mine wasn't quite this pretty - I couldn't get my whipping cream part to get as thick and stiff... but still yum! I used lemon zest instead of orange and really loved it.

From Mel's Kitchen Cafe:

"The base of the cake, baked in a springform pan is exactly, exactly like a cream puff shell: tender and light. It holds up perfectly for the silky center made of whipped cream cheese and cream and infused with orange zest. Topped with strawberries, this was a masterpiece – and a pretty easy one at that. The presentation is stunning and the taste and flavors are out of this world.

All I can say is, You Really Must Make This.



Strawberry Cream Puff Cake


Cream Puff Base:
5 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
2/3 cup flour
3 eggs

Cream Cheese Mixture:
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2/3 cup powdered sugar

For the cream puff layer, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bring the butter, water and sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the flour all at once and stir quickly until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan. Remove the pan from the heat and stir the mixture until smooth. Let cool for 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until the mixture is shiny with a satiny sheen. Don’t overbeat. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan (or in a pinch, you could use a 9-inch circle cake pan). Using an offset spatula, spread the mixture on the bottom and one inch up the sides of the prepared pan. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and prick pastry with a toothpick 10-12 times. Return to the oven and bake 5-10 minutes more until golden brown but not overbaked (you can insert a toothpick into the center and if it comes out with sticky dough, it still needs longer in the oven). Cool completely.
For the cream cheese mixture, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar (if you want to ensure there are no lumps, sift the powdered sugar into the cream cheese) and beat with the cream cheese until mixture is smooth and light. Add the remaining ingredients and beat until stiff peaks form. Spread onto the cooled cream puff shell.
Top with fresh sliced strawberries (I mixed 2 cups of strawberries with 1 teaspoon sugar and let them hang out in the fridge while I was prepping the cake) or you can use a 16-ounce bag of frozen strawberries that have been thawed. Mix the thawed strawberries and juice with 1-2 teaspoons sugar and bring to a simmer in a saucepan. Cook until slightly thickened. Cool completely and use as topping for the cake.

Cranberry Almond Pound Cake

Jana Rasband

2 1/2 c. sugar

1 c. + 2 T. unsalted butter

3 t. almond extract

6 eggs

1 c. sour cream

1/4 c. water

1/4 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

3 c. flour

2 c. cranberries (fresh or frozen)

Glaze:

2 T. water

1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

Mix sugar, butter and almond extract. Add eggs and sour cream, mix well. Mix in water. Add baking powder, baking soda and salt, mix. Add flour and mix well. Fold in cranberries (rinse first to make sure there aren't twigs or bad berries in the bunch). Butter/flour a bundt pan. Pour the batter into the buttered pan and bake at 325 for 1 hour or more. Test with a toothpick. Rest for a few minutes in the pan before inverting and cooling on rack. When barely warm, drizzle with glaze.

My notes: I forgot about using unsalted butter until typing this up! It didn't seem to make a difference?? Also, I used low-fat/fat-free sourcream and I think mine might not have been quite as moist as Jana's. I was surprised by how many bad berries are mixed into the fresh ones, so definitely pick through them. And... for the glaze, I mixed a little almond extract into my 2 Tbsp. water.

Mike who doesn't really like cranberries even liked this. They just provide a little zip. And, the almond flavor is my favorite part.

Peach Crunch Cake

{Bakerella}

24.5 oz. jar of sliced peaches in light syrup

1 package of yellow cake mix

1 stick butter (1/2 cup) cut into 16 slices

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Layer ingredients in a 13 x 9 dish, in order starting with peaches. Bake for about 40 minutes. Serve warm or cold...with or without ice cream.

Chocolate Bundt Cake...

1 yellow cake mix
1 large box instant choc. pudding mix
3/4 c. oil
3/4 c. water
4 eggs
8 oz. sour cream (plus more for the frosting, see below)
6 oz. chocolate chips

Combine all ingredients except the sour cream and chocolate chips and mix thoroughly. Stir in the sour cream and the chocolate chips. Pour into a bundt pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray and then coated with granulated sugar. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Pour the frosting over the cake when it is just barely still warm.

Frosting

1 can Betty Crocker Milk Chocolate Frosting
about 1/3 c. sour cream

In a glass bowl, warm the frosting in the microwave about 20 seconds, until it is soft and pourable, but not steaming hot. Stir in the sour cream and then drizzle over the barely warm cake.