Taste of the Tropics Fruit Pudding Cake

I am Grandma Loy, and you can find me over at From Grandma Loy’s Kitchen where I share both new recipes and tried and true ones from my extensive collection.  I am thrilled to be participating in this Good Old Fashioned Recipe Blog Swap hosted by Julie, Rachel and Kelly and that I am paired with Tammy here on her blog.

Since Tammy has a large family, I thought that this tried and true dessert would “fit the bill.”  It is easy, quick to make, versatile and makes a lot.  This is an old recipe I have adapted and used for many years.  It came from one of my favorite  cookbooks,  “The Thrifty Cook” by Farm Journal.  This book was practically “my cooking Bible” when I was raising my children.  The original recipe was Fruit Pudding Cake.  Over the years because of the ingredients I use, I have dubbed it Taste of the Tropics Fruit Pudding Cake.  I am not quite sure why this was called a pudding cake, except for the fact that there is a lot of fruit held together with not a whole lot of batter.

You can use fruit cocktail, other canned fruit, or fresh fruit in this recipe.  If using fresh fruit, use 1 1/2 cups fruit and 1/2 to 2/3 cup water instead of the canned fruit juice.  Although I use canned pineapple, I don’t use the pineapple juice as I am not going for a dominate pineapple taste.  If you want to use the pineapple juice, drain the liquid from the fruit cocktail, measure it and use half to all that amount of pineapple juice.  I add the extra cherries for color and because I like them.  They may be omitted.  If making this for a potluck or company, I usually spring for macadamia nuts, but any nut of choice can be used.

This cake is good by itself, better with some whipped topping or whipped cream, and really wonderful with the Buttermilk Syrup or any warm, ice cream topping poured over it.

Taste of the Tropics Fruit Pudding Cake
1 can (16 oz.) fruit cocktail or other canned fruit, chopped
1 can (11 oz.) mandarin orange slices, well drained  (I use fresh if they are in season)
1 can (8 oz.) pineapple tidbits, well drained  (If you can’t find the tidbits, use pineapple chunks and cut them into thirds.)
1/4 c. halved maraschino cherries, well drained (optional)
! egg, beaten
1 t. vanilla
! 1/2 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
1/2 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 c. chopped nuts of choice
1/2 c. sweetened, flaked coconut

Combine undrained  fruit cocktail, orange slices, pineapple tidbits and cherries in a large mixing bowl.   Beat egg in a small bowl.  Add egg and vanilla to fruit mixture.  In another bowl stir together the flour, sugar, salt and baking soda until well blended.  Stir flour mixture into fruit mixture until sell mixed.  The batter will be fairly stiff.  Evenly spread batter into a greased 9x13-in baking pan.  Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the top of the batter.  Follow with the chopped nuts and then the coconut.  Gently pat the topping ingredients into the batter with the palm of your hand to help them adhere.  Bake at 325 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes or until the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.  Cool in pan on rack.  Cut into squares and top with whipped topping, whipped cream or, if desired, pour a sauce over each square.  Serves 15.

Tammy, enjoy the recipe and thanks again for allowing me to share your blog.  Visit Julie at White Lights on Wednesday, Kelly at Miss Information or Rachel at i love my disorganized life to see the matchups and links to all the recipes posted today.

Cranberry Crunch Cake-Secret Recipe Club

My last Secret Recipe Club assignment for 2013 was Flavors by Four.  This is a mother/daughter blog with the mom and three of her four daughters sharing posting duties. I think this is a great idea.  Wish my daughters were interested in blogging.  The blog was started blog in 2010, and they are co-hosts of Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop.

When visiting Flavors by Four, I thought I had “died and gone to heaven.”  Now they do have some main dish and savory recipes, but the sweets, oh the sweets.  If you are a  “sweetsaholic”  like me you must visit this block.  Just go and check out all the goodies listed on their right side bar. They include great process photos in their posts.

Partly because of the season, I chose to make Cranberry Crunch Cake.  I had a package of fresh cranberries that I had purchased on sale recently.  This was a very easy recipe to make because I could let my electric mixer do most of the work.  You do make candied nuts for the topping which needs to cook for 15 minutes and watched carefully to make sure they don't burn.  I used a generous cup of roughly chopped unblanched  almonds, filberts, pecans and walnuts.  The recipe called for 2 12 cups of fresh cranberries, but I just used the whole 12 oz. bag since I did not want to have cranberries left over.

This was an unusual cake, and we liked it very much.  I will be making it again.

Cranberry Crunch Cake
Flavors by Four
3 eggs
2 c. sugar
3/4 c. butter or margarine (I used 1/2 c. butter and 1/4 c. margarine)
1 t vanilla
1 t. almond extract
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 (12 oz.) bag fresh cranberries
1/4 c butter or margarine
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 c. coarsely chopped assorted nuts

Combine eggs and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on medium speed for 7 to 8 minutes.  The egg and sugar mixture should double in size, leaving ribbons on top of the batter.  While the batter is beating, melt 1/4 c. butter in a small saucepan.  Add brown sugar and heat till it is melted.  Add nuts and cook over low heat until they are shiny and smell toasted, about 15 minutes.  Watch closely and stir frequently.  Meanwhile, add butter and flavorings, beating for another 2 minutes or until batter is smooth.  Add flour, a cup at a time, beating well after each addition.  Gently fold in cranberries.  Mixture will be somewhat stiff.  Spread batter in a well-greased 9x13-inch baking pan.  Using a spatula, gently add nuts to the top of the cake, covering the entire surface.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Place pan on wire rack to cool  Allow to cool completely.  Cut into squares and serve with a dollop of whipped cream or topping if desired.  Makes 15 servings.

Group B will be "On Vacation" in January so my next Secret Recipe Club posting will be in February.  If you would like to join in the fun, you can go here to fill out an applications form.

Peach Nectar Poke Cake-Dessert Challenge

I was very happy when I learned that Sheryl from Lady Behind the Curtain had picked peaches and cream for this month’s Dessert Challenge.  Peaches are one of my favorite summer fruits.

I had been thinking about making a poke cake for some time, and this seemed like a good time to make one.  Many poke cake recipes use a cake mix and flavored gelatin, but I wanted to see what I could do with made-from-scratch ingredients.  I made the cake from the Basic Cake recipe I posted yesterday and chose to use peach nectar, pureed peaches and unflavored gelatin to make the filling.
Since I also needed to use cream, I went searching for a frosting recipe using whipped cream and found one over at allrecipes.  I changed it a bit to suit my taste.

This is a dessert that needs to be made ahead, at least one day for best flavor.  The cake needs to be made first.  If your choose to use a commercial cake mix, that is fine.  Just make it according to the package directions.  Another option is to make Homemade Cake Mix and make the cake from that.

After letting the cake cool, it is necessary to poke holes all over the top of the cake.  I like the holes to be about 1/4-inch and use a short length of 1/4-inch dowel that I keep in my kitchen.  The handles of some wooden spoons  will work also.

Make the peach filling and pour it over the top of the cake letting it seep into the holes.  Place the cake in the refrigerator to chill and allow the filling to set at least 4 hours.  The "pokes" didn't show up too well on the cake I made using a yellow cake.  Next time I will probably make a white cake or add a bit of food coloring to the filling.

Prepare frosting and spread on cake. (See my tip for quickly softening cream cheese here.)   Refrigerate at least 2 hours to set frosting.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill till serving time.

Peach Melba Poke Cake
1 prepared yellow or white cake (may be made from scratch, from a homemade mix, or a commercial mix)
1 (12 oz.) can peach nectar
2 fresh peaches
1/2 c. water
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened (regular or low-fat)
3/4 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
1 pt. (2 c.) whipping cream

Prepare cake using your choice of methods.  Bake and allow cake to cool.  Poke 1/4-inch holes all over surface of cake about 1-inch apart and going about three-fourths of the way through the cake.  Pour peach nectar in a medium saucepan.  Peel and slice peaches into a blender or food processor container.  Blend until smooth and consistency of applesauce.  Add peaches to peach nectar.  Place saucepan over medium heat and heat peach mixture to boiling.  While nectar is combing to a boil, pour unflavored gelatin in the 1/2 c. water and allow gelatin to soften.  Stir well.  Boil nectar/peach mixture about 5 minutes to allow it to reduce slightly in volume,  watching carefully and stirring often.  Remove from heat and add gelatin/water mixture.  Stir until gelatin is completely dissolved.  Pour nectar mixture over cake, allowing it to seep into the holes.  Place cake in refrigerator and chill at least 4 hours.   Place softened cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in an electric mixer bowl.  If using a stand mixer, fit it with the whisk attachment and mix on medium speed until mixture is smooth.  Scrap down the sides of the bowl.  While mixer is running, slowly pour in the whipping cream, beating until the mixture holds a stiff peak.  Stop and scrape the bottom of the bowl a couple of times.  (It may take a few minutes for the mixture to get to the proper consistency.)  Spread frosting over the top of the cake and chill at least 2 hours.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill until ready to serve.  Makes 12 to 15 generous servings.

To see what other Dessert Challenge bloggers chose to make with peaches and "cream", check out the links below.

If you would like to join in September's Dessert Challenge which will feature apples and cinnamon, visit Sheryl's Dessert Challenge page. 

Linking to these great parties:
Catch a Glimpse Party
Thursday's Treasurers
Showcase Your Talent Thursday
Tasty Thursday
Fantastic Thursday
Full Plate Thursday

Basic Cake with Variations

Basic Cake with Variations is a handy recipe to use if you don’t have time to make Homemade Cake Mix and you don’t want to use a commercial mix.  With all the mixing done with an electric mixer, the cake is quick and easy to prepare.

Beside a yellow cake, a white cake, chocolate cake, spice cake and pineapple upside-down cake can be made with this recipe.  The spice cake can be personalized by using your favorite combination of spices.  I am sharing two combinations to start with.  Personally I like to use Chinese 5-Spice to make a spice cake.

Slicing the softened butter into the mixing bowl will make it easier to blend until smooth.

Basic Cake with Variations
3 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 T. baking powder
1 1/2 c. milk
1.2 c. butter or margarine, softened
1 1/2 t. vanilla
2 eggs

In the bowl of an electric mixer combine flour, sugar and baking powder.  Add milk, butter and vanilla.  Beat with mixer on low speed until well combined.  Beat on high speed for 2 minutes.  Add eggs and beat 2 minutes more.  Pour into a greased and floured 9x13-inch baking pan.  Bake in a 375-degree oven 25 to 30 minutes or till a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool thoroughly on wire rack.  Frost as desired or use as a base for other desserts.  Serves 15.

White Cake: Prepare as for the basic cake recipe except use 3 egg whites for the 2 whole eggs. Whites may be beaten separately and added for a lighter cake.

Chocolate Cake: Add 1/4 c cocoa powder to the  flour mixture.

Spice Add 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. ground cloves, and 1/4 tsp. ground allspice to the flour mixture OR 1 t. ground cinnamon, 1/4 t. ground nutmeg, 1/4 t. ground cloves, and 1/4 t. ground ginger to the flour mixture OR 1 t. Chinese 5-spice powder.

Pineapple Upside down cake: Melt 1/2 butter in the bottom of a 9X13 pan. Add 2/3 cup brown sugar, stirring into the  butter. Arrange well-drained pineapple slices from a 20-oz. can on the butter/brown sugar mixture.  (Save any leftover slices and juices for another use.)  Spread batter for yellow cake over the pineapple slices.  Bake 30-35 minutes.  Invert to serve.

Linking to these great parties:
Show and Share Wednesday
Cast Party Wednesday
What's Cookin' Wednesday
What's In Your Kitchen Wednesday
Whimsy Wednesday
Create and Share
Wicked Good Wednesday

Cloud Cake Hearts

This is a fun and easy dessert idea for Valentine's Day, anniversaries or even birthdays.  This is more of a process than it is a recipe and comes from an idea I saw in Women's Day magazine a number of years ago.

The photos are of Twinkies as I took the photos before Twinkies were taken off the market.  The best substitute available now seems to be Little Debbie's Cloud Cakes.

Two cakes are needed for two hearts.  Cut one cake in half diagonally from upper left to lower right starting and stopping approximately 1-inch from the top of the cake.  Cut the second cake in half diagonally from upper right to lower left starting and stopping approximately 1-inch from the top of the cake.  See the photo below.

 Place one half of one cake together with half of the other cake to form a heart.  Repeat with the second cake.

Place a heart on a dessert plate.  From here what you do is only limited by your imagination.  The hearts can be topped with various sauces or ice cream and sprinkled with whatever you want.  In the photo below I topped the heart with some slightly melted cherry jam and some chocolate-covered toffee bits.

This is a fun idea for a children's party.  Have an adult or older child cute the cakes.  Set out various sauces (ice cream sauces are good) and items to sprinkle on the top.  Let the children choose the combinations they want.  We all need a Twinkie (Cloud Cake) heart once in awhile.

Improv Challenge-Banana Nutmeg Squares

This ingredients for January Improv Challenge hosted by Kristen from Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker are bananas and nutmeg.

It seems I always buy one or two bananas more than I can eat so they end up in the freezer waiting to be made into something.  This month I was aiming for a bar cookie, and the squares could be cut small and served that way; but the recipe really produced a cross between a cake and a coffeecake so serve it as you wish.

I used a stresuel topping, but stirred the batter to swirl it into the dough.  I thought some of the topping would stay on the top, but it all sank into the batter.  That left me needing to do something with the top so I used a little powdered sugar glaze to finish the recipe off.

Banana Nutmeg Squares
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 c. sour cream, low fat is OK
1 t. vanilla
1 c. mashed bananas, about 3 small
2 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/2 c. chopped, toasted walnuts
1/3 c. flour
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. powdered sugar, sifted or put through a sieve
4 t. milk
sprinkle of nutmeg

Cream butter and sugar together until well blended.  Stir in eggs, sour cream, vanilla and bananas.  Stir with wire whisk until well blended.   Mix together flour, baking soda, salt and nutmeg.  Stir into banana mixture, mixing well.  Add walnuts.  Spread into greased and floured 9x13-inch baking pan.  Combine flour, brown sugar and nutmeg in a small bowl.  Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse corn meal.  Sprinkle mixture over batter in pan.  Swirl a knife back and forth from side to side and end to end to swirl topping into batter.  Bake at 350 degrees about 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean.  Remove from oven.  Combine sifted powdered sugar, milk and a sprinkle of nutmeg until well blended.  Drizzle and spread glaze over top of cake.  This can be done either when the cake is warm if serving as a coffeecake or when cool if served as a cake.  Makes 15 servings.

Next month's challenge is Hearts and Flours (pun intended).  This is a challenging and fun link party.  I encourage you to join us.  All the information can be found on Kristen's Improv Page.

Check out the links below to see what other bloggers have posted using bananas and nutmeg.

Topsy Turvey Apple Cake

I love the fall when I can make all kinds of recipes with fresh, just-picked apples.  The stacks of different varieties of apples beckon me when I am at the grocery store.

This recipe is called a cake, but it is unlike a conventional cake.  It is really sliced, caramelized apple and nuts held together with a little dough.  I adapted this from a free recipe card picked up at a local grocery store many years ago.  Hubby liked this one so much the first time I made it, he had three servings in one evening.

The amount of apples needed will depend on their size.  You need enough  apple slices to cover the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish with a single layer.  I usually use about 4 apples.  I slice the apples into the baking dish until I have what I need, then put the slices in a bowl to mix with the sugar and cinnamon.  If I have any peeled apple leftover, I just eat it.

 Topsy Turvey Apple Cake
4-6 medium baking apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1 1/4 c. sugar, divided
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
1 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 c. chopped, toasted pecans or walnuts

Slice enough apples to cover the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish in a single layer.  Transfer apples to a bowl and mix with 1/2 c. sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Mix well to cover apples with sugar.  Wipe out the baking dish and grease it.  Return apple slices to baking dish, spreading them into a single layer.  Measure flour and 3/4 c. sugar into a small mixing bowl.  Add baking powder and mix well.  Measure vegetable oil in a glass 1-cup measuring cup.  Add eggs and beat until well mixed.  Pour into flour mixture and blend well.  Add nuts and stir until blended.  The mixture will be somewhat stiff.  Dollop spoonfuls of the dough onto the apples.  Carefully spread the dough out with a metal spatula or a knife until it covers the apples as much as possible.  Bake at 350 degrees about 40 minutes or until golden brown.  Cut into squares.  Place on dessert plates with apple side up.  Makes about 12 to 15 servings.  Although this is good at room temperature, it is better warm.  I warm individual servings about 30 seconds in the microwave.  I love it topped with a scoop of ice cream and a swirl of caramel sauce.  Hubby likes to top it with a slice of cheddar cheese when it is warmed.

Linking to these great parties:
Weekend Potluck
I'm Lovin' It
Seasonal Inspiration
Strut Your Stuff
Weekend Bloggy Reading
Saturday Nite Special
Crazy Sweet Tuesday

Secret Recipe Club-Maple Pecan Brown Sugar Cake

My assignment for Secret Recipe Club this month was the blog, A Dusting of Sugar.   What a great find this was for this Great Big Sweet Tooth Dessert Lovin’ grandma.  The blog is filled with wonderful dessert and baking recipes from Rebecca, a college student who does most of her cooking in a dorm kitchen.  She is getting a bit better kitchen to cook in this year, I understand.

Looking through the blog, I found recipe after recipe that I wanted to try, but when I came across the post for Brown Sugar Cake I knew that was what I was going to make.  I also totally agree with sentiments she expresses in the post about eating sweets.  Just a couple of the other recipes that I want to try are Milk Muffins and Nutella Nanaimo Bars.

With fall coming, I have had the flavor of maple on my mind so decided that I would add maple flavor to the recipe and also some chopped, toasted pecans.

The cake is topped by a penuche type frosting to which I also added a bit of maple flavor.  This made the frosting taste similar to what is on bakery maple bars.  The cake is a sturdy cake which I actually cut into small enough  pieces to serve as a bar cookie.  No matter if you cut it into larger pieces to serve as cake or smaller ones to serve like bar cookies, it is  a delicious dessert well worth making.  Thanks for sharing a great recipe, Rebecca.

Maple Pecan Brown Sugar Cake
based on a recipe found at A Dusting of Sugar

1/2 lb. butter (2 sticks), at room temperature
1/2 c. shortening
2 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
5 eggs at room temperature
1 t. maple flavoring
1 T. vanilla extract
3 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
1 c. milk
1 c. chopped toasted pecans

In a large bowl of an electric mixer, combine butter, shortening, and brown sugar and beat until light and creamy.  Add eggs and mix until well blended.  Blend in maple flavoring and vanilla extract.  Combine flour and baking powder and stir well.  Add flour to creamed mixture and mix until well blended.  Add milk, mixing until batter is smooth.  Stir in pecans.  Pour batter into a well-greased 10x15-inch jelly roll pan.  The batter will fill pan very full.  Bake at 350 degrees 30-35 minutes or until top springs back when touched with a finger.  Let cool to room temperature.

Maple Frosting
1/2 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar, tightly packed
1/4 c. milk
1/2 t. maple flavoring
2 1/2 c. sifted powdered sugar

Melt butter in a medium sized saucepan on the stove.  Add brown sugar, bring to a boil and boil over low heat for 2 minutes.  Add milk, cook and stir until mixture boils.  Remove from heat.  Stir in maple flavoring.  Add powdered sugar and mix in well.  Pour frosting over cake spread out quickly and evenly over the top.  Frosting will set up quickly.  Cool and cut as desired.  Makes 60 or more bar cookies or 15 servings as a cake.

 If you would like to join in the fun, just click on over to The Secret Recipe Club information page to find out all the details.

Apple Pecan Spice Cake

Sorry to have been MIA the last week or so.  Life or something like it, a minor accident, ISP issues and very windy weather have kept my time on the internet to a minimum.

I want to say welcome to any new followers.  Thank you for following my blog.  Thanks also to all who take the time out of their busy schedules to read this blog.  I hope that you find useful information here.

Everyone knows my sweet tooth so I am posting a cake recipe today.

A few weeks ago when I made the Red Velvet Cherry Bars, I took some to work to share with my coworkers.  A question came up as to whether or not one could take a spice cake mix and apple pie filling to make another version of the recipe.  Well, always Curious George, I had to find out.  I am glad to say that I was very pleased with the results.  I added pecans to the cake mixture, poked holes in the cake when it was baked, and poured a caramel glaze over the top.

Since the apple slices are bigger than cherries are, I dumped the apple pie filling on top of the cake mix; and, using my kitchen shears held vertically,  just sort of snipped at the apple slices until they were as small as I wanted.   I then beat and added the eggs and mixed everything until well blended.

Since, I, personally, am not a real fan of spice cake mixes I think that in the future I will use butter pecan or yellow cake mix to make this.  I took some of the cake to the spice-cake-loving person at work, and she pronounced it very good.

I will keep a cake mix and a can of apple pie on-hand so that I can whip this up at a moment's notice.

Apple-Pecan Spice Cake
1 pkg. Spice, Butter Pecan, or Yellow Cake Mix
1 (21 oz.) can apple pie filling
2 eggs, beaten
1 t. vanilla
1/2 c. chopped toasted pecans

Glaze
6 T. butter
6 T. white sugar
6 T. brown sugar
6 T. heavy cream or evaporated milk
1 t. vanilla

Place cake mix in a medium mixing bowl.  Pour the apple pie filling on top of the cake mix.  Holding them vertically, use kitchen shears to chop the apple slices into smaller pieces.  Add beaten eggs and vanilla and mix until very well blended.  Add pecans and mix well.  Turn into a greased 9x13-inch baking pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool for 15 minutes.  With a barbecue skewer or other pointed instrument poke holes at 1-inch intervals or so all over the cake.  Combine glaze ingredients except vanilla in a small saucepan.  Cook and stir over medium  heat until mixture comes to a boil.  Boil 1 1/2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.  Pour hot glaze over the top of the cake spreading evenly.  Let cake cool.  Makes one 9x13-inch cake.

Crazy Cooking Challenge-Fudge Ripple Cake

When I saw this cake at Mrs. Happy Homemaker, I knew that I had to make it.  Her cake looked wonderful and delicious.  I had only one problem (I thought), and that was that I did not have any layer cake pans.  I never make layer cakes and long ago disposed of my pans.  Nevertheless, I knew that I would forge on.  Thus begins the Saga of the Fudge Ripple Cake.

I gathered my ingredients and stirred up the cake.  I use Saco Cultured Buttermilk Blend so  I used that instead of liquid buttermilk.  I decided to use butter instead of the shortening that was used in the original recipe.  I lined a 9x13-inch pan with foil so that I could remove the cake from the pan easily.

Next I stirred up the cream cheese/sweetened condensed milk topping.  I make my own homemade sweetened condensed milk so I had made up a batch of that.  I poured the mixture over the cake batter and baked the cake.  When I took the cake from the oven I noticed that the top did not look like the pictures in Mrs. Happy Homemaker’s post.  It didn’t seem like a problem.

Since I was going to lose daylight to take pictures, I let the cake set overnight before I made the frosting.  The next day I made up the frosting.  I had only 1 cup of cocoa so used that instead of the 1 1/3 cups cocoa asked for.  The frosting was plenty chocolaty enough for me, but use the 1 1/3 cups if you are really into chocolate.

I removed the cake from the pan and put it in a jelly-roll pan to frost as I have nothing in which to store a rectangular cake that is not left in the pan.  Being far from a cake decorator, I did my best to apply the frosting.  I did have frosting left over which I froze to use another time.

I cut my cake through the middle anxious to see the ripple.  Oh, my!  There were no ripples.  What there was, was a layer of cream cheese underneath the cake.  So what happened?  Well, perhaps two things.  When I made the homemade sweetened condensed milk, I almost burned it.  Since I wasn’t sure that I would be able to use that batch, I poured the whole batch into a plastic container instead of dividing it up like I always did in the past.  The milk may not have thickened up as much as it should have before I used it.  I used low-fat cream cheese.  Maybe I should have used the regular.  I may have forgotten the cornstarch.  At any rate, this is what the bottom of my cake looked like.

Was all lost?  Of course not.  The cake is a moist chocolaty cake just the way I like it.  The frosting is firm and fudgy and stays in place.  And the cream cheese layer is a little surprise at the bottom.  In spite of what happened, this is a very good cake

 

So make this cake.  Ripple or no ripples you will be glad you did.  I am giving you the exact ingredients  Mrs. Happy Homemaker did.

Fudge Ripple Cake
Mrs. Happy Homemaker blog

For the cake:
1/2 cup shortening
1.5 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cocoa
1.5 teaspoon baking soda
1.5 cups buttermilk

For the Ripple:
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the Frosting:
2/3 cup butter, softened
5 3/4 cups powdered sugar (I did put it through a sieve)
1 1/3 cups cocoa
1 heaping cup heavy cream

Grease and flour two (9-inch) round cake pans.  Beat shortening and sugar together with an electric mixer.  Add the eggs, beating on medium speed.  Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.  Add the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk ending with the flour mixture.  Beat 3 minutes at high speed, stopping once to scrape down sides.  Stir in the vanilla.  Pour the batter into the prepared pans.

Beat cream cheese, 2 tablespoons butter, and cornstarch at medium speed until creamy.  Gradually add the sweetened condensed milk, beating well.  Mix in egg and vanilla.  Divide the cream cheese mixture between the two cake pans, pouring on top and spreading to evenly cover the cake batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  After removing from the oven, use a large spatula or wide knife to press the cake down somewhat.  Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks.

Using an electric mixer, beat 2/3 cup butter until creamy.  Add the powdered sugar, cocoa and heavy cream.  Stir in low until combined.  Beat at high speed until creamy.  Spread frosting between the cake layers and on top and sides of cake.  Slice.  Enjoy.  Repeat.

Since I did not get any ripples in my cake, I decided to make Chocolate Ripple No-Machine Ice Cream to serve with the cake.  I will be back with that post later today.

Be sure to check out the links below to see all the great chocolate cakes that other bloggers have made.

Butterscotch Oatmeal Cake

I just want to say a quick welcome to my new followers.  As always, thanks to all who take the time out of their busy lives to read this blog.  It is appreciated.

Many years ago I clipped a recipe from a Nestles ad for Butterscotch Bark Cake.  It was called that because you used a fork to make the frosting look like bark.  I loved that cake, but over the years the recipe disappeared.
 
Lately I have been thinking about that cake and wanted to make it.  I searched the Nestle site, and it is not there.  I searched the net and did not find it.  I also had done a search for chocolate oatmeal cake and found one at Are You Hungry that called for semisweet chocolate chips.  I thought why not use  butterscotch chips in place of the chocolate ones and see what happens.  Though not quite like I remember, this did make a very good cake.

I have to admit that once I made the cake, I didn’t want to work any more; so I just frosted it with some canned chocolate frosting that I had purchased to make candy with at Christmas time and didn’t get to it.

Butterscotch Oatmeal Cake
adapted from Are You Hungry

1 1/2 c. boiling water
1 c. quick-cooking oatmeal
1/2 pkg. butterscotch chips (3/4 c. plus 2 T.)
1/2 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar, packed
2 eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt

Mix oats and boiling water together in a bowl.  Add butterscotch chips, let stand 5 minutes.  Stir.  Let stand 10 minutes more.  Meanwhile in another bowl cream together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar until fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Stir oat mixture to thoroughly blend in  the chips.  Add to sugar/egg mixture.  Combine flour, baking soda and salt.  Add to oat mixture and blend well.  Pour into a greased 9x13-inch baking pan.  Bake at 350 degrees 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool in pan on a wire rack.  Frost with your favorite frosting.

Linking to:  Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Totally Tasty Tuesday
Tuesdays at the Table
Sweets for a Saturday

Cooking with the Journal-Hot Milk Sponge Cake aka Strawberry Shortcake Cake

I am not fond of the biscuit type of strawberry shortcake but prefer a more “cake-like” strawberry shortcake.  This Hot Milk Sponge cake is very easy and has a texture somewhat like the little sponge cakes available at the grocery store.  Those are not only expensive, they contain additives I would rather not eat.  The picture above is to show the texture of the cake.

This is the recipe that I use to make Strawberry Shortcake.  The slight lemon flavor goes very well with strawberries or any other berries.  One could also use almond extract, but I would reduce it to 1/4 t. to start.  The almond flavor is great with peaches for peach shortcake.  This is a fairly low-fat cake, having only 1 T. melted butter in it beside the fat in the egg yolks.

The cake, of course, can be frosted if one likes.  It is also good topped with ice cream with warm Chocolate or Butterscotch Sauce spooned over it.

This is a very old recipe that I have seen in other old recipe books, but this one is in Farm Journal’s Family Favorites from Country Kitchens.

Hot Milk Sponge Cake
Family Favorites from Country Kitchens
Farm Journal, 1973

1 c. flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1.4 t. salt
2 eggs
1 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
1/2 t. lemon extract.
1/2 c. hot milk
1 T. butter or regular margarine

Mix together flour, baking powder and salt.  Beat eggs with electric mixer until foamy.  Slowly beat in sugar, 1/4 c. at a time, beating well until thick and lemon-colored.  Beat in vanilla and lemon extract.  Place milk and butter (cut into pieces) in a glass measuring cup.  Heat in microwave 1 minute or until butter melts.  Beat in dry ingredients at low speed.  Slowly beat in hot milk and butter.  Pour batter into ungreased 9-in. square pan.  Bake in 350-degree oven 30 minutes or until cake is done.  Place on rack to cool.  Makes 9 servings.

To make shortcake, cut servings of cake and split in half.  Place in dessert dish and top with sliced strawberries, other berries, or sliced peaches and whipped cream or topping.

Linking to Ingredient Spotlight

Ingredient Spotlight-Jam Cake

 I confess, I do not care for blueberries.  However, I did not want to skip this Ingredient Spotlight so I have been keeping my eyes open for something to post.  In the same Farm Journal cookbook that I posted the Sour Cream Coleslaw recipe from yesterday, I spied a recipe for Blackberry Jam Cake.  The recipe said that it was also good with strawberry or raspberry jam.  So I thought blueberry jam-that could work.  I think this is just going to be called Jam Cake as probably any jam flavor could be used.  I love a recipe that is a base from which I can make variations.

This improves with aging so can be made a day or two ahead of serving if one can wait to eat it.  That would not be me.  I put this in a 9x13-inch glass baking dish and baked it for 45 minutes.  I let cool and sprinkled powdered sugar over the top.  The cake is just a hint of purple, is moist with a subtle spice and berry flavor, and is crunchy with the nuts.  So go forth and make a purple cake!

Jam Cake
Great Home Cooking in America
Farm Journal Books, 1976

1 c. butter or margarine
1 c. sugar
4 eggs
1 c. jam of choice
3 1/4 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t baking powder
1 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. ground nutmeg
1 t. ground allspice
3/4 t. salt
1 c. buttermilk
1 1/3 c. chopped walnuts (I used only 1 cup and toasted them)

Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in jam.  Sift dry ingredients together.  Add dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition.  Stir in walnuts.  Spread batter in greased and waxed-paper-lined 9-inch tube pan.  Bake at 325 degrees 1 hour and 30 minutes or until cake tests done.  Makes 10 servings.

I am linking to Ingredient Spotlight and Whisking Wednesdays.

DIY Groceries-Snack Cake Mix

Back in the late 70’s and into the 80’s Snack Cakes were all the rage.  There were Snack Cake mixes from all the commercial bakers on the store shelves.  The appeal of these mixes was being able to make the cake right in the baking pan.  Women loved it if they had just one less item to wash.

In 1982 Woman’s Day put out a homemade version of this popular dessert.  I still have the clipping from the magazine and make this mix often.  It makes it so easy top whip up and bake dessert in about 40 minutes.  There were many variations in the magazine article which I will post here, but one can easily think of more.   Since the whole idea of these cakes was to bake something fast, they were not usually frosted but certainly can be.  This is also just the right size cake for a couple or small family.

Snack Cake Mix
Woman's Day 10/82
Snack Cake Mix
6 c. flour
4 c. sugar
3 T. baking powder
2 t. salt
1 1/2 c. shortening

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Cut in shortening with
a pastry blender until mixture resembles cornmeal.  Store in
airtight container in cool, dry place.  Makes 13 cups.  Use
within 3 months.

NOTE FOR ALL CAKE VARIATIONS:
Use rubber spatula to mix ingredients to avoid scratching baking pan.
Scrape down sides of pan before baking.
Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into center of cake.
Cool cake in pan on rack.

Everyday Cake
2 c. Snack Cake Mix
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 t. vanilla
1/2 c. milk

Place all ingredients in an 8-inch layer-cake or square pan  stir
until well blended.  Scrape down sides of pan.  Bake at 375 degrees 30 minutes or until done.  Makes 8 servings.  190 cal. ea.
This makes a great shortcake topped with sliced fresh fruit.  Canned or thawed frozen fruit may also be used.  Can be topped with sauces of your choice.  Chocolate and butterscotch are very good.

Chip and Nut Cake:  Add 1/3 c. chips of your choice and 1/3 c. toasted nuts of your choice to above recipe.

Pecan Glazed Cake
Ingredients for Everyday Cake above
/4 c. butter or margarine, softened
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1 T. flour
1 t. vanilla
1 T. flour
3/4 c. chopped pecans

Prepare and bake Everyday Cake as above.  Meanwhile in small bowl mix butter, sugar, flour, vanilla, and milk.  Fold in pecans.  When cake is done, remove from oven: spread with butter-nut mixture; return to oven and bake a minute or two until glaze is bubbly.  Remove from oven and run a thin-bladed spatula around edges to loosen cake.  Makes 8 servings. 346 cal. ea.

Other nuts can be used:  walnuts and almonds are very good in this also.

Chocolate Cake
2 c. Snack Cake Mix
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 t. vanilla
3/4 c. ice water
Confectioners' sugar for dusting (optional)

In 8-inch layer-cake pan or square pan stir cake mix and cocoa until well blended. Briskly stir in egg, vanilla, and iced water until well mixed. Bake and cool.  Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar if desired.  Makes 8 servings.  191 cal. ea.

Gingerbread
2 c. Snack Mix
1 t. each cinnamon and ginger
1/4 t. each cloves, nutmeg, and baking soda
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 c. each dark molasses and milk
Whipped cream or topping

In 8-inch square pan stir cake mix, spices, and baking soda.  Stir until well blended.  Briskly stir in eggs, molasses and milk until well mixed. Bake and cool.  Top with whipped cream if desired.  Makes 8 servings.  319 cal. ea.

Easy Carrot Cake
2 1/2 c. Snack Cake Mix
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 c. chopped toasted walnuts or pecans
1/3 c. raisins (leave out if you don't like)
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 jar (7 1/2 oz.) junior baby-food carrots
1 T. lemon juice
Confectioners' sugar for dusting (optional)

In 8-inch square pan stir cake mix, cinnamon, nuts and raisins until well blended.  Stir in egg, carrots, and lemon juice until well blended.  Bake and cool.  Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, if desired.  Makes 8 servings.  298 ca. ea.

Crumb-Top Cake
2 1/2 c. Snack Cake Mix, divided
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 c. milk
1 t. vanilla
1/4 c. chopped pecans or other nuts.
1 t. cinnamon

In 8-inch square pan stir 2 c. cake mix, the egg, milk and vanilla until well blended.  In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/2 c. cake mix, nuts, and cinnamon.  Sprinkle over batter.  Bake and cool.  Makes 8 servings.  259 ca. ea.


Applesauce Cake with Almond-Sugar Topping
2 c. Snack Cake Mix
1/2 t. each nutmeg and cinnamon
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 c. applesauce
1/3 c. sliced almonds
1 t. sugar
1/4 t. nutmeg

In 8-inch layer-cake or square pan stir cake mix, nutmeg and cinnamon until well blended.  Stir in egg and applesauce.  Combine almonds, sugar, and nutmeg.  Sprinkle over cake batter.  Bake and cool.  Makes 8 servings.  216 cal. ea.

Swedish Coffee Cake
2 C. Snack Cake Mix
1 t. ground cardamom (or cinnamon)
1 egg, slightly beaten
2/3 c. milk
3 T. chopped nuts
1 T. sugar
1 t. cinnamon

In 8-inch layer-cake or square pan stir cake mix and cardamom until well blended.  Stir in egg and milk until well blended.  Combine nuts, sugar and cinnamon.  Sprinkle over batter.  Bake and cool.  Makes 8 servings.  213 cal. ea.

Tomorrow:  Cooking with the Journal-Swedish Meatballs