Cake Recipe #13 - Carrot Cake

This is a good way to get your vegetables worked into your "cake" diet. Easy to make and the cream cheese frosting blankets the nutty interior. Baking in a 9x13 pan will also work, but getting that extra taste of frosting found in a layer cake can't be beat.

Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, 1 cup vegetable oil, 3 eggs, 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 3 cups shredded carrots (about 5 medium), 1 cup coarsely chopped nuts. Frosting: 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened, 1 tablespoon milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 4 cups powdered sugar.

Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour pan(s). In large mixing bowl, beat sugar, oil, and eggs together for one minute. Stir in remaining ingredients except carrots and nuts; beat one minute more. By hand, stir in carrots and nuts, mixing well. Pour into prepared pan(s).

Bake 25-30 minutes (for layer cake); 35-45 minutes (for 9x13) or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Allow to cool for a few minutes before transferring to a serving plate (layer cake). Cool completely.

Make Cream cheese frosting: Place cream cheese, milk and vanilla in medium mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Gradually beat in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until smooth and of spreading consistency.

Frost cake with generous amount of frosting (eat the rest!) and sprinkle with more chopped nuts, if desired.

I've had this recipe for a long time, but don't know where it came from.

"Let's Bake a Cake!"

Cake Recipe #12 - Apricot Upside Down Cake

My great aunt used to make this variation of a pineapple upside down cake. The yummy apricot sauce poured over a generous wedge is a lip-licker.

Ingredients: 1 can apricot halves, drained, preserving liquid, 2/3 cup butter, divided, 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed, 1 1/2 cups sifted flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2/3 cup milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla. Sauce: 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, reserved apricot juice (add enough water to make 1 cup), 2 tablespoons butter, 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice.

Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a round 9 or 10 inch baking pan with cooking spray; set aside. Drain apricots, reserving liquid. Melt 1/3 cup of the butter and pour into bottom of prepared baking pan. Sprinkle 1/2 cup brown sugar over butter. Arrange drained apricots in attractive pattern on the butter/sugar coating.

Make cake batter: In large mixing bowl place flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt. Add 1/3 cup softened butter, milk and vanilla, mixing well. Pour batter over apricots, carefully spreading evenly to edges of pan.

Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately turn upside down on serving plate. Leave pan over cake for a few minutes for sugar mixture to run down over cake. Carefully, remove pan and replace any apricots on cake if stuck to pan. Allow to cool while making sauce.

In small saucepan mix 1/3 cup brown sugar, cornstarch and reserved 1 cup apricot juice. Bring to a boil; boil 1 minute over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add 2 tablespoons butter and 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice. Serve warm over cake.

"Cooking With Hope" Hope United Methodist Women's Unit, Flint, MI, Aunt Georgia Thompson, Cookbook Publishers, Inc., Lenesa, KS, 1978.

"Let's Bake a Cake!"

Cake Recipe #11 - Chocolate Pound Cake

Top a thick slice of this chocolate cake with a generous mound of ice cream for a perfect dessert.

Ingredients: 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup cocoa, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, 1 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee powder, 1 teaspoon water, 4 large eggs, 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract. Glaze: 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature, 4 ounces finely chopped semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips), 1/2 teaspoon light corn syrup.

Instructions: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray bottom and sides of a 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf pans with cooking spray; set aside.

Sift the flour, baking powder, cocoa and salt together in small bowl. In large mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugar and beat until light and airy, about 3 minutes. Dissolve coffee in water; add to creamed mixture until thoroughly combined.

Break the eggs into a small bowl and, using a fork, beat the eggs until the yolks and whites are blended. Add about 1/4 cup of the beaten eggs to the butter mixture and beat on medium speed until incorporated. Repeat with remaining beaten eggs in 3 equal portions, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and mix well. Continue beating for 2 minutes until the mixture warms and looks light and fluffy.

Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add half of the dry ingredients, beating just until the flour mixture is incorporated. Beat in the remaining dry ingredients in the same manner.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan; smooth the surface lightly with rubber spatula. Bake in preheated 325 degree oven for 1 hour undisturbed. Insert a thin skewer or toothpick into the center. If it comes out dry, the cake is done. If it comes out wet or with crumbs, continue to bake in 5 minute intervals until done.

Transfer cake to wire rack and allow to cool 30 minutes before running a sharp knife around edges and inverting cake onto wire rack. Cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours.

Make glaze: Cut butter into 4 equal pieces and put into a large heatproof bowl. Add the chocolate and corn syrup. Place over (not touching) barely simmering water in a saucepan and stir often until the chocolate and butter melt and the mixture is smooth. Remove fro the heat and let the glaze cool until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Drizzle the glaze over the cake, then cut into slices and serve (with strawberries, ice cream, whipped cream, etc.).

Serves 6-8, depending on size of slices.

"Williams-Sonoma Mastering Cakes Fillings & Frostings", Free Press, A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York, NY, 2005. (Condensed version)

"Let's Bake a Cake!"

Cake Recipe #10 - Graham Cracker Cake

This isn't a very pretty cake but is very tasty. It's fairly simple to make and is great topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a couple dollops of whipped cream. Rather than using brown sugar cookie or vanilla wafer cookie crumbs, just use all graham crackers (1 1/2 cups).

Ingredients: 6 tablespoons butter, softened, 1 cup packed brown sugar, 2 eggs, 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 3 cracker sheets), 3/4 cup brown sugar cookie crumbs (such Lotus brand Biscoff, about 20 cookies)(I used vanilla wafers, crushed), 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 cup buttermilk*, 1/2 teaspoon turbinado sugar (I used raw sugar) (optional), 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (I used kosher salt)(optional).

Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a deep 9-inch cake pan or a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray.

*to make buttermilk: Pour 1 teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar in a 1 cup measuring cup. Fill remainder with milk and allow to stand for a few minutes before using.

Crush graham crackers and cookies by placing a few in a resealable freezer bag and rolling over several times with a rolling pin. Place in a mixing bowl along with the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.

Combine butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat with a mixer until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well blended. Add crumb mixture to butter mixture, alternately with buttermilk, beating until well blended. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle top with sugar and salt, if desired.

Bake for 40 minutes in preheated 350 degree oven, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Loosen edges and remove from pan to plate. Allow to cool completely. Serve with sorbet, ice cream, frozen yogurt, or whipped cream.

Serves 12.

"Relish" Magazine, Publishing Group of America, Franklin, TN, September 2010, pg.8.

"Let's Bake a Cake!"