Brown Sugar Cake

Apart from being a slightly healthier alternative to white refined sugar, brown sugar adds to the taste and texture of the final product when used in baking cakes. When you prepare a brown sugar cake, and compare it with a cake made with white sugar, you will notice that the brown sugar cake has a richer flavor and a more moist texture than the cake made with white sugar. This is why brown sugar cakes have been gaining more popularity in the world of baking. So that you can experience the richness of this wonderful ingredient, here's presenting the brown sugar cake recipe, along with the recipe for brown sugar cake icing.

Brown Sugar Cake with Caramel Frosting

The brown sugar cake with caramel frosting recipe is very popular and making it is not so difficult. In fact, it is so delicious, you are going to have to keep a watch on yourself and refrain from eating all of it!

For the Cake
All-Purpose flour, 3 cups
Eggs, 5
Milk, 1 cup
Baking Powder, ½ teaspoon
Vanilla Extract, 1 teaspoon
Dark Brown Sugar, 2¾ cups
Sugar, ½ cup
Salt, ¼ teaspoon
Butter, softened, 1½ cups (3 sticks)
Procedure
Preheat the oven to a temperature of 325° F. Take a 9" x 5" loaf pan, and grease it with butter. Sprinkle a little flour on the pan and set it aside.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and baking powder. In another container, put the vanilla extract in the milk, and let it rest.
In a large bowl, using an electric whisk, beat the butter till it becomes fluffy.
Now add one-third of the brown sugar and beat the butter. Next add another one third of the brown sugar and beat the butter further. Finish off with the addition of the last portion of brown sugar.
Add in the white sugar, and beat the entire mixture thoroughly.
Add in the eggs, one at a time, while beating continuously.
Reduce the speed of the whisk and add in half the amount of the flour, followed by half the amount of the whisk. Only when these ingredients blend into the mixture well and add the remaining portions.
Pour the batter into the greased pan and let it bake in the preheated oven for about an hour. You will know the cake is done when it browns at the edges, and when a skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean.
Allow the cake to cool in the pan itself, for about 30 minutes. Then flip over the pan so that the cake comes out easily. Flip it over and let it rest on a wire rack so that it cools completely.
For the Caramel Frosting
Light Brown Sugar, 1 cup
Confectioners’ Sugar, 4 cups, sifted
Evaporated Milk, ½ cup
Butter, ½ cup (1 stick)
Vanilla, 1 teaspoon
Procedure
In a saucepan over medium heat, mix together the butter and the brown sugar, until both melt for about 2 - 3 minutes. This should result in the formation of a smooth sauce.
Stir in the milk and allow the mixture to come to a boil.
Remove the icing from the heat and allow it to cool slightly. Now, add in the vanilla and milk and beat it with an electric whisk. This will cause the icing to become thick.
Immediately pour it over the cake and let it set (sets immediately).
Your brown sugar cake with caramel frosting is ready to be served! For some more yummy cakes, take a look at these other cake recipes.

Brown Sugar Cake Frosting with Cream Cheese

Apart from the above mentioned caramel frosting, this cream cheese frosting for a brown sugar cake makes for an excellent choice, whether you use it for a whole cake or for cupcakes. The cream cheese in this recipe gives the frosting a rich, smooth and fluffy texture and makes it wonderfully delicious!

Ingredients
Light brown sugar, 2 tablespoons
Unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons
Cream cheese, softened, 1 (8 ounce) package
Honey, 1 tablespoon
Almond extract, 1 teaspoon
Vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon
Procedure
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Once it melts, remove it from heat and allow it to cool.
Beat together cream cheese, brown sugar, butter, almond and vanilla extract in a large bowl with an electric whisk.
You will notice that the mixture is starting to stiffen. Stop beating at this point and pour in the honey.
Resume beating the mixture till it becomes fluffy. Don't overdo it or the frosting will spoil.
Pour it immediately on the brown sugar cake and allow it to cool in the refrigerator for a while.
To learn how to prepare a variety of other frostings and icings, take a look at these icing recipes.

Treat your family to it, or enjoy it alone, or prepare it for a potluck. This yummy cake cannot be missed by anyone and its lasting flavor is going to be relished for days together!

Best Red Velvet Cake

The red velvet cake is quite mysterious, not just because of its unusual name and appearance, but also because of the discrepancy in its history. According to a famous legend, the red velvet cake was introduced by a baker at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Once a lady who came as a customer at the restaurant, requested for the recipe of the delicious cake that she tasted. Though she did receive the recipe, she had to pay USD 100 for it. This made her angry and she passed the cake recipe to all her friends through a letter and the red velvet cake became very popular. Though this story matches the fascination attached to the red velvet cake, its authenticity is seriously doubted. Just like this story, there are hoards of other stories that talks about the introduction of the red velvet cake, but there is no proof for any of them being true. Nevertheless, the red velvet cake recipe not only became a favorite among people, but also an inevitable constituent of meals on special occasions. So, here I have tried to bring together some of the recipes that claim to be the best red velvet cake.

Best Red Velvet Cake Recipes
If you are looking for a recipe for making the best red velvet cake from scratch, you can try this one..

Ingredients
All purpose flour, sifted, 2½ cups
Eggs, 2
White vinegar, 1 teaspoon
White sugar, 1½ cups
Red food coloring, 2 ounces
Baking soda, 1½ teaspoons
Buttermilk, 1 cup
Salt, 1 teaspoon
Cocoa powder, unsweetened, 2 tablespoons
Vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon
Shortening, ½ cup
For Frosting
Milk, 8 ounces
Butter, 8 ounces
All purpose flour, 5 tablespoons
Vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon
White sugar, 8 ounces
Preparation
In a medium sized bowl, mix cocoa and food coloring together and keep it aside. In the same way, in another medium sized bowl, take buttermilk, vanilla, salt and after they are fully combined, set it aside along with the other bowl.
Once this is done, take a large mixing bowl and beat shortening and sugar together till they become light and fluffy in texture. Add eggs, followed by the cocoa mixture, beating after every addition.
After this, fold in the buttermilk mixture, alternately with the flour and stir until all the ingredients are well combined. In another mixing bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda together and add to the large bowl containing cake batter.
Prepare two baking 9 inch round pans by greasing them. Pour the cake batter into these pans and bake in a 350 degrees Fahrenheit, preheated oven. After 30 minutes, take the cake out of the oven and conduct a toothpick test to see whether the cake is fully baked. Allow it to cool completely, before frosting the cake.
While the cake gets cooled, you can make the icing. For the frosting, take a saucepan and cook a mixture of flour and milk on a low flame. Stir continuously till the mixture begins to thicken. Keep aside and allow it to cool completely.
In another bowl, beat butter, vanilla and sugar till it becomes light and fluffy. When the milk and flour mixture has cooled, add it to the bowl and stir till you achieve the desired frosting consistency.
By the time you have made the frosting, your cake must have cooled fully. Now, you have to gently cut the two cakes horizontally, such that you get four cakes. Place one of the layers on a serving dish and apply a layer of frosting over it. When this is done, place another layer of cake over it and repeat the process till all the cakes are layered with frosting. Spread the icing on top as well as on the sides of the cake. Decorate the cake with crushed pecans or grated coconut and keep it in the refrigerator till serving time.
Best Red Velvet Cake Mix
If you do not have the time to make red velvet cake from scratch, you can try this recipe where the cake is made with the help of a cake mix.

Ingredients
White cake mix, 1 box
Milk, 1 cup
White vinegar, 3 teaspoons
Instant vanilla pudding mix, 1 box
Red food coloring, 2 ounces
Cocoa powder, unsweetened, 3 teaspoons
Large eggs, 4
Vegetable oil, ½ cup
Preparation
In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, cocoa, food coloring, oil, pudding mix, vinegar and eggs and beat on medium speed for four minutes. When you feel that all the ingredients are well combined, set the bowl aside.
Grease three pans and pour the cake batter into all three pans. Place the baking pans in the oven and bake for 30 minutes at a temperature of 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Take the pans out and conduct the toothpick test on the cakes. Keep them for cooling and follow the same procedure as given above, to frost the cake.
Best Red Velvet Cake Frosting Recipe
Apart from the above given frosting recipe, the one that is the favorite among most people is the cream cheese frosting recipe and hence, it is important to know the recipe of what is considered as the best red velvet cake frosting. Read more on icing recipes.

Ingredients
Cream cheese, 8 ounces
Unsalted butter, softened, 8 ounces
Confectioner's sugar, sifted, 4 cups
Vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon
Preparation
In a large mixing bowl, take sugar, cream cheese and butter and mix them together with a hand held electric mixer.
On a low speed, combine these ingredients till they are fully incorporated. When this is done, you can increase the speed of the mixer till the mixture becomes light and fluffy. This will take you at least five minutes, but you have to stop in between and scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
Add the vanilla into the bowl and again blend it on a high speed till it attains a fluffy texture. Place the frosting in the refrigerator and use it on the cake when it becomes stiff. Read more on cake decorating.
I hope you are eagerly awaiting to try one of these best red velvet cake recipes. If one of your friend's or family member's birthday is coming up, surprise them with the red velvet cake and I bet they would have never tasted such a delicious birthday gift ever.

Birthday Cake Recipes

Looking for a special cake to bake for an upcoming birthday? Here is a collection of some of our favorite birthday cake recipes, including unconventional choices and options for those with dietary restrictions. A homemade birthday cake is a great way to show you care on such a special occasion!

Click on the recipe title to go to the recipe page, where you can save the recipe to your Recipe Box, add notes, comment, and print. Enjoy!

Birthday Cakes

Orange Chiffon Layer Cake- A delicious dessert topped with a homemade butter frosting.

Turtle Cake- The delicious cake is make with semi-sweet chocolate chips, pecans, chocolate cakes and vanilla caramel pieces.

Better Than Sex Cake- With pineapple and coconut, this cake is so decadent you won't want to share, mmm, how delicious. Serve at your next party.

Red Velvet Cake- Originally served at the Waldorf Astoria in New York, this cake has rapidly become a family favorite.

Postre "Las Tres Leches"- This recipes creates the moistest cake you will ever have the pleasure of eating.

Kid-Friendly Cakes

Chocolate Chip Cake Roll- This delicious cake roll is perfect for any children's birthday party.

King Cake- There's a surprise in this cake that will make it the hit of any party.

Bursting Flower Cupcakes- Serve these sunny little cakes and watch the smiles bloom! They're sweet delight with every bite.

S'More Cupcakes- Don't trust your little ones (or yourself) near an open flame? Whip up a batch of these cupcakes that taste just like the real thing… without catching on fire.

Chocoholics?

Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake with Easy Cocoa Frosting- It may sound different to you, but the mayo keeps the cake moister for longer, so you can make this cake well ahead of a birthday party.

Flourless Chocolate Cake- Wolfgang Puck- My Flourless Chocolate Cake, so dense and rich that it's almost like a sublime fudge, is an excellent choice not only because it's so easy to make well in advance but also because it offers such decadent pleasure for lovers of chocolate.

Decadent Chocolate Cake With Raspberry Sauce- Chocolate and raspberry together make a heavenly combination in this cake.

Chocolate Truffle Cake- Choc-o-holic beware! You pick the chocolate; do you want the sweet taste of dark chocolate or the semi-sweet milk chocolate? Whichever one you chose you will die when you put a piece of this in your mouth.

Dietary Restrictions?

Fat Free Chocolate Cake- Who says you can't eat chocolate cake on a diet? Try this indulgent-tasting treat.

Sugar Free Carrot Cake- Made with frozen juice concentrate and a carrot mixture of pineapple, nuts, and sesame seeds.

Sugar-Free Impossible Cheesecake- This sugar-free version of a classic recipe makes baking a cinch and eating no-guilt!

All Cakes

Orange Chiffon Layer Cake

Ingredients

2 eggs, separated
1 1/2 C. sugar
2 1/4 C. cake flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/3 C. vegetable oil
Grated peel of 1 orange
Juice of 1 orange plus enough milk to measure 1 C. liquid

Orange Butter Frosting:
3 C. powdered sugar
1/3-C. margarine or butter, softened
About 2 Tbs. orange juice
2 tsp. grated orange peel

Pineapple Butter Frosting:
3 C. powdered sugar
1/3 C. margarine or butter; softened
1/3 C. well drained crushed pineapple
Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 round layer pans, 8 or 9x1 1/2 inches. Beat egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Beat in 1/2 C. of the sugar on high speed, 1 Tbs. at a time; continue beating until very stiff and glossy. Do not under beat. Mix remaining sugar, the flour, baking powder, and salt in large mixer bowl. Add oil and half of the liquid. Beat on low speed until moistened. Beat on high speed, scraping bowl constantly, 1 minute. Add remaining liquid, the peel and egg yolks. Beat on high speed, scraping occasionally, 1 minute. Fold in meringue. Pour into pans. Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes; cool. Frost with either Orange or Pineapple Butter Frosting if desired.

Turtle Cake

The delicious cake is make with semi-sweet chocolate chips, pecans, chocolate cakes and vanilla caramel pieces.
Ingredients

1 large, double-layer chocolate cake mix
60 vanilla caramels
1/2 C. condensed milk
3/4 C. butter
1 1/2 C. semi sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 C. chopped and whole pecans
Directions

Peel wrapping off caramels. Lightly grease and flour 9 x 13 inch pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix cake according to directions on box. Pour and spread half the batter in the pan and bake for 15 minutes. While cake is baking, melt butter, milk and caramels on low heat, constantly mixing. Remove cake from oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips and pecans on top. Cover with the melted caramel mixture. Top with the rest of the chocolate cake mix and bake for another 20 minutes. Can be served warm or cold.

Better Than Sex Cake
Ingredients

1 pkg. Yellow cake mix
1 20 oz. Can crushed pineapple
3/4 C. Sugar
2 pkg. Instant vanilla pudding mix (3 1/2 oz)
3 C. Milk
1 C. whipping cream
1/4 C. Confectioner's sugar
1 t. Vanilla
3/4 C. flaked coconut
Directions

Bake yellow cake according to cake recipe. Meanwhile, in medium saucepan, combine crushed pineapple with its juice and sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until thick and syrupy, about 20 minutes. When cake is done, remove from oven and pierce with a fork at one-inch intervals. Pour pineapple mixture and spread evenly over cake. Cool completely. In a medium bowl, combine pudding mixes with milk, blend until thick. Spread over cake. Chill. In medium bowl, beat cream until soft peaks form. Add confectioner's sugar and vanilla. Beat until soft. Spread over cake. Refrigerate cake for 24 hours. Sprinkle with coconut flakes and serve.

Pan Size: 9 x 13

Red Velvet Cake

Ingredients

2 1/2 C. self-rising flour
1 1/2 C. white sugar
1 C. vegetable oil
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. distilled white vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 C. buttermilk
2 oz. red food coloring
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 C. butter, softened
4 C. confectioners' sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 C. chopped pecans
Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three 8 inch round pans. In a large bowl, mix together sugar, oil, and eggs. Add food coloring and vinegar to buttermilk. Add baking soda to flour. Add flour mixture and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the sugar mixture. Mix well. Stir 1 teaspoon vanilla into batter. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until done. Remove from oven, and cool on wire racks. Mix together cream cheese, butter or margarine, confectioners' sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in nuts. Frost cooled cake with vanilla or cream cheese frosting of your choice.

Postre "Las Tres Leches"

Ingredients

Cake:
6 eggs
2 C. sugar
2 C. sifted flour
3 tsp. baking powder
½ C. of milk
Vanilla to taste (I use approx. 2 tsp.)

Las leches:
1 1/2 cans of condensed milk
1 1/2 cans evaporated milk (2 1/4 C.)
1 1/2 C. of heavy cream
3 egg yolks
Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Separate egg whites from yolks and beat the egg whites until they begin to form firm peaks. Gradually add the sugar, by tablespoonfuls, adding the next when the previous has been mixed in. After the sugar, add the yolks one at a time, beating after each one is added. Add the sifted flour with the baking powder, alternating with dashes of milk. Add vanilla to taste. Pour into a high cake mold, greased and place it in the middle rack of the oven. I usually use a deep 9 x 13 inch pyrex or castaway aluminum foil pan. Bake for 45 minutes without opening the oven. (if you have a powerful oven, this may be reduced to 40 minutes) When finished, remove from oven and poke extensively with a fork so that the milk mixture can penetrate. Mix all of leches ingredients well and pour gradually and evenly over the cake, allowing the milk to filter into the interior of the cake.

Birthday Cakes for Kids

Chocolate Chip Cake Roll

Ingredients

1 pkg. chocolate cake mix
2 pkg. vanilla pudding
1/2 C. semisweet chocolate chips
Confectioner's sugar
Directions

Mix cake mix according to pkg. directions. Grease and flour a cookie sheet and pour cake mix onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for only about 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle of the cake. Allow cake to cool, remove from cookie sheet and place on wax paper. Dust with powdered sugar. Mix pudding according to pkg. directions; you may use instant pudding to save on time if you wish. When pudding is set, pour the chocolate chips in and stir well. Spread pudding out evenly on cake. Roll up cake gently and sprinkle cake roll with confectioner's sugar. Slice cake with a serrated knife. This cake is easy to make but the finished result looks fancy.

King Cake

Ingredients

2 (.25 oz.) packages active dry yeast
1/2 C. white sugar
1 C. warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1/2 C. butter, melted
5 egg yolks
4 C. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
tiny (1") plastic baby doll
Filling:
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese
1/2 C. confectioners' sugar
Glaze:
2 C. confectioners' sugar
1/4 C. lemon juice
2 Tbs. milk
1 Tbs. multicolored candy sprinkles
Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and white sugar in warm milk. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. Stir the egg yolks and melted butter into the milk mixture. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, nutmeg and lemon zest. Beat the flour mixture into the milk/egg mixture 1 cup at a time. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and supple, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 2 hours. In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese and 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar.

Mix well. In another small bowl, combine the remaining 2 C. confectioners' sugar, lemon juice and 2 tablespoons milk. Mix well and set aside. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Roll it out into a 6x30 inch rectangle. Spread the cream cheese filling across the center of the dough. Bring the two long edges together and seal completely. Using your hands, shape the dough into a long cylinder and place on a greased baking sheet, seam-side down. Shape the dough into a ring, and press the baby doll into the ring from the bottom so that it is completely hidden by the dough. Place a well-greased 2 pound metal coffee can the center of the ring to help it maintain its shape during baking. Cover the ring with a towel and place in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes. Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove the coffee can and allow the bread to cool. Drizzle cooled cake with lemon/sugar glaze and decorate with candy sprinkles.

Makes 1 ring shaped loaf.

Bursting Flower Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 bag Snickers Miniatures, chopped
1 bag M&M'S Milk Chocolate Candies
2 16 oz. cans vanilla frosting
1 18.2 oz. box yellow cake mix
Yellow food coloring
Directions

Prepare yellow cake mix according to the package directions. Fold the chopped Snickers Miniatures into the batter before transferring it to the paper cupcake-lined muffin tins. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Tint frosting to the desired shade of yellow with the food coloring. Set half the frosting aside, and transfer the remaining half to the pastry bag fitted with the pastry tip. Once cupcakes are completely cool, spread a thin layer of frosting on top of each cupcake. Using the pastry bag with tip, pipe petals around the edges of each cupcake. Fill the middle with M&M'S. Finish by piping a second layer of little petals around the M&M'S.

Variation: Try Pop'ables Snickers Candies, chopped, instead of Snickers Miniatures in Step 1.

Yield: 24 cupcakes

S'More Cupcakes

Don't trust your little ones (or yourself) near an open flame? Whip up a batch of these cupcakes that taste just like the real thing… without catching on fire.
Ingredients

24 paper liners for cupcake pan
7 whole graham crackers, coarsely chopped (do not use boxed graham cracker crumbs)
1 C. sour cream
1 18 1/4 oz. plain German chocolate cake mix
1 3.4 oz. pkg. vanilla instant pudding mix
1/2 C. water
1/2 C. vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 C. milk chocolate chips

Marshmallow Frosting:
1 13 oz. jar marshmallow creme
3 Tbs. sour cream
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 Hershey's milk chocolate bars, broken into 24 small pieces
Directions

Place rack in center of oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners. Set pans aside. Place 1 scant Tbs. of chopped graham cracker crumbs in the bottom of each liner. Set aside. Reserve the remaining graham cracker crumbs for garnish. Set aside 3 Tbs. of the sour cream for the frosting.

Place the cake mix, pudding mix, remaining sour cream, water, oil and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides if needed. The batter should look thick and well-combined. Fold in the chocolate chips, making sure they are well distributed throughout the batter.

Spoon or scoop 1/4 C. batter into each lined cupcake cup, filling it 2/3 of the way. (You will get between 22 and 24 cupcakes; remove the empty liners, if any.) Place the pans in the oven. Bake the cupcakes until they spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 19-22 minutes.

Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges of the cupcake liners; lift the cupcakes from the bottoms of the cup with the end of the knife and pick them out of the cup carefully with your fingertips. Place them on a wire rack to cool 15 minutes before frosting.

Carefully remove the liner from each cupcake, taking care that the graham cracker crumbs don't fall off, before frosting them. Place a heaping Tbs. of frosting on each cupcake and with a metal short spatula or spoon, swirl to spread it out, taking care to cover the tops completely. Garnish with the reserved chopped graham crackers and a piece of milk chocolate and serve.

To make frosting, remove the lid from the glass jar of marshmallow creme and place the jar in the microwave on high power for 45 seconds. With small rubber spatula, scrape the creme out of the jar and into a mixing bowl. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract. With an electric mixer, beat the mixture on medium speed until the frosting is fluffy and well- blended, 1 minute.

Yield: 24 cupcakes

From: "Cupcakes: From the Cake Mix Doctor" by Anne Byrn

Chocolate Birthday Cakes

Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake with Easy Cocoa Frosting

Because it's so moist, this cake keeps longer than most.
Ingredients

Cake:
2 C. all-purpose flour
1 C. granulated sugar
1/3 C. + 1 Tbs. cocoa powder (not Dutch processed)
2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 C. mayonnaise
1 C. cold strong brewed coffee
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Frosting:
1 1/4 C. confectioners' sugar
2/3 C. cocoa powder (not Dutch processed)
3 Tbs. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 C. heavy cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Directions

To make the cake, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 13-by- 9-inch baking pan. Dust the inside with flour and tap out the excess flour. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and make a well in the center. In another bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, coffee, and vanilla. Pour into the well. Mix with an electric mixer on low speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, just until the batter is smooth; do not overbeat. Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Bake until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire cake rack and cool completely.

To make the frosting, sift the confectioners' sugar and cocoa onto a piece of waxed paper. Beat the butter with an electric mixer in a medium bowl on low speed. Using the waxed paper as a funnel, gradually add the sugar-cocoa mixture, alternating with the heavy cream, and beat until smooth. You may use more or less cream to reach the desired consistency. Beat in the vanilla.

Spread the frosting over the top of the cake. Cut into squares to serve. (The cake will keep for up to 3 days, covered tightly with plastic wrap and stored at room temperature.)

Yield: 12 servings

From: "Jeff Nathan's Family Suppers" by Jeff Nathan

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

8 oz. good-quality bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces
4 oz. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
5 eggs, separated
Pinch of salt
2/3 C. sugar
Powdered sugar, for garnish
Unsweetened whipped cream, for garnish
Fresh raspberries, for garnish
Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour a 10-inch round cake pan. Bring about 1 inch of water to boil in the bottom half of a double boiler or in a medium saucepan. Reduce the heat to a bare simmer. Put the chocolate and butter in the top half of the double boiler or in a heatproof mixing bowl large enough to rest on the rim of the saucepan without the bowl's bottom touching the water. Place the pan or bowl over the simmering water and melt the chocolate and butter, stirring them until blended.

Meanwhile, in another mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, pinch of salt and all but 3 Tbs. of the sugar. Stirring continuously, pour the melted chocolate-butter mixture into the egg yolks until thoroughly combined. In a third, clean bowl, put the egg whites. With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks that droop slightly when the beaters are lifted out. Still beating at medium speed, gradually sprinkle in the remaining sugar, continuing to beat the egg whites until they form stiff but not yet dry peaks.

With a rubber spatula, fold a generous dollop of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture, just until a few streaks of white remain. Add the chocolate mixture to the remaining egg whites and gently fold together until thoroughly combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and immediately invert a cardboard cake round and a wire cake rack on top of it; then, protecting both hands with pot holders or oven mitts and clasping the rack and pan together, invert them to unmold the cake onto the cardboard and rack. Leave the cake to cool to room temperature. Don't worry that its center sinks and cracks slightly. Refrigerate until serving time. Before serving, dust the cake with powdered sugar by spooning some sugar into a fine-meshed sieve held over the cake, then gently tapping the sieve. Cut the cake into wedges and serve with whipped cream and raspberries.

Yield: 1 10-inch cake

(Chef Wolfgang Puck's TV series, "Wolfgang Puck's Cooking Class," airs Sundays and Wednesdays on the Food Network. Also, chef Wolfgang Puck's latest cookbook, Wolfgang Puck Makes It Easy, is now available in bookstores. Write Wolfgang Puck in care of Tribune Media Services Inc., 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, NY. 14207.)

Decadent Chocolate Cake With Raspberry Sauce

Ingredients

1 (6 oz.) package semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 C. butter
1/2 C. all-purpose flour
4 egg yolks
4 egg whites
1/2 C. white sugar
1/2 C. semisweet chocolate chips
2 Tbs. margarine
2 Tbs. light corn syrup
1/2 C. whipped cream
1 recipe Raspberry Sauce (below)
1 C. fresh raspberries
Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease bottom and side of Springform pan, 8x2 1/2 inches. Melt 1 package chocolate chips and 1/2 cup margarine in 2-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat; cool 5 minutes. Stir in flour until smooth. Stir in egg yolks until well blended. Beat egg whites in large bowl with electric mixer on high speed until foamy. Beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until soft peaks form. Gently stir chocolate mixture into egg whites. Spread in pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes (top will appear dry and cracked), or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean; cool 10 minutes. Run knife along side of cake to loosen; remove side of pan. Turn cake upside down onto wire rack; remove bottom of pan and cool completely. Place on serving plate. Heat 1/2 cup chocolate chips, 2 tablespoons margarine, and the corn syrup over medium heat until chocolate chips are melted. Spread over top of cake, allowing some to drizzle down side. Place whipped cream in decorating bag fitted with tip. Pipe a rosette on each serving.

Serve with raspberry sauce:

Ingredients

1 (10 oz.) package frozen raspberries - thawed and drained, juice reserved
1/4 C. white sugar
2 Tbs. corn starch
2 Tbs. raspberry flavored liqueur

Directions

Add enough water to reserved juice to measure 1 cup. Stir together sugar and cornstarch in 1-quart saucepan. Stir in juice and raspberries. Heat to boiling over medium heat. Boil and stir 1 minute; strain. Stir in liqueur. Cool slightly before serving. Refrigerate any remaining sauce. Garnish with fresh raspberries.

Makes 1 8-inch cake

Chocolate Truffle Cake

Ingredients

8 oz. dark sweet or semi-sweet chocolate
1 C. butter (room temperature)
1-1/2 C. sugar
5 eggs, beaten until foamy

Ganache:
12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
1 C. heavy cream
Directions

Melt the 8 oz. of chocolate; stir until smooth. Remove from heat. Cool 1 minute. Add butter, bit by bit, beating with a wire whisk. Add sugar; beat 1 minute. Add eggs. Beat until mixed. Butter an 8-inch round cake pan and line with parchment or waxed paper. Pour in batter. Set cake pan in larger pan. Pour hot water in larger pan about 1 inch deep.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Cool 1 hour. Cake will fall. Refrigerate 2 hours. Prepare the Ganache - boil chocolate and cream together, stirring to blend. Refrigerate until it is thick, like frosting. Invert cake on plate and spread Ganache on top and sides.

Warren Wilcox of Pelham, NH

Healthy Birthday Cakes

Fat Free Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

Non-stick cooking spray
1 1/4 C. flour
1/2 C. unsweetened cocoa
1/4 C. cornstarch
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 C. sugar
1 C. water
3 egg whites
1/2 C. corn syrup, light or dark
1 confectioners' sugar (opt.)
Directions

Spray 9-inch square pan with cooking spray. In large bowl combine next seven ingredients. In medium bowl stir sugar and water until sugar is almost dissolved. Add egg whites and corn syrup; stir until blended. Gradually add to dry ingredients, stirring until smooth. Pour into prepared pan. Bake in 350 F oven 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack. If desired, sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.

Each serving provides: 0 g total fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 140 Calories, 2 g protein, 34 g Carbohydrate, 160 mg sodium

Sugar Free Carrot Cake
Ingredients

2 C. flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder

Carrot Mixture:
2 C. grated carrots
1 C. crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 C. crushed nuts
1/2 C. sesame seeds
1-1 1/2 C. coconut

Egg Mixture:
3 eggs
1/2 C. oil
1/2 can frozen apple juice concentrate
Directions

Add the carrot mixture to the egg mixture, then add the flour mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 1-1 1/4 hours in an angel food, spring form or Bundt cake pan. Remove from pan and cool on rack.

Sugar-Free Impossible Cheesecake
Ingredients

3/4 C. milk
2 tsp. vanilla
1 C. Splenda
1/2 C. Bisquick
2 eggs
2 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, cut into about 1/2" cubes and softened

Topping:
1 C. sour cream
2 Tbs. Splenda
2 tsp. vanilla
Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease pie plate. Put milk, vanilla, eggs, Splenda and bisquick in blender and blend for 15 seconds. Add cream cheese, blend on high for additional 2 minutes. Pour into pie plate and bake until center is firm 40 to 45 minutes. Mix topping and keep cool. Let cheesecake cool and spread topping. Refrigerate.

Caley Walsh is a former writer and editor for Recipe4Living.com, a recipe sharing Website. For more articles like this, or for a large collection of recipes, visit the site at http://www.Recipe4Living.com.

Bacardi Rum Cake Recipe

Various uses of rum
Rum is the favorite drink of many. You can make some of the best cocktails using rum as a prime ingredient. Most Christmas cakes that are made use a variety of fruits that have been soaked in dark rum from the previous Christmas. Once this years Christmas cake is made, fruits will be soaked in dark rum for next years Christmas cake.

If you thought that these are the limitations of rum, you are mistaken. A very few are aware of the various uses of rum in cookery. It might surprise some to know that rum is used in recipes ranging from appetizers, soups, main dishes, to desserts and coffee.

If a recipe just tells you to use rum without mentioning the type, use dark rum. Recipes which require other variants of rum such as coconut rum, pineapple rum, etc. will mention it.

Always remember to use the correct amount of rum mentioned in the recipe. Adding more rum than mentioned may give the dish an undesirable flavor.

Rum facts
Rum is distilled from sugarcane juice or sugarcane molasses. Some of the best rums come from Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and Cuba. The islands of West Indies are known to produce the finest rums in the world.

The most common raw material to make rum is black molasses, a by-product of the sugar making process.

Most of the factors responsible for making a good whiskey are common to making a good rum. These may include the type of yeast used for fermentation, temperature maintained, maturation process, and the blending skill that only years of experience can perfect.

Bacardi rum cake recipe
If rum drinking can become an addiction, so can eating a Bacardi rum cake. Once you taste the perfect Bacardi rum cake, you just can't help asking for more. The perfect Bacardi rum cake is soft and juicy and will just melt in the mouth. Make sure to use the correct quantity of ingredients for that wonderful lingering flavor.

All of the ingredients mentioned here are easily available at any supermarket. You can use any dark rum for this recipe. If there is a particular dark rum that you like, use it. You will enjoy the cake that much more!

Ingredients

For the cake
1 cup chopped pecans - substitute with chopped walnuts if preferred
Jell-o instant vanilla pudding - 4 serving pack
1 18.5 ounce box yellow cake mix (make sure the ingredients does not contain 'pudding' in it)
4 eggs
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup oil - vegetable or corn
1/2 cup dark Bacardi rum

For the glaze
1/2 cup butter - substitute with margarine if preferred
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup dark Bacardi rum

Directions
Excepting the pecans/walnuts, mix all the other ingredients of the cake and mix in blender for couple of minutes.

Grease a bundt pan.

Spread the pecans/walnuts at the bottom of pan. Pour the blended cake mixture over this.

Heat oven to 325 degrees and bake the cake for 1 hour.

Just before cake is ready take prepare the glaze.

Take a pan and place on medium heat. Put in and melt the butter.

Put in the water and sugar. Allow to boil till sugar melts.

Turn off the heat and stir in the rum. The rum can release very hot vapor. Please be careful.

Once cake is ready, pierce the entire cake using a fork. Please do this gently. We do not want to shred the cake to pieces.

Keep the cake on a big plate and pour the warm glaze slowly over it, allowing it to seep into the cake.

Let the cake stand for at least a couple of hours. There is no need to refrigerate this cake, but it will taste better chilled.

You can try using different rums for the cake and the glaze. Once you have perfected the art of making this cake you can try experimenting with a variety of nuts. You can also try adding a little fresh fruit, but do this only once you gain enough experience in making the basic Bacardi rum cake.

Real temptation
Just the mention of rum has got me tempted. The Bacardi rum cake recipe has made this temptation unbearable. I am already imagining myself biting into a juicy piece of Bacardi rum cake. I'm off to the kitchen to make a fresh juicy Bacardi rum cake and turn this imagination into reality. What about you?

Basic Cake Recipe

With the advent of commercial cake mixes, people stopped making cake from scratch. However, these days, there seems to be a re-awakening and appreciation for baking desserts and cakes from scratch. Since the time I came across a basic cake recipe, I have not used pre-packaged, preservative-packed mixes, which were so popular for a long time. There are some tips I would like to give you before we actually turn towards cake recipes from scratch. The most important tip is to pay attention to the exact measurements. If you miss or make any mistake with the measurements, chances are high that the cake may not turn out to be the same way as you had expected it to be. The next important step is to follow the recipe to the T. Any changes in the process may end up making the cake similar to a brick. Sifting the flour before you use it in the batter will give the batter lightness. If you do not want to use shortening, then you can substitute it with either margarine, butter or applesauce. This will help in preserving moistness and richness, but remove some of the weight and bad fats from the cake. Now we will turn towards basic cake recipes.

How to Make a Basic Cake Recipe from Scratch

Ingredients
All Purpose Flour 1 cup
White Sugar ½ cup
Shortening ¼ cup
Milk ½ cup
Baking Powder 2 teaspoons
Salt ½ teaspoons
Vanilla Extract 1 teaspoon
Eggs 2
Method
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour the baking pan. Click to read on vanilla cake recipe from scratch.
Mix together sifted all purpose flour, baking powder and salt.
Sift the flour mixture and keep aside.
In a large bowl, mix sugar and shortening together. Whip till it is light and fluffy. Read on homemade cake recipes.
Add one egg at a time and beat thoroughly till the mixture is fluffy and light.
Add flour mixture alternately with milk and mix well, so that no lumps are formed. Make sure the batter is soft.
At last, stir in vanilla and mix well.
Transfer the batter into the baking pan.
Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 to 45 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the cake should come out clean.
Basic Cake Recipe with Plain Flour

Ingredients
Butter 2 sticks
Sugar 1 2/3 cups
Eggs 5
Plain Flour 2 cups
Vanilla 1 teaspoon
Lemon 1 teaspoon
Method
In a bowl mix together butter and sugar, till light and fluffy. Read on yellow cake recipe from scratch.
Add one egg and continue to whisk, so that the mixture is fluffy.
Gradually add plain flour to the egg and sugar mixture and keep whipping, so that the batter is soft.
At last add vanilla and lemon and mix well. Click to read on chocolate cake recipes from scratch.
Grease and flour a baking pan and transfer the batter into the pan.
Place the baking pan in a preheated oven and bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes.
When the cake leaves the side of the pan, understand the cake is ready and remove it from the oven.
Basic Cake Recipe - No Eggs

Ingredients
Flour 1½ cups
Sugar ¾ cup
Baking Powder 2 teaspoon
Salt ¼ teaspoon
Milk (Soy Milk) ¾ cup
Vanilla 2 teaspoons
Egg Substitute for 1 egg
Method
Grease and flour the baking pan and preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Read on white cake recipe.
In a bowl sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together.
Add the remaining ingredients and beat till the batter is soft without any lumps.
Pour the batter in the baking pan and bake the cake for 30 minutes, till a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
For more information, read on
Moist Yellow Cake Recipe
Cake Decorating
These were just the basic cake recipes. You can add other ingredients like cocoa, fruit chops, nuts, etc. to change the flavor of the cake. I hope you do enjoy baking as much as I do, and till next time happy baking!

A New Idea for the Christmas Cakes

In Italy there’s a wide range of Christmas cakes, which date back to hundreds of years ago; they are homemade or industrial products and they go along with us through the Christmas period, with differences depending on the various regions, provinces and even cities; moreover, the same cake can have, depending on the places, different names. If you are on a diet, the Christmas period allows some gluttony, and we’ll help you out to get a little fatter!

Among cakes, the Christmas guest stars are Pandoro and Panettone. There are many variations for these classical cakes, depending on the region and on the inspiration of the pastry chef. Panettone is the traditional Christmas cake recognizable for its characteristic cupola shape, and it’s one of Milan’s most typical pastry products. In the traditional recipe it’s a soft and baked dough made with eggs, butter, raisins and candied fruit, though in the latest years the pastry industry created many versions, proposing also filled and topped Panettone and Pandoro.

Would you like to astonish your guests with an original way to serve a traditional Italian cake, this year? It’s surely easier to do it than to explain it, so if you long to give a personal touch to your panettone and surprise your guests, follow these simple suggestions.

First you have to cut the top; then excavate with a knife leaving about 4 cm on the bottom and sides. Prepare some vanilla ice cream mixing eight egg whites with 220 g of sugar, and pouring on them 8 dl of milk and 2 of cream, boiled with a bar of vanilla, then let it freeze. Once the ice cream is ready, you will cover the inside part of the cake you excavated; you may also use the part you removed before, cut in big cubes. Close with the cap and put in the freezer.

Weigh the egg whites left and, adding the double of their weight of sugar, beat the egg whites until stiff and make an uncooked meringue with which you’ll cover the panettone. Do not forge to hide in the upper part half shell of an egg for the special effects. Before serving it, grill it in the oven, to colour the meringue.

Then put on the top of the cake, in the half shell, some cotton soaked with 95° alcohol, fire and serve.

Your flamed panettone will surely be the protagonist of your Christmas, more than it would have been in its "natural" version. Don’t forget that the interior part of the cake you did not use can be served for the most gluttonous with some melted chocolate. A perfect way to bring the classical Christmas cakes with some originality!

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, full of pleasant and nice fruits!

This article was written by Martina Meneghetti, with support from dolci natalizi tipici.

Allergy-Free Cake Recipes

Even though we are not staunch vegetarians or vegans, I have found that the vegetarian and vegan diet offers some very good alternatives for those of us who cannot consume eggs and milk. Milk is of course easy to replace, with rice milk or soy milk. The eggs on the other hand are just something else. The eggless cakes that I have tried making weren’t fluffy at all. But I have in the fact that somewhere out there, there was at least one vegan baker who probably overcame all these hurdles to make some of the most delicious allergy-free cakes ever.

In my search for the perfect allergy-free cake, I stumbled across these recipes. At such short notice, I can't say that I have personally tried out any of these recipes so I can't really vouch for them. But I will be referring back to these recipes many times over the next couple of weeks as the birthdays and anniversaries in my family are fast approaching. If you are looking for easy-to-make, delicious allergy-free recipes, then these following recipes might be of some use to you. And, if you do use these recipes, let me know how it goes will you?

The Crumble Coffee Cake Recipe

Ingredients for the Topping:
1 cup of flour, unbleached, all-purpose.
¾ cup brown sugar, light or medium.
4 tbsp of melted Earth Balance.
1 tsp cinnamon, ground.
Ingredients for the Cake:
1 cup of plain soy milk or vanilla.
1 tsp of apple cider vinegar.
2 ¼ cups of flour, unbleached, all-purpose.
1 tsp cinnamon, ground.
1 ½ tsp of baking soda.
1 ½ tsp of baking powder.
1 cup of brown sugar, light or medium.
¾ cup of sugar, granulated.
½ cup of canola oil.
¼ cup applesauce, un-sweetened.
An egg replacer for egg, mixed with right amounts of water according to the directions given on the package (Bob's Red Mill Brand is good).
1 tsp vanilla.
Procedure:

Start by preheating the oven to about 350 degrees F. you will require a baking dish that is greased. For the topping: in a small mixing bowl, mix the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and melted Earth Balance. Set the dish aside. For the cake: in a small measuring cup, mix some of the vinegar and soy milk to make a little 'buttermilk' and then set this aside. In a separate mixing bowl, mix the cinnamon, flour, baking powder and baking soda. In a large bowl, mix the oil, the sugars, the vanilla and the applesauce, beating it well. Add the egg replacer while beating on high speed and keep beating for about 20 seconds or so. Alternately, mix both the flour mixtures as well as the 'buttermilk' to the mixer and beat until it turns smooth.

In a prepared pan, spread some of the batter. Sprinkle the remaining toppings evenly all over the batter. Bake in the preheated oven for over 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes out smoothly. Take out the cake from the ven and place it aside until it cools off. If you like, lightly dust the cake with some powdered sugar.

Raspberry Chocolate Cake Recipe

Before I continue, here is a little warning for you: this recipe is not a low-fat or fat-free one. It is however possible to make the cake a little lower in fat, but the frosting is not going to work without adding margarine. Nevertheless, I'm sure this recipe is still better than all those regular ones that are just loaded with cream, butter and eggs. Special occasions like your son's 7th birthday or your nieces 2nd wedding anniversary deserve a little bit of decadence.

And of course there is something extremely decadent about the combination of raspberries and chocolate. With raspberries dipped in a chocolate batter and a heavenly filling of raspberries and some deliciously creamy chocolate frosting, every single bite of this cake will bring to you a little decadence.

Ingredients:
3 cups of cake flour.
1 ½ cups of sugar.
Baking soda, 2 tsp.
A tsp of salt.
½ a cup of cocoa.
¼ cup of oil.
½ a cup of raspberry 'all-fruit' preserves.
Vanilla, 1 tsp.
4 ounces of applesauce, un-sweetened.
2 tbsp of vinegar mixed with 2 cups of water.
Procedure:

Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F. Flour and grease two pans. Mix the first 5 ingredients together, and then add the wet ingredients. Beat in the mixer for a minute or two until all the ingredients are blended well. Pour the mixture into the prepared pans and then bake on the middle shelf until a knife that is inserted comes out clean. Bake for about 30 minutes.

Set the cake aside and allow it to cool down for about 10 minutes and then invert the dish onto wire racks, thus allowing it to completely cool off. Place one of the cakes on a serving platter and top with about ½ a cup of the raspberry fruit spread. Spread one side of the other cake with another cake frosting of your choice and then put both the sides together. Frost the whole cake with the remaining frosting.

A Lemon Pound Cake Recipe

Pound cake, in fact an uncomplicated butter cake, has been through many different changes since the time it has been invented. With the original ingredients needed to bake a pound cake, individuals have put in other sorts of ingredients to get unique variations of the dessert. One such variant could be lemon single pound cake that is certainly mouth watering to eat and simple and easy to bake. Why don't we check out some of the lemon single lb cake recipes...

Single lb. cakes, as suggested by its name, are generally those cakes that usually are made out of a lb . of flour, eggs, butter and sugar. These kind of thick and heavy desserts are thought to have been introduced within Great britain, many years ago. Although basic ingredients of the pound cake are generally still identical, certain changes have been made (like adding baking powder or soda) over the years to cook the pound cake lighter. One can also find desserts in a number of flavors and textures, one of these being the lemon pound cake. Listed here are some lemon pound cake recipes that will help out with making mouth-watering pound cakes.

Ingredients

* Three cups all-purpose flour
* Eight oz. milk
* Six ounces softened butter
* Three cups of sugar
* 7 eggs
* A single teaspoon lemon extract
* 1/3 cup vegetable oil

For Glazing

* ¼ cup lemon fruit juice * 8-10 ounces of water
* 1 teaspoon lemon rind, grated
* 8 oz. of sugar

Preparation

1. Inside a big mixing bowl, take the butter, and with a electric hand mixer, get started beating it at a medium pace. Add oil to the butter and combine all of them nicely together.

2. After the butter and oil have been completely mixed nicely, add sugar and resume the procedure. After sugar, comes the eggs which ought to be included individually. Blend the mixture each time you add an egg.

3. Put in flour and milk, but they need to be added alternately. First add some flour, as well as some milk and stir well. Continue using this method until eventually all the milk and flour is added in the mixing bowl.

4. Ensure all the ingredients have got blended well after which pour in the lemon extract and stir once again.

5. Grease a microwave pan and transfer the whole mixture into it. Place it inside the oven and allow it to bake for just one-and a 1 / 2 hours at 300° F.

6. While the dessert is being baked, start preparing the glazing. Inside a regular sized bowl, mix each of the ingredients and stir until finally the sugar melts thoroughly.

7. After the cake is fully formed, take it out of the oven and let it cool for around 10-15 minutes. Soon after it gets completely cooled down, pour in the glazing using a spoon over the cake and enjoy the delicious pound cake.

Claire Cooper is an aspiring chef who loves to be in the kitchen and runs a popular blog on lemon pound cakes recipes, that gives away free recipes and has informative articles, and how-to videos on how to bake the perfect cake!

Dump Cake

Delicious delight… a description that insinuates you into the world of perfect harmony that spells taste in every molecule. A dump cake does just that! It makes you drool and drown into the reservoir of the delectable and soft munch. However you may think that the name dump cake does not suggest any ingredient that screams appetizing nor does it have a name that evokes interest. The name might just suggest how disloyal it is to serving your taste buds, by being subjected to the dumps! Well, to your sheer surprise and to my subservient relief, I have the opportunity to explain that a dump cake is contrary to what its name suggests. It is indeed a cake that your tongue generously testifies to.

What is a Dump Cake

Names are supposed to be a tad bit mysterious and deceptive, if not then what is the fun in experiencing something exciting. This dessert to everyone's surprise is coveted to be a real relish with it being the most easiest cake that one may concoct. The Delicious dump cake can be made by anyone. From kids beginning to learn the art of cake baking to a new bride trying to impress her mother in law with her cake making prowess, the elementary dump cake recipes serve one and all. You may ask, what is dump cake all about. Well, a dump cake is a successful concoction of fruits preferably canned, with a layer of cake mix accompanied with toppings to add that extra smack. Cherries, pineapples are amongst the preferred and the most demanded by 'platter holders'. Nevertheless, you could also enjoy making and eating a dump cake that has other fruits as its base. Apples, pumpkin, peach are also among the top runners to make the cake all the more savory and mouth watering.

Canned fruits are predominantly used in preparing dump cakes, however, you are free to experiment with fruits that you prefer. You could also resort to using fresh fruits as your base in the baking bowl. There are modification in the recipe of this cake that can make it all the more tempting and special. Strawberry gelatin is a popular choice with all those who don't wish to conform to the ordinary and the mundane. If you have a sweet tooth demanding a lot more 'sweet nothings' from you, all you could do is coat the fruits in sugar or dip them in sugar water, allowing them to macerate in their own juice. In case you have to rush for an important but have promised to keep a delicious dump cake ready for your son when he gets back from school, all you need to do is use a canned pie filling or any variety of fruit pie and serve your son with a sweet platter.

Easy Dump Cake Recipe

Here is an easy dump cake recipe for one and all. Here we go.

Ingredients

Equip your kitchen counter with the required ingredients such as:

    * 1 Stick of Butter
    * 1 pkg of Canned Fruit
    * 1 pkg. Cake mix

Instructions

   1. Place the canned fruits on the bottom of the baking bowl. Ensure that you place the fruits evenly. The caned fruit could be your choice in entirety. Peach, pumpkin, pineapple, apple, cherries, you could make the dump cake with regards to the flavor you prefer to be dominant. If your favorite fruits is cherries you could resort to make a cherry dump cake or you could resort to reviewing a pineapple dump cake recipe to make the pineapple dump cake.
   2. Pour the cake mix (yellow or white) on the fruits. Stir this mixture gently.
   3. If the cake mix forms granules while the mixing process is in action, do not smoothen out. You could let them be the way they are as they deliver crunch to the cake.
   4. You could now apply butter or margarine to the sides if the baking dish and pour the mixture into the dish while you pre-heat the oven.
   5. Coat the cake with a layer of butter and sprinkle a few cashews on top to give a rich feel to the cake.
   6. Now, is the time to place the cake preparation into the pre-heated oven.
   7. Bake until you see the color of the crust turning golden brown.
   8. The dump cake is ready! You could serve it with whipped cream.

Having known what is dump cake, you could experiment, concoct and come up with flavors to cater to your taste buds. A dump cake is, indeed a budding cake-concocter's delight. Eat it to believe it!