Cakes

Boiled Raisin Cake
Cherry Chocolate Cake
Chocolate Fudge Frosting
Poppy Seed Cake
Zucchini Bread
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Double-Chocolate Cream Cheese Cake
Wacky Cake
Texas Sheet Cake
Cranberry Orange Loaf
Duff’s Excellent Chocolate Cake
Carrot Cake
Miracle Whip Cake
Cream Cheese Topped Cake
Red Velvet Cake
Chopped Apple Cake
Virginia's Carrot Cake
Banana Bread
Fresh Orange Cake with Strawberries and Cream

Boiled Raisin Cake

Granny used to make this in two bread pans. It is Dad’s favorite cake.

2 cups sugar
2 cups water
½ cup shortening
2 cups raisins
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon soda
3½ – 4 cups flour
1 cup chopped nuts
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder

Boil the first eight ingredients together (to nutmeg) for 5 minutes. Let cool and then add soda dissolved in small amount of hot water. Add remaining ingredients. Stir well. Bake at 275° for 40 minutes to 1 hour. Use toothpick to test.

Cherry Chocolate Cake

1 chocolate cake mix
2 eggs, beaten
1 can cherry pie filling (Wilderness brand)
1 tablespoon almond or vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients by hand. Pour into 9x13 greased pan and bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes. Frost with Chocolate Fudge frosting.

Chocolate Fudge Frosting

1 cup sugar
5 tablespoons butter or margarine
⅓ cup milk
1 cup chocolate chips

Combine sugar, butter and milk in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add chocolate chips. Stir until chips are melted and mixture is smooth. It will be quite runny. Refrigerate until cool and of a thicker, spreading consistency. Check every 15 minutes or so and stir. If it gets too stiff, heat it briefly to make it spreadable.

Poppy Seed Cake

Cake
1 white or yellow cake mix
1 3-ounce package Instant vanilla pudding
½ cup oil
4 eggs
1 cup water or 1 cup sour cream (how many calories do you want in the cake?)
3 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 teaspoon almond extract

Combine all ingredients and mix on low speed until blended, then mix on medium speed for 5 minutes. Pour batter into well greased and floured Bundt pan. Bake at 350° for 35-45 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool for 15 minutes and then turn out onto cake rack and cool completely. Glaze or dust with powdered sugar.

Glaze
¼ cup orange juice
½ teaspoon butter extract
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon almond extract
½ cup powdered sugar
Mix all ingredients well.

Zucchini Bread

3 eggs
2 cups zucchini – peeled and grated
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup chopped nuts

Beat eggs until light and fluffy. Stir in zucchini, oil, sugar and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix all dry ingredients. Stir zucchini mixture into dry ingredients. Pour into 2 greased and floured loaf tins. Bake at 325° for 1 hour 10 minutes. Remove immediately from pan.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Cake
2½ cups flour
½ cup cocoa
¾ cup margarine
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2½ teaspoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
2 cups grated zucchini
½ cup milk
1 cup nuts

Mix together. Bake 1 hour at 350° in a greased and floured Bundt pan.

Glaze
2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat until smooth and drizzle over cake

Double-Chocolate Cream Cheese Cake

From Aunt Rosemary Robertson – and all of us thank you!

Cake
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
½ cup cocoa
2 teaspoons soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups hot water
⅔ cup oil
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs

Filling
⅓ cup sugar
6 ounces cream cheese
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup finely chopped nuts
¼ cup sugar

Heat oven to 350°. Grease 9x13 pan. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup and level off. In large bowl, blend all cake ingredients until moistened. Beat 1 minute at medium speed (batter will be thin). Pour into prepared pan. In small bowl, cream sugar, cream cheese, vanilla and egg until fluffy. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts. Spoon teaspoonfuls of filling evenly over batter. Sprinkle with ¼ cup sugar. Bake at 350° for 45-60 minutes. Use toothpick test. Cool completely. Store in refrigerator. Freezes well.

Wacky Cake

Mom started making this in college.

1 cup sugar
1½ cups flour
3 tablespoons cocoa
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon soda
1 tablespoon vinegar
¾ cup oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup water

Mix all dry ingredients in 9x9 pan with a fork and then make 3 holes in mixture. Fill one hole with oil, one hole with vinegar, and one hole with vanilla. Pour water over all and mix well with a fork. Bake 60 minutes at 350°.

Texas Sheet Cake

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ pound margarine
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 cup water
2 eggs
½ cup milk
1½ tablespoons vinegar, added to milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda

Sift together flour, sugar, and salt. In a pan, bring margarine, cocoa, and water to a boil. Beat eggs, milk (with vinegar added), vanilla, and soda together in a small pan. Add sifted and boiled ingredients to those in mixing bowl and stir together. Batter will be thin. Pour batter into a well greased and floured cookie sheet (with sides!). Bake 22-25 minutes at 375°. Frost immediately as it comes from the oven.

Cranberry Orange Loaf

¼ cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
¾ cup orange juice
1½ tablespoons orange zest
2 cups flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1½ cups cranberries, chopped*
½ cup pecans, coarsely chopped (optional)

Beat butter, sugar and egg. Stir in juice and zest then dry ingredients and cranberries and nuts. Pour into one 9x5 loaf pan or three 5x2 inch mini loaf pans. Bake in preheated 350° oven for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand ten minutes then turn out onto wire rack to cool. This also makes great muffins.
* To chop cranberries freeze and process in food processor for a few seconds.

Duff’s Excellent Chocolate Cake

From mom’s Aunt, DePhane (Duff) Taylor (Grandma Deschamps’ sister)

2 cups sugar
12 pound butter
4 egg yolks
3 double squares of chocolate
2 cups flour
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup nuts chopped
4 beaten egg whites

Cream butter and sugar together, then add egg yolks and beat them in. Melt chocolate and add, alternating, flour, milk, and vanilla. Stir in nuts. Fold in egg whites carefully. Bake in a large pan at 350° for 30-45 minutes.

Carrot Cake

Cake
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons soda
½ teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups raisins
1 cup margarine
1 cup walnuts chopped
3 cups grated raw carrots
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 eggs

Sift first six ingredients together. Add raisins. Add (and beat after every addition) margarine, walnuts, carrots, vanilla, and eggs. Bake at 350° for 1 hour.

Cream Cheese Frosting
1 small package cream cheese
¼ cup butter
½ package powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla

Cream cheese and butter. Add sugar and vanilla. Mix well. Spread on cooled carrot cake.

Miracle Whip Cake

Mom remembers thinking this was the weirdest cake when she was a little girl.

1 cup sugar
1 cup Miracle Whip
¼ cup cocoa
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons soda
1 tablespoon vanilla

Combine sugar, Miracle Whip, cocoa, and salt. Add 1 cup hot water. Add flour, soda, and vanilla, and blend lightly. Bake 35 minutes at 350°.

Cream Cheese Topped Cake

1 yellow cake mix, made up
8 ounces cream cheese
1½ cups powdered sugar
9 ounces Cool Whip
4 ¾-ounce package Danish Dessert
1 package frozen strawberries

Make yellow sheet cake. Just use a cake mix and bake it in a jelly roll pan or large cookie sheet. Mix cream cheese, sugar, and Cool Whip together, and spread on top of cooled cake. Make the Danish Dessert. Stir in frozen strawberries. Cool and spread on top of cheese mixture on cake. Make ahead and keep refrigerated.
If you want you can use canned cherry pie filling (it will take more than one can) instead of the Danish Dessert/strawberry mixture.

Red Velvet Cake

I made this cake in a bowl for the infamous ladybug cake ~it was the best version of red velvet I have ever had ~this is a typically dry cake and well the baked in the bowl moistness was just the thing for it. Remember though when baking in a bowl you have to more than double the cooking time.

2-¼ cups All-purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon Salt
2 tablespoons Cocoa
2 1-ounce Bottles of red food coloring (equivalent measure is ¼ cup or 4 tablespoons)
½ cup Crisco or other vegetable shortening
1-½ cups Sugar
2 Large Eggs
1 cup Buttermilk
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
1 teaspoon White vinegar
1 teaspoon Baking soda

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans. Combine the sifted flour and salt, and set aside. Put the cocoa in a small glass bowl, and add the food coloring gradually, stirring until mixture is smooth. Set aside. Cream together the shortening and sugar, beating for 4 or 5 minutes at medium speed in your electric mixer until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for at least 30 seconds after each addition. At low speed of your mixer, add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture alternately with the buttermilk and vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the cocoa/food coloring mixture, mixing until color of batter is uniform. Do not over-beat; over-beaten cake batter will result in a tough cake. Turn off your mixer. In a small bowl, mix the vinegar with the baking soda. It will foam up. Stir it briefly to mix, and then add it to the cake batter, folding it in to incorporate well, but do not beat. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans, and bake in a 350°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow layers to cool on a rack for 10 minutes before turning out. Let cake cool completely before frosting.

Red Velvet Cake Tips

• Don't be tempted to shorten the shortening/sugar creaming time. Cake texture will be far better, and you can mix up your cocoa and food coloring while the mixer is running.
  
• Mixing the cocoa with the food coloring is the best way to get uniform color in the cake. On my first test cake, I sifted the cocoa together with the flour, twice, and still came up with little cocoa-colored whorls in the finished cake.
  
• Yes, red food coloring does stain, so use glass utensils rather than plastic. And be careful.
  
• The recipes I found on the Internet came up about fifty/fifty as far as the amount of red food coloring they called for -- some with one ounce, the rest with two ounces. Let me just say this: The cake with one ounce of food coloring was a very dark pink. The cake with two ounces (1/4 cup, or 4 tablespoons) was RED.
  
• The recipes also varied on the amount of vinegar with some calling for as much as one tablespoon. I found that one teaspoon works just fine. And white vinegar with its less pungent odor is definitely preferable to apple cider vinegar.
  
• Most recipes stated that this recipe was suitable for three 8-inch layers and one 9x13-inch cake, but I did not find it to be necessarily so. If you want more than two layers, better to bake two 9-inch layers and split them. A 9x13-inch cake will work, but requires careful testing by the cook after 25 minutes.

Beautifully Thick White Frosting
1-½ cup Sugar
½ teaspoon Cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon Salt
½ cup Water
4 Egg whites (at room temperature)

Combine sugar, cream of tartar, salt and water in heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is clear. Cook until mixture reaches 240°F on a candy thermometer (soft ball stage). Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Let mixer continue to run and slowly pour the sugar mixture in a thin stream down the side of the mixer bowl (don't let the sugar mixture come into contact with the beaters). Continue beating until stiff peaks form and frosting thickens to desired consistency.

CHOPPED APPLE CAKE

Mix together:
1/2 C. butter
2 C. sugar
2 eggs

Add:
4 C diced apples (I peel them but you don't have to.)
2 C. flour
2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. vanilla
1 C. chopped nuts

Mix well and then bake in a greased 9 x 13 pan for 50 minutes at 350 degrees. (I have found that I need to bake it about 55 minutes so you might want to test it with a toothpick)

Sauce:
1/2 can condensed milk (not the sweetened, just the regular canned milk)
1 C. sugar
1/2 C. butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Heat to a boil and then simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Be sure it doesn't stick to bottom of pan and burn. Remove from heat and add 1 tsp. vanilla. Spoon some of the sauce over cut pieces of the cake. This is best if both the cake and the sauce are warm.

Virginia's Carrot Cake

Kinsey's Grandmother

1 cup oil
2 eggs
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups grated carrots
1 8.5-ounce can of crushed pineapple (with juice)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons soda
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup coconut flakes
½ cup raisins

Combine all ingredients and bake at 350° for 40-50 minutes in a 9x13 pan. While hot, pour glaze on the cake (recipe below).

Glaze
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon white Karo syrup
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ stick margarine or butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ cup milk

Boil ingredients together for 5 minutes, and then pour over cake.

Banana Bread

½ cup oil
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 ripe bananas
½ teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour
1/3 cup hot water

Heat oven to 325°, and grease a 9x5 loaf pan. Blend oil and sugar together then add the bananas making sure it is well blended. Next add the ginger, salt, and baking soda. Finally add the flour and water until you have a smooth batter. Pour into the loaf pan and sprinkle the top with a little bit of white sugar. Bake for about 1 hour and then check with a toothpick. Bake until done.

Fresh Orange Cake with Strawberries and Cream

From mom’s friend Diane Kelson

1 pkg. yellow cake mix with pudding
Orange juice
Glaze (recipe below)
Fresh strawberries
Whipping cream
Sugar to taste
Orange extract

Spray 2 round cake pans or a Bundt pan. Make the cake according to package directions but use orange juice instead of the water. Bake according to package directions. Cool cake 10 minutes and remove from pan. Poke holes in top of cake and pour glaze over it. Slice strawberries and sweeten. Whip cream and add sugar and orange extract (instead of vanilla). Cut cake into wedges and top with berries and cream. If you have cake left over you can freeze it for another time.

Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon orange zest