Animal Cookies On My Cake

I purchased animal cookie flavoring because I wanted to make an Animal Cookie Cake for Willow. She loves to help in the kitchen. We had a great time making this cake. She put on very sprinkle and carefully placed every animal cookie around the bottom and on the top. I ordered this flavoring from Get Suckered Flavoring.

Princess Willow placed every sprinkle on her cake.

Cake Ingredients:

1 box of Duncan Hines White Cake Mix

1 cup of all purpose flour

1 small box of instant vanilla pudding

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/3 cup of water

1 cup of sour cream

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 dropper full of animal cookie flavoring

4 egg whites

10 Tablespoons sprinkles

Princess Willow also placed the animal cookies on her cake.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray two 9” pans with nonstick cooking spray that contains flour.

One proud little girl of her beautiful cake.

Whisk cake mix, flour, pudding, sugar and salt in your mixing bowl. Add water, sour cream, oil, egg whites, vanilla and animal cookie flavoring. Mix for 4 minutes on low speed. Pour into 9” cake pans.

Bake 25-35 minutes until cake tester comes out clean. Cool cake completely before frosting.

Animal Cookie Frosting:

1 1/4 cup Crisco

3 sticks room temperature butter

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 dropper full of animal cookie flavoring

8-10 cups of powdered sugar

3-4 teaspoons of milk

1 bag of frosted or iced animal cookies

Mix all ingredients together adding sugar one cup at a time. Decorate with sprinkles and animal cookies. Enjoy!

A very yummy ending!

This is the flavoring I used.

Mom’s Dump Cake

Dump Cakes have been around since 1980. This is an easy vintage recipe. A blast from my past. I really think I had this before 1980 but I won’t argue with Google. The recipe first appeared on a brochure from Betty Crocker. The name suits the recipe, just dump in the 5 ingredients and bake. No mixing required. Many of you grew up eating this yummy recipe for dessert. You youngsters that have never had this, you have an easy delicious treat in store for you. This literally take a few minutes to assemble and the outcome is so tasty. Your house will smell amazing. It’s called a cake but it’s kind of like an easy cobbler. There are many versions of dump cakes, this was the original. Sometimes retro/vintage recipes are the best to take you back in time enjoying sweet times with your family and loved ones.

Ingredients:

1 can of cherry pie filling, I used the kind that has more fruit

1 can of crushed pineapple in juice

1 box of yellow cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)

1 cup of pecans, chopped

1 cup of coconut, optional*

1 stick of butter, melted

Vanilla ice cream, never an option for me. A must have!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13 x 9 pan lightly with nonstick cooking spray.

Spread can of cherry pie filling on the bottom of the casserole dish.

Pour crushed pineapple on top of pie filling and spread to cover the cherries.

Sprinkle the cake mix on top of the pineapple.

Sprinkle chopped pecans on top of cake mix.

Pour melted butter over the nuts.

Bake for one hour. Serve immediately and top with vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

*My Mom would add coconut to her recipe but my Dad isn’t fond of coconut so I did not add it to this.

Key Lime Pound Cake

I love key lime anything. It was only a matter of time before I made a Key Lime Pound Cake to my blog. I never use bottled key lime juice but I know a lot of people cannot get their hands on key limes. There is a difference between key limes and regular limes.

Ingredients:

2 sticks of butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 teaspoons key lime extract (Available through Amazon)

1/4 cup key lime juice, fresh or bottled

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 cups sugar

6 eggs, room temperature

1 cup sour cream

Zest of 2 limes optional (I used zest in the glaze)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 12 cup bundt pan with nonstick and flour combination.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking powder.

In a mixing bowl, beat butter, eggs, sugar and extracts. Once combined add juice and zest if you are adding zest to your cake batter. Add eggs one at a time. Add one half of the flour mixture, next add sour cream, ending with the remaining flour. Pour into your bundt pan and bake 60-70 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in bundt pan for 25 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on a cooling rack until cake is completely cooled before adding glaze.

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon key lime extract

2-3 Tablespoons milk or half and half

Lime zest, optional

Mix well and pour over cooked cake

Flipped Out Peach Cake

Some of you might refer to this as a Peach Upside Down Cake but in my kitchen, it’s a Flipped Out Peach Cake. Yummy ripe peaches and a light vanilla cake will make you flip! This cake is best served warm but is also great room temperature.

Ingredients:

1 stick butter plus 4 Tablespoons, melted

1 cup brown sugar

2 cups about 5 fresh peaches sliced

Maraschino cherries, optional

Mix melted butter and brown sugar together. Pour into a 9″ cake pan.

Arrange about 2 cups of sliced peaches on top of the melted butter/sugar. Add cherries if desired.

Dry Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

Whisk dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Set aside.

Wet Ingredients:

1 egg

2 teaspoons vanilla

3/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, blend egg vanilla and buttermilk. Gradually add dry ingredients and combine. Pour over sliced peaches and bake 40-50 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let cake rest 10 minutes before flipping it out in a serving plate. Serve warm or room temperature.

Copycat Lemon Passion Cake

This is a recipe from Macaroni Grill. I had to make this cake after I tried it. My sweet server told me the ingredients, my job was to figure out the measurements and the recipe go duplicate it. There are a couple of steps to this recipe but it is guaranteed to please.

Ingredients for cake:

3 cups flour less 6 Tablespoons

6 Tablespoons Cornstarch

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

4 eggs, extra large room temperature

1 egg white, room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons (or 3 for bolder lemon taste) lemon extract

3/4 vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter or prepare a 13 x 9 pan and set aside.

Whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat eggs and egg white. Add the sugar and combine. Mix for 3 minutes. Add lemon extract and vegetable oil and combine. Alternate flour mixture with buttermilk ending with flour.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely and prepare simple syrup.

Simple Syrup:

1 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 cups sugar

Simmer in pan until sugar is dissolved. This can be made in advance. Poke holes in cake, I used a straw. Pour simple syrup evenly over cake.

Poke holes in cake and evenly pour simple syrup over cake. Allow simple syrup to soak in cake before brushing on the lemon curd.

Lemon Curd Ingredients

1 stick of butter

1 Tablespoon lemon zest

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, about 4 lemons

1 cup of sugar

3 extra large egg yokes

Strain zest from lemon curd.

Brush a thin layer of lemon curd on cake before frosting with Lemon Whip Cream Frosting.

Place all ingredients in a saucepan. Over medium low heat, whisk ingredients together. Whisk frequently to prevent scorching. The lemon curd should have a smooth consistency, not thick. Strain lemon curd to remove zest. This lemon curd is smooth and so tasty. Cool lemon curd. Using a pastry brush, spread a thin layer of lemon curd over the cake that has soaked up the simple syrup. Save remaining lemon curd for frosting. Leftovers can be used on scones or biscuits.

Lemon Whip Cream Frosting:

Ingredients:

1 pint of heavy whipping cream

1 8 ounce package cream cheese

1/2 – 1 cup powdered sugar

3 or more heaping Tablespoons lemon curd*

Plain whip cream for garnish, optional

Caramel drizzle on plate, optional

Chill mixing bowl and attachment(s) in refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes. Beat cream cheese until smooth. Your cream cheese needs to be cold, not room temperature. Add heavy cream and mix on low, increasing speed of the mixer. Add in 1/2 cup sugar and lemon curd. Taste it to see if you want it sweeter and more lemony*. The cake at the restaurant had a subtle lemon flavor, not overpowering. You make taste however you desire. Frost over cooled cake. Refrigerate cake.

Out of the Blue Blueberry Cake

Right out of the blue, I knew I needed to make a blueberry cake. Why?! I had 4 quarts of organic blueberries in my freezer begging to be eaten! Now I have a little less. This blueberry cake is fresh and delicious. Not too sweet. This cake will include directions on how to make this recipe a layer cake or a one pan 13 x 9” sheet pan cake. No matter what you choose, you cake will be delicious.

Ingredients:

1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups of sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 eggs, room temperature

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tablespoons of salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 cups of buttermilk

2 cups of blueberries, fresh or frozen, more for decorations, optional

1 Tablespoon corn starch

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare pan 13 x 9 or 2 8” cake pans. Liberally butter your 13 x 9 pan or if using cake pans, spray with a flour non stick spray, line inside with parchment paper and spray again on top on parchment paper.

Mix butter and sugar together. Add eggs one at a time and blend until incorporated. Scrape sides of mixing bowl down. Add vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, salt, soda and powder. Alternate adding flour and buttermilk to the sugar/butter mixture, ending with flour. Coat blueberries with cornstarch and stir into cake batter. Pour batter into pan(s) and bake 30 – 40 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting. Sit back and enjoy your berry good cake!

Whip Cream Frosting

Ingredients:

1 quart heavy whipping cream*

1 8 ounce block of cream cheese*

1 cup of powdered sugar or more, taste it before adding more*

2 teaspoons of vanilla*

Place mixing bowl and attachment(s) in refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes or longer. Best cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Slowly add heavy cream and stir mixer at slow and increase speed until whip cream is very stiff. Frost on cooled cake (cake layers).

*If you make a 13 x 9 cake, cut frosting ingredients in half.

Whip Cream Rose Cake was decorated with a 1M Wilton tip.

Easy Peasy Homemade Banana Cake

So many times I hear people tell me that they can’t bake or decorate cakes. I wanted to create a recipe so easy, everyone can make this cake and be a rockstar. This is one moist and flavorful banana cake and that was my goal. Mix up the ingredients, cool and spread on the frosting. Easy Peasy.

Look at all of the yummy bananas in this recipe.

Ingredients:

4 large ripe freckled bananas, mashed

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

3 eggs, room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/2 cups buttermilk, room temperature*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9 x 13 pan with butter or your favorite baking spray.

In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients, flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside.

In your mixing bowl, combine sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs one at a time. Add in vanilla. Add dry ingredients and alternate with buttermilk until all is incorporated together. Mix in bananas. Bake for 50 minutes to an hour until cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely and frost.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 stick of butter, room temperature

1 8 ounce block of cream cheese

1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla

1 pinch of salt

1 pound of powdered sugar

Blend cream cheese and butter together. Add vanilla and combine. Mix in powdered sugar until combined. Frost cake. Cover and store in refrigerator. Set out about 30 minutes before serving. Easy Peasy. Enjoy!

*About buttermilk. Buy it. You cannot make buttermilk with lemon juice or vinegar. You only make sour milk and that my friends is not buttermilk. Buttermilk is the best thing about how delicious this cake is.

Doreen’s Butterscotch Cake

This recipe was given to me by my dear friend Doreen. I had this cake when she hosted Bunco many years ago. This is a great fall cake, easy, delicious and a beautiful orange color. You will find this butterscotch cake to be very moist and flavorful, it does not need a glaze or frosting.

Ingredients:

4 eggs, beaten

1/2 oil

8 ounces (1 small container) of sour cream

1 box yellow cake mix (I prefer Duncan Hines)

1 small box instant butterscotch pudding

1 package of butterscotch chips

Powder Sugar, sprinkled on top after Cake has cooled, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt pan, or use a oil/flour spray.

Combine all in ingredients in a large bowl in order except for butterscotch chips. The batter will be very thick. Once batter has been completely combined, add butterscotch chips and combine. Bake for 50 – 55 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Cool cake in pan for 20 – 30 minutes. Turn out on cake plate and cool completely before sprinkling powered sugar on cake. Serve and enjoy.

Patriotic Pound Cake

Just in time for Fourth of July! I present my Patriotic Pound Cake made with fresh strawberries and blueberries. I also added some red, white and blue sprinkles in the batter to make it even more patriotic. Have a slice with coffee for breakfast or serve it as a simple dessert. 
Ingredients:  

3/4 cup butter, (1 and 1/2 sticks) room temperature 

1 cup of sugar

3 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 3/4 cup flour plus an additional 2 Tablespoons for the berries

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup blueberries

1/2 cup strawberries, chopped

5 Tablespoons of red, white and blue sprinkles

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line loaf pan with parchment paper or nonstick foil. 

In a mixing bowl, mix butter an sugar until light yellow and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and blend. Add extracts and mix well. 

In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt. Alternate flour mixture and milk. Once everything had been combined, stir in 5 Tablespoons of sprinkles to the batter. Add 2 Tablespoons flour to the berries, stir to coat the berries before adding them to the batter. This will keep the berries from sinking to the bottom. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Cool completely before glazing. 

Glaze:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract

1 -2 Tablespoons of milk

Decorative sprinkles, optional
Mix sugar with extract and one Tablespoon of milk. Add additional Tablespoon of milk if needed. Pour over Pound Cake. Decorate with more sprinkles if desired. 

Peppermint Patty’s Birthday Cake

Today is my blog’s third birthday. At Christmas time, I always make peppermint pound cakes. This year, I wanted to change it a little and make a layer cake. The peppermint is not strong like hard candy. Very mild and delicious. This cake is named after the character on Charlie Brown Christmas. 

Ingredients:

2 1/2 sticks of butter, room temperature 

3 cups of sugar

5 eggs, room temperature 

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk, room temperature 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 teaspoons pure peppermint extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 3 nine inch cake pans with a nonstick flour spray and line with parchment paper. Make sure you also spray the parchment paper too.  

Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy with a stand mixer. Add eggs one at a time and fully incorporate. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt together. Add extracts to your cup of milk. Alternate flour and milk adding it to the butter/sugar mixture. Make sure you end up with flour, scraping down the sides of your mixing bowl frequently. 
Pour batter into cake pans evenly. Bake for 20-30 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean. Let cool in pan 10 minutes before removing and placed on a cooling rack.  Cakes must be completely cooled before frosting. 

Peppermint Whip Cream Frosting:

1 8 ounce block of cream cheese, room temperature 

1 quart of heavy whipping cream

2 teaspoons pure peppermint extract 

1 3/4 cups powdered sugar

Candy canes, crushed, optional

Place mixing bowl and attachment in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Whip up cream cheese until smooth. Add extracts. Blend well and add powdered sugar. Pour in heavy cream and whip into stiff peaks. Frost and decorate your cake as desired. 
This is a mild and light peppermint taste.  It’s not strong, so if you are expecting it to taste like hard peppermint candy, it will not. It’s refreshing and delicious. Enjoy!  Happy Birthday Peppermint Patty!