Paula Dean's Chocolate Creme de Menthe Cake

CAKE
1 c. butter, softened
2 1/2 c. sugar
3 eggs
1 t. vanilla
3 c. cake flour
3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 1/4 c. milk
1 c. sour cream

Preheat over to 350. Grease and flour 3 (9-inch) cake pans.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.

In a medium bowl combine cake flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; sift twice. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in sour cream. Pour batter evenly into prepared pans, and bake for 25-28 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and let cool completely on wire racks.

Spread half of Creme de Menthe Filling between each layer. Frost top and sides of cake with Creamy Chocolate Frosting. (I suggest freezing the cake for to make it easier to frost). Garnish with chopped chocolate-covered mint squares.

CREME DE MENTHE FILLING
(makes about 1 1/4 cups)

1/2 c. butter, softened
2 T. creme de menthe (I used 1 t. of peppermint extract)
2 1/4 c. confectioners' sugar
3 drops green food coloring
(because I used the peppermint extract instead of the liquor there wasn't enough liquid. I added about 1 T. of milk. Do not add too much or your cake layers will slip n' slide)

In a medium bowl, beat butter and creme de menthe at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth. Add food coloring, beating until incorporated.

CREAMY CHOCOLATE FROSTING
(makes about 2 1/2 cups)

1 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
3 T. heavy whipping cream
4 c. confectioners' sugar
1 t. vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in cocoa and cream until smooth. Gradually beat in sugar until smooth. Beat in vanilla.

This cake is absolutely DELICIOUS! I recommend it whole heartedly. Just be sure to follow the directions intricately. Enjoy!

Regi's Black Bottom Cupcakes

1 ½ c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 c. water
1/3 c. oil
¼ c. cocoa
1 t. baking soda
1 t. vanilla
½ t. salt

Mix well.
Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full.

FILLING:
½ c. sugar
1 (8 oz.) cream cheese (softened)
1 egg
Dash of salt
1 c. chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients, add chocolate chips.
Drop by spoonfuls into batter in cupcake liners.
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Cinnamon Swirl Cake

3 c. flour
¼ t. salt
1 c. sugar
4 t. baking powder
1 ½ c. milk
2 eggs
2 t. vanilla
1 c. melted butter

SWIRL stuff:
1 cube melted butter
1 c. brown sugar
2 T. flour
1 T. cinnamon
2/3 c. chopped nuts

Mix flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, milk, eggs, vanilla, and 1 c. melted butter in that order.
Pour into greased and floured 9x13 pan.
Mix swirl ingredients together and swirl into batter.
Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes.
Glaze like cinnamon rolls.
Optional glaze:
2 c. powdered sugar & 5 t. milk & 1 t. vanilla.

Keri's Italian Cream Cake

2 c. sugar
½ c. oil
1 cube butter
5 eggs
2 c. flour
1 t. soda
1 c. buttermilk
2 c. flaked coconut
½ c. chopped nuts

Cream until fluffy the sugar, oil and butter.
Add only the egg yolks one at a time, beating after each.
Add the flour and beat well.
Add the soda to the buttermilk and stir into the batter alternately.
Add coconut and nuts and stir well.
Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into batter.
Pour batter into 3 (9 in.) round cake pans, greased and floured.
Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

FROSTING:
8 oz cream cheese
1 cube butter
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla

Mix and frost.
Top with coconut and nuts.

Heidi's Lucious Four Layer Pumpkin Cake

1 pkg. yellow cake mix
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin, divided
½ c. milk
1/3 c. oil
4 eggs
1 ½ t. pumpkin pie spice, divided
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 c. powdered sugar
1 tub cool whip, whipped topping, thawed
¼ c. caramel topping
¼ c. chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans.
Beat cake mix, one cup of the pumpkin, milk, oil, eggs, and one t. of the pumpkin pie spice in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.
Pour evenly into prepared pans.
Bake 28-30 minutes or until done.
Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire rack, cool completely.
Beat cream cheese on med. Speed until creamy.
Add sugar, remaining pumpkin, and remaining ½ t. pumpkin pie spice; mix well. Stir in the whipped topping.
Cut each cake layer horizontally in half with serrated knife.
Stack layers on serving plate, spreading cream cheese filling between the layers.
Do not frost top of cake.
Drizzle cake with caramel topping just before serving;
Sprinkle with pecans.
Store leftover cake in the fridge.

Barefoot Contessa's Honey Vanilla Pound Cake

½ lb. (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temp.
1 ¼ c. sugar
4 xtra large eggs at room temp.
2 T. mild honey
2 t. vanilla
1 t. grated lemon zest
1 ¾ c. sifted cake flour
1 t. kosher salt
½ t. baking powder

Preheat over to 325.
Grease and flour an 8 ½ x 4 ½ x 2 ½ inch loaf pan.
Line the bottom with parchment paper.
Cream butter and sugar on med. Speed for 3-4 min.
Meanwhile, put eggs, honey, vanilla, and lemon zest in a bowl.
With the mixer on med. Low speed, add the egg mixture, one egg at a time.
Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
With the mixer on low speed, add it very slowly to the butter and egg mixture until just combined.
Finish mixing with a rubber spatula and pour into pan.
Smooth the top.
Bake for 50-60 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
Cool for 15 minutes.
Cool completely on a baking rack.

The Barefoot Contessa suggests making this and storing it in your freezer for those times when unexpected visitors drop by. It's a fantastic treat.

Toffee Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Cake Mix
1 bottle of Mrs. Richardson’s Butterscotch Caramel Ice Cream Topping
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 container whipped topping
3 Score or Heath or Symphony candy bars (crushed)

Prepare cake mix according to directions.
When cake has cooled, poke several holes in cake.
Mix caramel topping and condensed milk together and pour over cake.
Top with whipped topping and sprinkle candy bar over top.

BEST EVER!

Bottom Cream Cake

CAKE:
1 ½ c. flour
1 ½ t. baking powder
¼ t. salt
¾ c. unsalted butter, at room temp.
¾ c. sugar
¼ t. grated lemon or orange zest
2 eggs, at room temp.
2/3 c. milk

CREAM CUSTARD FILLING:
1 ¼ c. milk
3 egg yolks
¼ c. sugar
2 T. cornstarch
Pinch of salt
1 T. unsalted butter
1 ½ t. vanilla
½ c. heavy cream, chilled

CHOCOLATE GLAZE:
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 ½ t. light corn syrup
½ c. heavy cream

To make the cake: Preheat oven to 350. Lightly butter and flour a 9 x 2 in.
round cake pan, and set aside.
Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl, and set it aside.
Cream butter, sugar, and citrus zest until light and fluffy.
Add eggs, one by one, beating well after each addition.
Beat in vanilla. With the mixer running on low, add the flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the
milk in 2 parts, until just combined. Pour batter into pan. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.
Cool in the pan for 15 minutes on a rack. Turn the cake out of the pan to cool completely.

To make the cream filling: In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the milk over medium-high heat,
until bubbles appear around the edges. Remove from heat.
Whisk together the yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt.
While whisking, gradually pour the milk into the eggs. Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan.
While whisking constantly, bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat; cook for 1
minute or until thickened. Remove from the heat, and stir in the butter and vanilla.
Put the custard in a medium bowl, and lay a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to
prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until ready to assemble the cake.

To make glaze: Put the chocolate and corn syrup in a small bowl.
Bring the cream to a boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and stir until smooth.
Cool slightly before glazing the cake.

To assemble the cake: Slice the cake in horizontally with a serrated knife, into 2 pieces, starting about
5/8ths of the way up the sides of the cake. (The top piece should be slightly thinner than the bottom.)
Place the bottom of the cake on a 9-inch cardboard cake round or flat plate.
Spread the cream just to the edges of the cake and cover with the top layer.
Pour the entire glaze over the cake.
Tilt the cake so the glaze covers evenly and runs down the sides.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Eclair Cake

Best of both worlds...as good as a real eclair, but SO much easier!!!

Cake:
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1/4 t salt
1 cup flour
4 eggs

Bring water, butter and salt to a boil until butter is melted. Add flour all at once and mix rapidly with a wooden spoon. Lower heat and continue stirring for 2-3 minutes to dry dough. Dough should be soft, but not sticky. Cool slightly. Transfer to a mixer and add eggs one at a time. Beat thoroughly after each addition until completely smooth. Spread into an ungreased 9by13 pan. Bake for 35 minutes at 400 degrees. Mixture will puff up while in the oven. When removed, prick bubbles with a fork and kind of smash down a little. Let cool completely.

Filling:
2 packages (3.5oz) instant vanilla pudding
2 1/2 cups cold milk
1 (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1 (12oz) Cool Whip

Mix pudding and milk until thick (like pudding.) Add cream cheese and beat until smooth. Spread over cooled cake bottom. Top with Cool Whip.

Topping:
3 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 T butter
3 T milk
1 cup powdered sugar

In a saucepan, melt chocolate chips and butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar and milk, alternately until a thin glaze forms. Drizzle over Cool Whip. Refrigerate at least one hour.

*From bigoven.com

Tres Leches

1 box moist yellow cake mix
1 can evaporated milk
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 c. whole milk
1 T. vanilla
Whipped topping
Cherries, if you desire

Bake the yellow cake according to the directions on the box.
When the cake has cooled, make small holes in the cake. In a saucepan on very low heat, mix together the three different milks. Stir continuously so the mixture will not stick to the bottom of the saucepan. Add vanilla when the milk mixture has almost reached boiling and remove from heat. (DO NOT ALLOW TO BOIL). After the mixture cools down, pour over the cake with the holes, making sure to well saturate the cake. Place the cake in the refrigerator for 2 hours or until chilled. Put whipped topping on top.

Train Cake

1 French Vanilla cake mix
2 Devils Food cake mixes
1 recipe cream cheese frosting
M&M's regular size and mini

Make the french vanilla cake according to package directions and bake in 2 - 8 inch pans. Let cool about 10 minutes after baking and remove from pan to cool completely.

Make the devils food cake mixes one at a time and bake 1 cake mix in 1 10 inch pan (unless you have a larger one...like 12 inch.) Repeat. Let cool about 10 minutes after baking and remove from pan to cool completely.

Cut the "top" off of any top to make the cakes flat on both top and bottom.

To Build:
Place 1 devils food cake on a cake stand or platter. Top with chocolate cream cheese frosting (made from regular cream cheese frosting and adding a few tablespoons of cocoa powder, or until it tastes good to you.) Top with other devils food cake. Frost bottom 2 layers with cream cheese frosting.

Place a bowl around the french vanilla cakes and cut into about a 6-7 inch circle (just smaller enough to be able to pipe a train track around the bottom layer.) Place one layer on top of bottom two frosted layers in the middle. Top with strawberry cream cheese frosting (made by adding a little strawberry jam to the cream cheese frosting - I use homemade strawberry freezer jam.) Top with remaining layer. Frost with cream cheese frosting.

To decorate:
Pipe around edges however you like, using whatever color combination you like. To make the dots, I used mini and regular M&M's. Then I had a HUGE Thomas that I put on the top and a regular one to put on the actual track on the bottom layer. TA-DA!!! You have a Thomas cake!!! You actually could put anything you want on this cake and make it whatever kind of cake you want...it's just a fun base to use.

4th of July Cake

Such a simple, light and delicious cake! Happy 4th!

1 French Vanilla box cake mix
1 recipe cream cheese frosting (found here)
1 tub whipped cream
raspberries
blueberries
1 strawberry
Red and Blue food coloring gels

Mix cake according to package directions. Divide batter in half. Color one bowl full of batter red and the other blue. Pour into 2 prepared 8 inch round cake pans. Bake according to package directions.

Make cream cheese frosting according to recipe above. Fold in whipped cream to make a light and fluffy frosting. Layer cooled cakes with frosting and then frost entire cake. Garnish with berries. Enjoy your holiday!!!

Cars Cake

2 boxes Devils Food cake mixes

1 recipe cream cheese frosing, recipe here

Fondant Icing

Green sprinkles

Red, green, black, blue, and yellow food coloring gels

Make 1 box of cake mix and bake in 2 medium to large loaf pans. Remove from pans and cool completely. Wrap in saran wrap and foil and freeze overnight. Remove from freezer and cut and carve to create the car shape...sorry - I have no other steps here because I just cut and pasted until it looked like a car. Crumb coat your finished product with red colored frosting. Put in fridge for at least an hour...this hardens the crumbs so you don't have crumbs in your finished product. Then frost again and smooth to finish with a metal knife dipped in hot water. Put in fridge to harden again. Color and cut fondant for the eyes, lightening bolt, windows, numbers, and headlights.

Bake the 2nd box of cake mix and bake in a sheet cake pan for about 15 minutes or until knife comes out clean. Cool completely. Frost with green colored frosting. With a toothpick, trace a track into the frosting. Frost the track with back-colored frosting. Pipe white lines. Put green sprinkles on green frosting to make it look like grass.

Carefully place the car cake into the middle of the sheetcake. ENJOY your awesome cake!!!!

It's easiest when you have a car model right with you to go off of...but make it your own.

German Chocolate Cake

Happy Fathers Day! This is my dad's favorite cake, so I went all out and made a 3 layered German Chocolate Cake. It was intense, but SOOO worth it!!! I don't think I'm ever going to eat the frosting out of the can again! You should definitely try this!

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup boiling water
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 egg yolks
4 eggs whites
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour**
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk

Pour chocolate chips in a bowl and pour 1/2 cup of boiling water over top and let sit 3 minutes. Stir to dissolve. Let this cool slightly. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix 1 cup of butter with 2 cups of sugar until light and fluffy - usually about 2-3 minutes on medium speed, scraping sides so it all gets incorporated.

Slowly add in your egg yolks one at a time while beating the mixture. Once there are no more streaks, or spots of yellow remain they have been mixed in well enough. Scrape the sides of the bowl.

Add chocolate liquid and 1 teaspoon vanilla after the egg yolk is completely mixed in to the batter.

It is important to sift the flour in order to remove all the lumps. I usually do this by putting all of the dry ingredients into one large bowl and run a wire whisk through it quite a few times so that everything is incorporated. This is the time when you add 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the flour.

Add the milk and flour to the mixture at the same time, but alternating between the two (milk, flour, milk, flour...) Don't stop mixing as you do this. Once you are done beating in the milk and flour, make sure that it is smooth.

Take your four egg whites and beat them at a very high speed. When you lift the beater out of the bowl it should have a peak, or pointed tip at the end of it. This means they are done being whipped. This process should take about 5 minutes. You will want to move quickly on to the next step to keep the egg white fluffy. *Make sure that there is no egg yolk mixed into your egg whites.

Now fold in your egg whites SLOWLY. DO NOT STIR OR BEAT THEM IN!! This would ruin the cake!

Pour cake batter into 3 prepared 8 inch round pans. You can either butter and flour them, or cut wax paper to fit inside of the bottom of the pans. This cake is VERY soft and fluffy so to be safe, you might want to put the wax paper in.

Bake for 30 minutes until the centers don't jiggle and a toothpick comes out clean. Let sit for 10 minutes and then remove from pans by loosening the sides with a knife and flipping over. Let cool on a cooling rack until COMPLETELY cool.

Frost with Coconut Pecan Frosting:

1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)

3 egg yolks, slightly beaten

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1-1/3 cups Sweetened Coconut Flakes

1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Stir together sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks and butter in medium saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and bubbly - about 10-12 minutes. In the meantime, in a skillet, toast pecans on medium heat for about 5 or more minutes...until you can smell the aroma of toasting nuts. Remove everything from heat; stir in vanilla, coconut and pecans. Cool to room temperature. Makes about 2-2/3 cups of frosting.

*I had to double this recipe for the 3 layered cake. SOOO GOOOD!!!

**To make cake flour, add 2 T cornstarch to a 1 cup measuring cup the add enough flour to fill the 1 cup. That equals one cup of cake flour. To make 1/2 cup, add 1 T cornstarch and fill with enough flour to fill the 1/2 cup measuring cup.

*Cake recipe adapted from myhomecooking.net

*Frosting recipe from Sadies Kitchen

Texas Sheet Cake

I know, I know, we've all had Texas sheet cake...but have you REALLY?! This, my friends, IS the recipe. It's the way it SHOULD be and the way it SHOULD taste. Rich, light, chocolaty cake with a warm frosting that oozes into the cracks and crevises of the cake, creating a incredible chocolate haven. Now if you're gonna make Texas sheet cake, make it the right way - the way your grandma made it - and the way my MOM always made it. When I think of her, I think of this cake. And let me tell you, you'll be the talk of the town when you bring this to your next neighborhood party.

Cake:
2 sticks (1 cup) butter
1 cup water
1/4 cup cocoa
2 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1 t vanilla
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 cup buttermilk

Frosting:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/4 cup cocoa
6 T buttermilk
1 t vanilla
2 - 21/2 cups powdered sugar (depending on your desired consistency)

Mix flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in your mixer bowl. Mix butter, cocoa and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and let cool slightly. Pour cocoa mixture over flour mixture and mix on low until it comes together. Add milk, eggs and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Bake in a greased sheetcake pan at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool for about 10 minutes until the cake is not hot, but still very warm (this helps it seep into the cake better.)

After you remove the cake from the oven, start on the frosting. Bring butter, cocoa and buttermilk to a boil. Remove from heat and add vanilla and powdered sugar. With a whisk, beat the frosting until the sugar is well incorporated and there are no clumps. Pour over cake and spread evenly. If I were making it, I would then grab a fork and eat it straight out of the corner of the pan...all warm, gooey and delicious. But if you're taking it to a party I don't suggest this:)

Reeces Peanut Butter Cup Cake

It was my Mom's birthday when I made this and I forgot to take pictures before I put the candles on so you get to see it as a birthday cake!

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup tightly packed brown sugar

½ Cup creamy peanut butter

1 large egg

1 egg yolk

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup hot water

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup Mini Reeces Peanut Butter Cups Baking Chips (You can usually find these where they sell chocolate chips...they might be hard to find. You can also sub with a mixture of peanut butter chips and chocolate chips if you can't find them.)

8 oz softened cream cheese

½ Cup powdered sugar

¼ Cup creamy peanut butter

2 packages Recees Peanut Butter Cups, chopped

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour two 9 x 1 1/2 inch pans. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix together brown sugar, peanut butter and butter for two minutes. Add egg and egg yolk and mix for another 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and mix for another minute. Add half of the flour mixture and mix until incorporated about 20 seconds. Then add the sour cream, mixing again for 20 seconds. Gradually add the remaining flour mixture. Add the hot water in a slow, steady stream and mix on low to combine, about 30 seconds. Add the vanilla and mix for another 10 seconds. Add the mini peanut butter cups and use a rubber spatula to finish mixing the ingredients until thoroughly combined. Divide the cake batter into the prepared pans, spreading it evenly. Bake for about 15 minutes. Use a toothpick to see if it is done. Remove from oven and wait about 5 minutes to remove from pan to a cooling rack. Let cool completely.

Place cream cheese, powdered sugar, and peanut butter into a medium bowl. Use hand mixer to blend until smooth. Once cakes are cooled completely, spread cream cheese over top of one of the cakes. Sprinkle 3 roughly chopped Reeces Peanut Butter Cups over cream cheese layer. Top with 2nd cake.

Chocolate Ganache:

1 Cup semisweet chocolate chips

¾ Cup heavy cream

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

Place chocolate chips into a medium mixing bowl. Place cream and butter into a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat cream/butter until just boiling. Remove and pour over chocolate chips. Let sit for 3-5 minutes then stir until smooth.

To Assemble: Place layered cake on a cooling rack. Place rack on top of a cookie sheet so that the extra chocolate has a place to drip onto. Pour chocolate ganache over cake and using a narrow metal spatula, quickly pared it evenly over the top and sides of the cake. Garnish with chopped peanut butter cups in center of cake.

**SUCH an AWESOME cake!!! LOVE IT!

**Adapted from Picky Palate.

Strawberry Shortcake Cake

IMPORTANT!!: You MUST bake this in a 2-inch deep pan! I didn't have a round cake pan that deep, so i just used a standard 8by8 square baking dish and it worked perfectly. I am warning you...THIS IS DELICIOUS!!!! and SO pretty - perfect for a bridal or baby shower!

Cake:

1 1/2 c flour

3 T corn starch

1/2 t salt

1 t baking soda

9 T unstalted butter, room temp

1 1/2 c sugar

3 eggs

1/2 c sour cream, room temp

1 t vanilla

Icing:

1 (8oz) cream cheese, room temp

2 sticks unsalted butter

1 1/2 pounds powdered sugar

1 t vanilla

1 pound strawberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together four, salt, baking soda, and corn starch. In electric mixer, cream 9 T butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well each time. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until combined. Add sifted dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just barely combined. Pour into greased and floured 8-inch cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes, or until no longer jiggly in the middle. Remove from cake pan as soon as you pull it out of the oven and place on a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely.

Stem and halve strawberries. Place in a bowl with 3 T sugar. Stir together and let sit for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, mash the strawberries to release juices and sprinkle with about 2 T more sugar. Allow to sit for another 30 minutes.

Make icing: combine cream cheese, 2 sticks butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a mixing bowl with electric mixer and whisk attachment (or hand mixer). This allows air to be whipped into the icing to make it light and fluffy. Mix until very light and fluffy...it almost looks like whipped cream.

Slice cake in half through the middle. Spread strawberries evenly over each half (cut side up), pouring on all the juices. Place cake halves into the freezer for five minues, just to make icing easier.

Remove from freezer. use a little less than 1/3 of the icing to spread over the top of the strawberries on the bottom layer. Place the second layer on top. Add half of the remaining icing to the top, spreading evenly, then spread the remaining around the sides.

You can either leave it plain with few strawberries showing through or garnish with strawberry halves.

IMPORTANT: Cake is best when served slightly cool. The butter content in the icing will cause it to soften at room temp. For best results, store in the fridge!!

*From The Pioneer Woman - my new favorite cake recipe!

Pumpkin Streusel Cake

Cake:
Mix in 1 bowl:
3 c flour
2 t baking powder
1 T cinnamon
1 t salt

Mix in mixer:
1 c butter softened
2 c sugar
4 eggs – adding 2 at a time

Add the dry mixture to the wet. Then add 1 can pumpkin, 1 c sour cream, 1 t vanilla.

Streusel ( mix all together):
½ c brown sugar
2 T flour
1 t cinnamon
¼ t pumpkin spice
1 T butter melted

Pour half of the cake batter into a greased bunt pan, then sprinkle the streusel down in the middle, then pour the rest of the cake batter over top. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until knife comes out clean. Serve with whipped cream.

Double Chocolate Cheesecake

24 OREO cookies, crushed (about 2 cups)
1/4 c (1/2 stick) butter, melted
4 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 c sugar
2 T flour
1 t vanilla
1 package (8 squares) BAKER'S semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled a little
4 eggs
1/2 package Guittard semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix crumbs and butter. Press into 9 by 13 baking dish lined with foil. Beat cream cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla until well blended and smooth. Add chocolate and mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low after each addition just until blended. Pour over crust. Bake 45 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool. Refrigerate 4 hours. Use foil to lift cheesecake from pan and place on a serving platter. Drizzle with melted chocolate chips. Place back in fridge until drizzle is set up. ENJOY!

* This is such a fun spin on traditional cheesecake! You could use a springform pan if you must, but, I LOVED how thin it was! It was also easier to cut into pieces and serve since it wasn't so thick. You need your crumbs very small, so use a food processor if you have it. It's also important to have your cream cheese very soft because it creates a smoother texture in the cheesecake. Also, whenever I do a dish involving cream cheese, I always beat the cream cheese until smooth before I add anything else to it. That also creates a creamier cheesecake. You don't have to drizzle it with chocolate, in fact the recipe didn't even call for it, but mine cracked on top (and I accidentally broke it in half...oops!) and I wanted to cover it all up. But boy, did it add to the flavor! You could also top it with a chocolate ganache, which I'm sure is divine!

We Should Cocoa ~ Rose Scented Indulgent Chocolate Cake

When Choclette announced that this month's We Should Cocoa Challenge was to use rose alongside chocolate, I will admit to being slightly perplexed.  Rose isn't an ingredient I am use to baking with and after quite a bit some consultation with my ever expanding stash of recipes nothing really came up trumps for me and inspiration was sparse to say the least!  I was an unhappy little teapot ;0(


Then Mr JS rode in to my rescue ... without even knowing it!  He has returned from Australia for a short stay and comes to at dinner with Hubby and I once a week.  It was during this weeks meal that he asked me if I could make a chocolate birthday cake for another one of our friend's (the birthday bash being last night ... slightly worse for wear today!)


It was a eureka moment for me.  I knew the exact cake to bake, and with a small amount of tweaking I could get it to fit in with this month's theme, resulting in a happy little teapot once more ;0)

Rose Scented Indulgent Chocolate Cake
175g SR flour, sifted
3 tbsp 70% cocoa powder
1 tsp rose water
175g butter, completely softened, plus extra for lining the tin
175g caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
1-2 tbsp milk
100g 70% dark chocolate, melted and cooled
Icing
500ml double cream
500g milk chocolate, chopped
Rose Scented Mascarpone Filling
500g mascarpone
2 tsp icing sugar
1-2 tsp rose water, depending on taste


Make the icing first (it takes a while to cool and thicken).  Put the chocolate into a bowl.  Pour the cream into a pan and heat until simmering.  Take off the heat and pour it over the chocolate.  Stir until the mixture is smooth.  Cool, then chill until really thick but spreadable.


Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C.  Butter and base line 2 x 20cm sandwich tins with baking parchment.  Take 3 tbsp flour from the full flour amount and put them back in the flour bag - the cocoa powder will make up the difference.


Put all the cake ingredients except the chocolate in a large bowl.  Beat them together with an electric whisk (or whizz in a food processor) until you have a creamy mixture, then fold in the melted chocolate.  Add a little more milk if the mix is too stiff - it should fall easily from a spoon.


Divide the mixture between the 2 tins and level.  Bake on the same shelf in the oven for 20-25 mins or until the sponge springs back when pressed.  Cool for 5 mins, turn out onto a wire rack, peel off the paper and cool completely.

While the cakes are cooling make the filling.  Mix together the mascarpone, icing sugar and rose water in a bowl until well combined and smooth.  When the cakes are cool sandwich the layers together with the rose scented mascarpone and then with some of the chocolate icing.  Use the rest of the chocolate icing to spread over the rest of the cake in a nice thick layer.


Serves 10
Adapted from a recipe in Olive Magazine, April 11

I should have decorated the cake some crystallised rose petals of course, but I didn't have any so white chocolate stars it had to be!  Its a very much a home-made looking cake but it didn't detract from the taste one little bit.  Purely indulgent with every mouthful!  If I had one criticism, its that the rose maybe wasn't as strong as I thought it would have been.  I did err on the side of caution with the amounts of rose water added because I didn't want the cake to end up tasting like a bar of soap!  I would add more next time, both to the cake and the mascarpone.  On the up side, after the small mishap of the chocolate icing not really firming up last time, I gave the mixture a good whip before letting it set in the fridge overnight which seems to be the trick, it was lovely and thick and smooth and everyone seemed to enjoy their slice!