Texas Sheet Cake

1 cube margarine 2 cups sugar

3 heaping tablespoons cocoa 2 cups flour

½ cup oil 1 teaspoon soda

1 cup water 1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 eggs ½ cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Boil margarine, cocoa, oil, and water in saucepan for one minute. Add dry ingredients and mix. Add eggs, milk and vanilla and mix well. Pour onto greased and floured cookie sheet and bake 15 minutes at 400*F.

Icing:

1 cube margarine 2 ½ heaping tablespoons cocoa

6 tablespoons milk

Heat and dissolve in saucepan. Beat in 1 box of powdered sugar. Pour over cake while hot and sprinkle with chopped nuts.

Tres Leches Cake

1		box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® yellow cake mix
1 1/4		cups water
1		tablespoon vegetable oil
2		teaspoons vanilla
4		eggs
1		can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
1		cup whole milk or evaporated milk
1		cup whipping cream
1		container Betty Crocker® Whipped fluffy white frosting
1.	Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Grease and flour or spray bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan.
2.	In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil, vanilla and eggs with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan.
3.	Bake 29 to 35 minutes or until edges are golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes. Poke top of hot cake every 1/2 inch with long-tined fork, wiping fork occasionally to reduce sticking.
4.	In large bowl, stir together sweetened condensed milk, whole milk and whipping cream. Carefully pour evenly over top of cake. Cover; refrigerate about 1 hour or until mixture is absorbed into cake. Frost with frosting.

Wacky Cake

(This is also called “Crazy Cake”)

1½ cup flour

1/3 cup cocoa

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon vinegar

½ cup oil

1 cup water

Combine first 6 dry ingredients. Make well in center and add vanilla, vinegar, oil and water. Stir well. Bake in a 9x13 inch pan at 350*F for 20 to 25 minutes.

Rich Chocolate Frosting

At medium high speed, beat 1 cup butter until fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Beat in 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, (melted and cooled) until thickened, 2 minutes. Beat in 1 jar Marshmallow Fluff, then 3.4 cup confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Frost your favorite cake.

Snow White Butter Cream Frosting

8 to 10 cups powdered sugar

¼ teaspoon clear butter extract

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon almond extract

3 tablespoons margarine powder

¼ cup water

1 ¼ cup shortening

Place water and margarine powder into large mixing bowl. Beat at medium speed until margarine stands in peaks. Add vanilla, almond and butter extracts. Alternate the shortening and powdered sugar and beat until stiff enough to spread onto cake.

Mayonnaise Cake

Sift together:

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

5 tablespoons cocoa

2 teaspoons soda

Dash of salt

Add:

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup water

1 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing

Beat until well blended. Bake at 350*F for 30 to 35 minutes.

Quick Apple Crisp

1 package yellow cake mix

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

¼ cup butter or margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 350*F. Peel and core apples. Place apples in lightly buttered pan. Sprinkle dry cake mix over apples. Combine sugar and cinnamon mixture in shaker; sprinkle over cake mix. Drizzle with melted butter. Bake 30-35 minutes. Serve warm. May wish to top with your favorite ice cream or whipped cream.

Pumpkin Sheet Cake

1 can (16 ounces) pumpkin

2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil or applesauce

4 eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon round cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

Frosting:

1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese

5 tablespoons butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ¾ cups confectioners’ sugar

3 to 4 teaspoons milk

Chopped nuts, optional

In a mixing bowl, beat pumpkin, sugar and oil. Add eggs; mix well. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; add to pumpkin mixture and beat until well blended. Pour into a greased 15x10x1 inch baking pan. Bake at 350*F for 25 to 30 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool. For frosting: beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla in a mixing bowl until smooth. Gradually add sugar; mix well. Add milk until frosting reaches desired spreading consistency. Frost cake. Sprinkle with nuts, if desired

Lemon Custard Pudding Cake

6 tablespoons flour

6 tablespoons butter, melted

2 cups sugar, divided

4 eggs, separated

1½ cup milk

Grated peel of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Confectioners’ sugar

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, butter and 1 ½ cups sugar. Beat egg yolks; add to mixing bowl along with milk and lemon peel. Mix well. Add lemon juice. In another bowl, beat egg whites until stiff, slowly adding remaining ½ cup sugar while beating. Fold into batter. Pour into a greased 2 quart baking dish or individual ramekins. Place in a shallow pan of hot water and bake at 350*F for 55 to 60 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm or chilled with confectioners’ sugar dusted on top.

Lite-Cooked Butter Cream Frosting

1 cup fat free milk

7 tablespoons flour

½ tablespoon light butter, chilled

2½ cup confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cook milk and flour in small saucepan over medium heat for 2½ minutes or until very thick, stirring constantly with whisk. Spoon into a bowl, cover and chill. Beat butter and chilled flour mixture at medium speed on mixer until smooth. Gradually add sugar; beat until just blended. Stir in vanilla. Cover and chill

Grandma Christine’s Applesauce Cake

(Grandma substituted dark karo syrup when she didn’t have molasses)

2¼ cup flour ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon shortening

1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoon white sugar

1½ teaspoon soda 3 tablespoons dark karo syrup

¾ teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon lemon rind

½ teaspoon nutmeg 1 egg, beaten

¼ teaspoon cloves 1½ cups stiff unsweetened applesauce

¾ cups raisins, chopped 1 cup brown sugar

Sift flour with salt, soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Mix ¼ of the flour mixture with the raisins and nuts. Sift brown sugar to make it fine. Cream the shortening and brown sugar. Add flour mixture alternately with unsweetened applesauce and creamed mixture. Stir in raisins and nuts.

Red Velvet Cake

Cake:

1 cup butter, softened

1½ cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 bottle (1 ounce) red food coloring, optional

2½ cups cake flour

2 tablespoons baking cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vinegar

Fluffy Frosting:

1½ cups milk

½ cup flour

1½ cups butter, softened

1½ cups sugar

1½ teaspoons vanilla

1½ teaspoon butter flavoring

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla, butter flavoring and food coloring if desired. Combine flour, cocoa and baking soda. Combine buttermilk and vinegar. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk mixture to creamed mixture. Pour into three greased and floured 9 inch round cake pans. Bake at 350*F for 15 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. For frosting: whish together milk and flour in a saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick, about 5 minutes. Cover and cool. In a mixing bowl, cream butter. Gradually add sugar; beat well. Gradually add cooled milk mixture and beat until very light, about 4 minutes. Add vanilla and butter flavoring; beat well. Frost cooled cake.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8-ounce cream cheese, (room temp.)

2 cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons butter (room temp.)

2 teaspoons vanilla

Beat all ingredients together until smooth.

Fiesta Pinto Bean Cake

2 cups cooked, mashed pinto beans

2 cup finely diced apples

1-cup sugar

¼ cup butter

1 egg, beaten

1-cup flour

1-teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1-teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon cloves

½ teaspoon allspice

2 teaspoons vanilla

1-cup raisins

½ cup chopped nuts

Cream together the sugar and butter. Add the egg and beans. Mix together the dry ingredients and add to the creamed mixture. Add the apples, vanilla, raisins and nuts.

Grease the sides and bottom of a pan. Pour the cake mixture into the pan. Bake at 375*F. for 45 minutes. Serve with applesauce, cool whip or pudding.

Dump Cake

1 can crushed pineapple 1 can apple or cherry pie filling

Mix together and spread into a 9x13x2 inch pan

Add: 1 vanilla or yellow cake mix

Sprinkle dry cake mix evenly over the top of fruit.

Add: 1 cube of butter, melted

Pour evenly on top of cake mix.

Bake at 350*F until golden brown.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

2 ½ cups flour

½ cup cocoa

2 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 ½ teaspoons soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¾ cup butter

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 teaspoons grated orange peel

2 cups grated zucchini

½ cup milk

1 cup chopped pecans

Combine dry ingredients. Set aside. Cream butter and sugar; add eggs one at a time and beat well. Stir in vanilla, orange peel and zucchini. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and milk. Bake at 305*F for 1 hour or until firm in the center. Count it as a vegetable when you strive for five.

Chocolate Glaze

Melt: 2 tablespoons butter

1 ounce chocolate

Stir in: 1 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons boiling water

Stir until smooth. Use at once.

Chocolate Pudding Cake

1 cup all-purpose flour 3/4 cup white sugar 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3/4 cup packed brown sugar 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 1/2 cups boiling water

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.	In ungreased 9 inch square pan, stir together flour, white sugar, cocoa, the baking powder, and salt. Mix in milk, oil, and vanilla with a fork until smooth.
3.	Spread batter evenly in pan (batter will be thick). Sprinkle with brown sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa. Pour boiling water over batter.
4.	Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 40 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes, then spoon into dessert dishes or cut into squares. Invert each square onto dessert plate and spoon sauce over each serving. Top with ice cream or whipped topping, if desired.

Carrot Cake

2 2/3 cup flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

4 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoon cinnamon

7 cups grated carrots

1 cup plus 2/3 cup sugar

5 sticks butter

1 cup brown sugar

5 eggs

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla

Heat oven to 350* F. Grease and flour pan. Whisk flour, salt, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda, set aside. Toss carrots with 1 cup sugar in colander set over bowl. Drain until 1 cup liquid is collected in bowl (20 to 30 minutes). Melt butter and cook until golden brown (about 8-10 minutes). Cool for 10 minutes and add rest of sugar and brown sugar. Add eggs one at a time, whisking before adding the next egg. Add vanilla. Add flour mixture and carrots. Bake 40-45 minutes.

Variation: Strain one 20-ounce can crushed pineapple (packed in its own juice) into a medium bowl, pressing pineapple against strainer with wooden spoon to drain thoroughly. Toast ¾ cup chopped pecans in medium skillet set over medium heat, shaking pan occasionally to move nuts, until fragrant (5 to7 minutes). Follow basic recipe adding the pineapple and pecans along with the carrots.

Cake Extender

1 cake mix, mixed according to directions

Add:

½ cup shortening

½ cup sugar

1 cup flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups water

3 eggs

1 t baking powder

This extender makes a fuller 9”x13” cake pan or a large jelly roll pan.