Texas Sheet Cake

Our family has been making this cake for years. It is so chocolaty, it's like a brownie almost. Add some vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce for a super yummy dessert. If you are a nut person you can add some chopped pecans or walnuts to the fudgy icing at the end of cooking it before you pour it on the cake. 

Ingredients

In a large bowl cream together: 

2 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter

Add:

3/4 cup veg oil

1 cup boiling water

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup milk

2 cups flour

4 tbsp cocoa

2 eggs (beat before adding)

1 tsp vinegar

1 tsp soda

Pour into large non-greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 mins.

Icing

4 Tbsp cocoa
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup margarine
1 tsp vanilla
Icing sugar (approx 1 pound)

Using a whisk blend ingreds together and bring to a boil in a saucepan. Add enough sifted icing sugar to thicken. (you can add nuts at this point or sprinkle them on top after pouring on cake)  Pour on cake while still hot.

German Pancakes

These are a fun change for breakfast. I've been making these for years! You can put powdered sugar and lemon juice on them for a traditional taste. Or you can put strawberries and sugar or syrup. Whatever you like, they are yummy!

Ingredients

6 room temp eggs

1 cup flour

1 cup milk

1/2 tsp salt

4 tbsp margarine (for melting in pan)

I blend the first 4 ingredients in the blender for a smoother texture. Melt the margarine in a 9x13 pan. When melted add the batter. Bake 400 degrees for 20-25 mins or until golden brown. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.

Buttermilk Syrup

1-1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup butter

2 Tbsp corn syrup

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp vanilla extract

In a saucepan, combine the first five syrup ingredients; bring to a boil. Boil for 7 mins. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla.  Makes about 2 cups syrup. 

Hot Spinach & Artichoke Dip

This is one of my favorites! I have made this a few times and it gets lots of raves. So creamy and just the right amount of flavour. Tastes the best when nice and warm. Serve with a variety of tortilla chips or bread chips.

Ingredients

2 (8oz) pkgs cream cheese

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 cup sour cream

2 sm. bottles of marinated artichoke hearts-chopped fine

1 (10 oz) pkg frozen chopped spinach

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp marjoram (if desired)

Crushed red pepper flakes to taste

Mix all ingredients together well and put in a over safe dish. Place under broiler until the dip turns brown and is hot and bubbly. 

Skor Cake

This cake is a cinch to make and is so so very yummy! 

Ingredients

1 Box Devils Food cake mix. 

1 can sweetened condensed milk

3/4 cup caramel sauce 

4 Skor candy bars. 

Whipping Cream or Cool Whip topping. 

Directions

Bake cake according to directions on the box. As soon as it comes out of the oven poke holes going to the bottom of the cake all over, about 3/4 inch apart with a straw or something similar. 

Pour the sweetened condensed milk on top making sure you get all the holes. As you are pouring use a spatula and spread it evenly getting some in all the holes. After that has set a bit pour the caramel sauce on top. Put in the fridge until entire cake is cool. 

Whip the whipping cream approx 2 cups and add powdered sugar to taste. Or you can use large tub of Cool Whip.  

When the cake is cool crumble 2 of the candy bars on top of the cake. (I put mine in a zip lock bag and smash the heck out of it with a rolling pin. You want to leave some good chunks though.) 

Spread the whipping cream on top then crush 2 more candy bars and sprinkle on top of whipping cream. Drizzle some of the caramel sauce on top of everything. Enjoy because it is super delish. 

Lemon Raspberry Cake

This is another cake I made for a co-worker that turned out pretty yummy. I doubled the recipe and made a 2 layer cake using cookie sheets. Recipe is adapted from LaDonna's Lemon Cake on allrecipes.com. 

Ingredients

1 pkg lemon cake mix (you can use yellow cake mix if you don't want the extra lemon taste)

1 sm pkg instant lemon pudding mix

1 3/4 cups water (if using yellow cake, you can add lemon juice from the 2 lemons and add enough water to equal the rest of the measurement. 

3 egg whites

Raspberry pie filling or favorite raspberry jam (can also use raspberry compote)

3/4 cup milk

1/2 tsp lemon extract

lemon zest from 2 lemons

1 pkg vanilla instant pudding

1 8oz container frozen whipped topping, thawed (I used stabilized whipped cream-recipe below)

Fresh Raspberries

Coconut or white chocolate for garnish. 

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray pans and line with parchment paper if cakes are coming out of pans. You can use a cookie sheet or 2 -9inch pans or a 9x13 cake pan. 

In a large bowl, mix together cake mix and pudding mix. Pour in water and egg whites (lemon juice if using). Beat on low speed for 1 min. Scrape sides of bowl and Increase speed to high and beat for 4 mints. Pour batter into prepared pans. 

Bake in preheated oven for 25-35 mins or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cooking time with vary depending on what kind of pan you use. Allow to cool completely. If taking cake out of pans cool for about 10-15 mins then turn out onto a rack to cool completely. If you are splitting the cakes in half to fill this is easier if you bake the cakes the night before and freeze. 

In a large bowl, combine milk, lemon extract and vanilla pudding mix. Beat on low for 2 mins. Fold in whipped topping and lemon zest. 

To assemble: If doing a sheet cake in a cookie pan keep the cake in the pan and spread the raspberry filling on top by putting small spoonfuls all over the cake then spread carefully. Spread cream on top of that doing the same technique. Grate or shave white chocolate on top (or coconut) and garnish with fresh raspberries. 

If using a layer cake, layer the inside with the raspberry and cream. 

Stabilized Whipped Cream

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

1/4 cup cold water

3 cups heavy cream

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

In a small saucepan, combine gelatin with water; let stand until gelatin softens, about 5 mins. Turn heat to low and stir constantly until gelatin in just dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly, but do not allow to thicken. In a large mixing bowl, whip cream, sugar, and vanilla until slightly thick. On low speed, gradually add gelatin and then beat on high until cream is thick and peaks hold their shape.  (an even easier way to do this is just buy the stabilizer packs at the store and add to cream when whipping)

Old Fashioned Carrot Cake

Sometimes being old fashioned is the way to go. There are some things you just shouldn't mess around with and this is one of them.  Such a great cake, so moist and yummy. You can double this recipe for a large crowd, just bake in a large baking tin. I adapted this recipe from 3 different ones. Hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients

4 eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup vegetable or canola oil

2 cups all-purposed flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp allspice

pinch of cloves

3 cups grated raw carrots (about 5 carrots)

1/2 walnuts

In a large bowl, beat eggs well. Gradually add sugars and beat until light. Slowly add the oil. Mix well. 

In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Add the walnuts to the flour mixture then stir into the egg mixture. Add the carrots and mix well. 

Grease and flour pans. You can use a 9x13 or 2-9" pans or 3-8" pans or even cupcakes.

Bake at 350F for 30-45 mins depending on what type of pan you use. Use a toothpick or cake tester and make sure it comes out clean. Let cakes cool for 10 mins in the pans, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely. 

once cool, frost with cream cheese frosting.  

For Cream Cheese Frosting

1 brick or 8 oz of cream cheese, room temp

1/4 cup butter, room temp

1 tsp vanilla. 

2 1/2-3 cups icing sugar. 

Cream together the cream cheese and butter until well mixed and fluffy, add vanilla and blend again. Slowly add the icing sugar. Mix until fluffy. 

Pumpkin Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

A co-worker of mine posted this on her Facebook page (thanks Lish) and I thought it looked pretty darn good and asked her if she wanted me to make it for work...well of course she did...so I did!.. and it was sooo good. Many raves about how it had just the right pumpkin flavor and one even said she would prefer it over pumpkin pie ..what??  Well I dunno about that!..but ..it was pretty darn good and of course the cream cheese frosting makes it oh so yummy. This recipe came from eatathomecooks.com. 

Ingredients

16 oz can pumpkin (not pie filling)

2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs, beaten

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 salt

In a mixing bowl, beat the pumpkin, sugar and oil until well blended. Add eggs and mix well again. Combine the dry ingredients and add to the pumpkin mixture, beating until well blended. Pour into a greased cookie sheet (10x15 inch). Bake for 25-35 mins at 350 degrees. 

Cream Cheese Frosting:

5 Tbsp butter, softened

3 oz cream cheese, softened

1 tsp vanilla

1 3/4 cups powdered sugar

3-4 tsp milk

chopped nuts for the top, if desired

(I didn't measure any of the frosting ingreds but that is what it called for) 

Beat the butter and cream cheese together. Add the vanilla and blend till smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar and mix well. Add the milk a bit at a time until you get it to a spreadable consistency. I also sprinkled a little bit of pumpkin pie spice on top for looks because I didn't put nuts on due to allergies.