Chocolate Cocoa Macadamia Nut Brownies

This begins with a homemade dry mix.  This dry mix can be made ahead and dry bottle canned. This makes a great gift too.  Just put in a bottle and attach the recipe.
Ingredients
2 C Granulated Sugar
1 C Hershey's Cocoa
1 C All Purpose Flour
1 C Macadamia Nuts
1 C Chocolate Chips

Optional substitute pecans or walnuts in place of macadamia nuts.

Bottle in a mason jar and vacuum seal for convenience another day or make fresh! Store in freezer to keep macadamia nuts fresh tasting.

Brownie Ingredients
1 C Butter (softened)
4 Eggs
1 Jar Chocolate Cocoa Macadamia Nut Brownie Mix

Preheat oven to 325, grease a 9x13 baking pan.  Cream softened butter.  Add eggs one at a time, beating to incorporate after each egg is added. Add dry mix and beat until smooth. Pour and spread in greased baking dish. Bake 40 to 50 minutes.

Williamsburg Orange Cake

I used to make this cake for bake sales when I was in high school, and they always fetched a pretty penny!  this is yummy and moist!  This is a really easy all in one bowl-- mix and pour recipe. This is not your typical buttermilk cake recipe and is a great from scratch cake for beginners!

Ingredients
2 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour ( or 2 2/3 cup Cake Flour)
1 1/2 Cups Granulated Sugar (I keep a vanilla bean in my sugar jar and only use cane sugar)
1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
3/4 Teaspoon Salt
1  1/2 Cups Buttermilk
1/2 Cup Sweet Cream Butter, Softened
1/4 Cup Crisco Shortening
3 Large Eggs (about 2/3 cup)
1  1/2 Teaspoon vanilla
1 Cup Golden Raisins, Cut Up (Or for a zip substitute Crasins!)
1/2 Cup Finely Chopped Walnuts or Peacns
1 Tablespoon Orange Zest or grated Orange Peel (like to heap the tablespoon)

Top with Williamsburg Buttercream

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three 8-9 inch round cake pans.

Measure and pour all ingredients for the cake into a large bowl. Mix 1/2 minute on low spread will you use the spatula to scrape down bowl sides constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 more minutes, scraping occasionally to make sure all the dry mixture is evenly dispersed. Pour mixture evenly into three pans. Bake 30-35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.  Then frost with the Williamsburg Butter cream frosting.

Williamsburg Butter Cream Frosting
1 Stick (1/2 Cup) Butter, softened at room temperature.
4 1/2 Cups C & H Confectioners Sugar
4-5 Tablespoons Orange Flavoring, Orange Juice or Orange Liqueur - (each adds its own touch, when I was in high school I made this with Orange Liqueur, it had less alcohol than the flavoring had! Or Make your own Orange Extract!)
1 tablespoon Orange Zest or Grated Orange Peel

Whip butter and sugar until fluffy. Stir in flavoring. Add orange zest or grated peel and beat until smooth. Ice the cakes by spreading a little icing in between each layer, frost the top, then the sides. Sever with a smile!

Daffodil Cake and Lemon Glaze

I love this cake for Easter.  I first made it when I was a young mother and I did it because it looked challenging! I can slice it in thin slices and it is light and lovely as its name. Top it with lemon glaze, fluffy home whipped cream and coconut, or serve it with whipped cream and berries! Basically this is kind of like two cakes intermixed to make a lovely delicate yellow and white marbled cake. this recipe is not as daunting as first appears.

Ingredients

1 Cup Sifted Cake Flour

3/4 Cup + 2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar (14 Tablespoons)

12 Large Egg Whites (1 1/2 cups)

1  1/2 Teaspoons Cream of Tarter

1/4 Teaspoon Salt

3/4 Cup Sugar

6 Egg Yolks

1 1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla

1/2 Teaspoon Almond Extract

Directions

Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl mix and stir together flour and 3/4 cups + 2 tablespoons sugar and set aside. 

In large mixing bowl, whip egg whites, cream of tarter, and salt until foamy. Slowly add in remaining sugar a tablespoon at a time while whipping the egg mixture til it forms stiff peaks. Set aside.

In a small bowl beat the six yolks about five minutes until the yolks are thick and lemon yellow.

Carefully fold the flavorings into the meringue mixture.

Gently sprinkle, 1/4 of the sugary flour mixture at a time, over the meringue mixture. Then gently fold until the flour mixture disappears. Be very careful not to over fold.

Carefully pour half the batter into another bowl.  Gently fold yolks into one of the batter bowls.

Alternately spoon yellow and white batter into an ungreased 10x4 inch tube pan (angel food pan). Whit a knife gently cut down through the batter to swirl or gently marble it.

Place pan on the bottom shelf of the oven to bake for about 40 minutes. The cake is done when it springs back when it is gently pressed by fingers. Invert pan on a funnel or bottle to cool. Then glaze or frost and serve.

Lemon Glaze

Ingredients
1 Cup Confectioner's Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Grated Lemon
1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice (fresh)
About 2 Tablespoons Milk
1 Drop Yellow Food Color

Directions
Mix until smooth.

14 Carrot Cake

I came by this recipe during my single years when I lived in Huntington Beach, California.  This is one of the favorite cakes of my oldest son. It is moist and delicious.

Ingredients

Mix and set aside:
2 Cups flour

2 teaspoons Baking Powder

2 Teaspoons Baking Soda

1 Teaspoon Salt

2 Teaspoons Cinnamon

Mix Together:

2 Cups Granulated Sugar

1 Cup Vegetable Oil 

4 Eggs

2  1/2 Cup Finely Grated Carrots

1 Small Can Crushed Pineapple (drained)

1/2 Cup Chopped Nuts

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three 9' pans. Blend sugar, oil eggs, carrots, pineapple, and nuts. Mix in dry ingredients. Pour into prepared  pans and bake for 40 minutes. Cool and then frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Donna's Red Velvet Jar Cakes

Make and freeze these little elegant delights ahead of time.  Weeks ahead of time, if need be.  But, don't tell your family!  If they find them you may not have any left! These little cakes are moister in a jar than made as a cake. These are great to have on hand to drop off with a friend as a sweet little birthday reminder or even for a kind uplift.

Ingredients
1 box Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Red Velvet Cake Mix

Directions
Prepare twenty four 1/2 pint wide mouth freezer jars (these are straight sided jars), following guidelines for preparing baking pans, as listed on the box. Mix according to box directions. Pour 1/4 cup of batter into each prepared jar. I use a Pampered Chef "Measure All." Bake at 350 degrees for 19-23 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. Then cool completely. 

To Freeze
If cake is too high to frost, use a knife to loosen cake from sides and slide cake from jar. Use a bread knife and slice off top of cake. Cakes that are over the top of the jar can be sliced horizontally in half and placed in two jars! Frost and then place a clean lid and canning jar band on the bottle, tighten band and place in the freezer.

Serve frozen or thawed.

Donna's Almost Homemade Red Velvet Cup Cakes

For Our Annual Super Saturday Craft's, Day the Relief Society provided lunch and dessert was pot luck. I decided to make red velvet cake but did not have enough time, so I opted for using a box mix, altered to be moist as home made. I topped it with easy roses made of the "original Heavenly Frosting" recipe I use on my Red Velvet Cake.

Ingredients:
1 box Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Red Velvet Cake Mix
1 1/4 water
1/3 cup Crisco shortening- melted, instead of oil. This makes the cake moist like homemade.
3 extra large eggs

Directions:
Mix well and pour into 24 cup cake wrappers. Bake at 350 for 19-223 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Heavenly Frosting
This is the original frosting used on the red velvet cake.

Ingredients:
5 heaping tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sugar
1 cup softened butter ( I have also used margarine or Crisco™ when I did not have butter)

Optional: 1 drop green food coloring

Directions:
Cook flour and milk in a sauce pan on the stove, stirring constantly; with a wire whisk until thickened, like a thick white cream sauce, or pudding. Cool mixture completely. Cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy, beat in vanilla and food coloring. Whip in cooled cooked mixture, on high speed until fluffy like whipped cream.

Easy Decorating:
#20 Star tip from Wilton (six slits)
12 In Wilton Decorator Bag
No coupler needed, just slip the star point down into the bag and out the hole. I use a bag that is already trimmed to use with a coupler.

Fill bag with Heavenly Frosting. Start in the center of the top of the cup cake, squeeze frosting through tip as you spiral outward, moving around the center, ending at the edge. This will make a quick shabby chic rose on the top of the cup cake, no rose pedal tip needed.

Donna's Berry Elegance

We served this at my son, Jonathan's, wedding reception.

Ingredients:

1 box White Cake Mix
2 small boxes instant white chocolate pudding
1 -- 8 ounce package of cream cheese (softened)
12-18 ounces of fresh blueberries (rinsed and well drained)
16 ounce Cool Whip
Almond slices and or coconut

Directions:

Bake cake in a jelly roll pan, according to box instructions (I use a pampered chef stoneware jelly roll pan and bake at 400 degrees for 18 minutes). Cool cake completely. Prepare pudding according to pie directions. Blend in softened cream cheese. Rinse and thoroughly drain blueberries. Thaw cool whip. Place cake on the bottom, spread pudding cream cheese mixture evenly over cooled cake. Equally distribute berries over pudding layer. Spread cool whip over berries. Sprinkle almonds (and or coconut) over top. Cut into squares, serve and enjoy!

This is best when assembled just before serving.

Optional: Blackberries, Raspberries, or Strawberries

Donna's Chocolate Raspberry Delight

We served this at my son, Jonathan's, wedding reception.

Ingredients:

1 box Devil's Food Cake Mix
2 small boxes instant Devil's Food pudding
1 -- 8 ounce package of cream cheese (softened)
12-18 ounces of fresh raspberries (rinsed and well drained)
16 ounce Cool Whip
Almond slices

Directions:

Bake cake in a jelly roll pan, according to box instructions (I use a pampered chef stoneware jelly roll pan and bake at 400 degrees for 18 minutes). Cool cake completely. Prepare pudding according to pie directions. Blend in softened cream cheese. Rinse and thoroughly drain raspberries. Thaw cool whip. Place cake on the bottom, spread pudding cream cheese mixture evenly over cooled cake. Equally distribute raspberries over pudding layer. Spread cool whip over berries. Sprinkle almonds over top. Cut into squares, serve and enjoy!

This is best when assembled just before serving.

Pistachio Cake

We used the recipe from my friend Dianne Mildenstein at my son Jonathan's wedding reception. We took the basic recipe and made a blueberry dessert, and a chocolate raspberry dessert.

Ingredients:

1 box yellow cake
2 small boxes instant pistachio pudding
1 -- 8 ounce package of cream cheese (softened)
1 can crushed pineapple (well drained)
16 ounce Cool Whip
Coconut

Directions:

Bake yellow cake in a jelly roll pan, according to box instructions (I use a pampered chef stoneware jelly roll pan and bake at 400 degrees for 18 minutes). Cool cake completely. Prepare pudding according to pie directions. Blend in softened cream cheese. Drain pineapple for about one hour. Thaw cool whip. Place cake on the bottom, spread pudding cream cheese mixture evenly over cooled cake. Equally distribute or sprinkle pineapple over pudding layer. Spread cool whip over pineapple. Sprinkle coconut over top. Cut into squares, serve and enjoy!

This is best when assembled just before serving.

Lemon Poppyseed Pound Cake

Ingredients:

1 box lemon cake mix (any kind but chiffon)
1 small box instant vanilla pudding
4 eggs
1 cup water
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup poppy seeds (use just under 1/4 cup poppy seeds).

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour the bundt pan. Combine all ingredients together and then mix two minutes. Pour into bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean, do not touch for doneness! Crust will be darker than a normal cake. Cool in pan 25 minutes. Invert and remove from pan, cool completely. Top with glaze or a dusting of powdered sugar.

Lemon glaze:

Blend on cup sifted powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon milk or lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon vegetable oil. Add more sugar to thicken, more liquid to thin. Spoon over cooled cake.

Sizes of pans:

Tube / Bundt 45-55 minutes
Two 8" layers 32-37 minutes
Two 9" layers 30-35 minutes
13x9 oblong 40-45 minutes

High Altitude Adjustments:

1 box lemon cake mix (any kind but chiffon)
1 small box instant lemon pudding
4 eggs
1 1/2 cup water
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup poppy seeds (use just under 1/4 cup poppy seeds).

Bake at 375 degrees,
Tube/Bundt 45-60 minutes
Three 8 " layers 25-32
9" and 9x13 use times shown above.

Pat's Applesauce Cupcakes

I got this recipe from my sister-in-law, Pat Goff. This has been the traditional "first Birthday Cake" in our family, ever since. Cupcakes are mild and tasty, and a just right portion for children to play with.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup sifted cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
7 level tablespoons butter
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup applesauce
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Mix baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg in a small bowl.
Sift the above ingredients with the flour. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar until light.
Beat in eggs.
Add vanilla.
Fold applesauce into butter mixture, alternating the butter and flour mixture, beginning and ending with applesauce, until batter is smooth.
Fill cupcake cups 3/4 full .
Bake at 375 Degrees for 18 minutes. Cool.

Frost with Butter cream Frosting with 3 dashes of cinnamon added.

Optional Additional Topping: For older people, this is great with frosting topped with chopped nuts.

Apple Pudding Cake

Cake Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar
1/2cup butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 cup sliced cooked apples (I use home canned Jonathan apples in light syrup-drained)

Frosting/Sauce Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Cake Directions:

Mix sugar, butter, and eggs.
Sift dry ingredients into sugar mixture.
Stir in nuts and apples.
Pour into greased 9x9 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Frosting/ Sauce Directions:
Mix four and sugars.
Melt butter and stir in sugars.
Add milk and vanilla.
Cook until thickened.
Pour over cake and serve.

Waldorf Astoria Red Velvet Cake and Heavenly Frosting

This was the cake my grandmother used to make. My grandmother told the story that she received this recipe from friends after they returned from a visit to New York City, long before I was born. They had eaten at the Waldorf Astoria and had requested the recipe from the chef. According to grandma, they received the recipe and a bill. They took it to their small town attorney and he told them they had to pay it. They did and then they shared the recipe with my grandmother.

My earliest memory of this was from Christmas 1959, when I was 4 years old. By then, grandma had been making this cake for years. Grandma always made this cake at Christmas with green Heavenly Frosting.

This cake was served at the Top of Waikiki, when I was in High School Fall 1969-Spring 1973.

This is the one I made in 8th grade; the one the Parable of the Failed Cake was written about.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Waldorf Astoria Red Velvet Cake
Recipe from grandma Mary Effie Flaugh
preheat oven to 350°

Ingredients:
½ cup shortening
1 ½ cup sugar
2 eggs

2 ounces red food coloring (no you are not bleeding internally– sometimes I substitute 1 ounce of water for half of the red food coloring)
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 ½ cup flour
2 level tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon real vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon white (clear) vinegar

Directions:

Grease and flour three 8″ pans.

Cream together– shortening and sugar, until fluffy. Mix in whole eggs, add coloring. Sift– flour, salt, and cocoa, together. Beginning and ending with dry ingredients, add flour mixture and buttermilk; beating on medium after each addition, do not over mix. Add vanilla. Sprinkle batter with baking soda and vinegar. Gently fold baking soda and vinegar mixture into the batter; without beating. Over mixing will make the cake tough.

Bake in preheated 350° oven for 30 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on racks.

Heavenly Frosting

Ingredients:
5 heaping tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sugar
1 cup softened butter ( I have also used margarine or Crisco™ when I did not have butter)

Optional: 1 drop green food coloring

Directions:

Cook flour and milk in a sauce pan on the stove, stirring constantly; with a wire whisk until thickened, like a thick white cream sauce, or pudding. Cool mixture completely. Cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy, beat in vanilla and food coloring. Whip in cooled cooked mixture, on high speed until fluffy like whipped cream.

Paradise Cake

Ingredients:

4 eggs
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 small can mandarin oranges, plus juice
yellow cake mix w/ pudding

Directions:

Beat together eggs, vegetable oil, mandarin oranges w/juice ADD: yellow cake mix with pudding Mix thoroughly Put in greased 9×13 pan Bake 350 30 minutes. Allow to COOL completely!

Frosting Ingredients:

1 16 oz. can crushed pineapple with juice
1 3 oz. pkg. vanilla instant pudding (use dry)
8 oz. cool whip

Frosting Directions:

Mix together 1-16 oz. can crushed pineapple with juice, 1-3 oz. pkg. vanilla instant pudding (use dry) ADD: 8 oz. cool whip- fold in and frost.

Optional: Top with coconut flakes and chopped almonds or walnuts.