Surprise Cupcakes

I've seen several variations of this over the years, but this post had the most clear directions and beautiful pictures! Thanks, Jamee for directing me here to the Gaines Gang blog.


1 package cake mix {Deluxe Devil Food - save the Box Tops for your school!}
1 8oz. cream cheese
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 16oz. package of semi sweet chocolate chips


Mix cake according to package directions; put baking cups in muffin pan. Fill 2/3 full. Cream the cheese with the sugar beat in egg and salt. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop rounded teaspoon of mixture in cake batter. Bake as cake directs.

Red Velvet Cake

This is a cherished recipe from my friend Margaret, whose mother is from England. Her mother used to make this for her father, in heart shaped pans, every February 14th because it was his birthday. Use Droste's cocoa powder, if you can find it.




For our version, we borrowed a neighbors giant cupcake mold. I used the filling to frost it with, as well. I think it turned out pretty yummy - it's good cold, too!

Thunder Cake

This comes from one of my favorite picture books by Patricia Polacco of the same name. I've made it with my classes and my own kids on a stormy day. The tomato puree may sounds weird, but it just adds a zip and you'd never guess it was in there.

Thunder Cake!

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together one at a time:
1 cup shortening
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs, separated
( blend yolks in. Beat whites until they are stiff, then fold in.)


1 cup cold water
1/3 cup pureed tomatoes

Sift together:
21/2 cups cake flour
1/2 cup dry cocoa
11/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Mix dry mixture into creamy mixture. Bake in two greased and floured 8
1/2 inch pans at 350 degree for
35 to 40 minutes. Frost with chocolate butter frosting. Top with
strawberries.

ENJOY!!!

Tres Leches Cake

This is now the cake that Kurt requests every year for his birthday. I have to start 2 days in advance, but it is so worth it!

Ingredients
1 2-layer-size regular white cake mix
3/4 cup butter, softened
6 eggs
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons finely shredded lime peel
1 recipe Tres Leches Mixture (see recipe below)
3 cups fresh strawberries, chopped
1 cup whipping cream
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Grease and flour a 10-inch springform pan; set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine cake mix, butter, eggs, and water. Beat on low speed until combined. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes (batter will be thick). Stir in lime peel. Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake about 50 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted near the center comes out clean.

3. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes (cake may sink during cooling). Loosen cake from sides of pan; remove sides. Lift cake from pan bottom using a wide metal spatula. Cool cake completely on a wire rack (the bottom of the cake should be cold to the touch).

4. Line an 11-inch round straight-side Dutch oven or other 11-inch diameter container with plastic wrap, allowing wrap to hang over edges. Using a serrated knife, split cake in half horizontally. Place top half of cake, cut side up, in prepared container. Top with strawberries. Place cake bottom, cut side down on strawberries. Press down lightly.

5. Using a long-tined fork or wooden skewer, poke holes in cake layers across the entire surface. Slowly pour 4 cups of the Tres Leches Sauce over cake. Cover cake; chill 8 to 12 hours or overnight. Cover and chill remaining mixture.

6. About 1 hour before serving, slowly pour 1 cup of the remaining Tres Leches Sauce over cake. Cover and chill cake and remaining Tres Leches Sauce until serving time.

7. To serve, in a chilled bowl combine whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Remove cake from refrigerator; uncover. Place a serving platter with a lip, upside down, over the container; carefully invert. Remove plastic wrap. Spread whipped cream mixture over top and sides of cake. Some of the Tres Leches Sauce will seep out of the cake as it stands. Serve immediately with the remaining Tres Leches Sauce on the side. Makes 12 to 16 servings.

Tres Leches Sauce: In a saucepan combine two 12-ounce cans evaporated milk, two 14-ounce cans sweetened condensed milk, and 2 cups milk or whipping cream. Cook over medium heat just until boiling, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Transfer to a large bowl. Cover; cool completely. Makes about 7-1/2 cups sauce.

Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 12 to 16 servingsCalories764, Total Fat (g)37, Saturated Fat (g)20, Monounsaturated Fat (g)12, Polyunsaturated Fat (g)1, Cholesterol (mg)208, Sodium (mg)584, Carbohydrate (g)93, Total Sugar (g)71, Fiber (g)1, Protein (g)16, Vitamin C (DV%)56, Calcium (DV%)48, Iron (DV%)9, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Old Fashioned Caramel Layer Cake

This is a great cold cake!
Yield: 18 servings (serving size: 1 slice)

Ingredients
Cake:
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter or stick margarine, softened
2 large eggs
1 large egg white
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups fat-free milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Frosting:
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup evaporated fat-free milk
2 1/2 tablespoons butter or stick margarine
2 teaspoons light-colored corn syrup
Dash of salt
2 cups powdered sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare cake, coat 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray; line bottoms with wax paper. Coat wax paper with cooking spray; dust with 1 tablespoon flour.

Beat granulated sugar and 1/2 cup butter at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 5 minutes). Add eggs and egg white, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Lightly spoon 2 1/4 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 2 1/4 cups flour, baking powder, and salt; stir well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with 1 1/4 cups milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla.

Pour batter into prepared pans, and sharply tap pans once on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans. Carefully peel off wax paper; cool completely on wire rack.

To prepare frosting, combine brown sugar and next 4 ingredients (brown sugar through salt) in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat, and simmer until thick (about 5 minutes), stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Add powdered sugar and 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla; beat at medium speed of a mixer until smooth and slightly warm. Cool 2 to 3 minutes (frosting will be thin but thickens as it cools).

Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spoon 1/2 cup frosting on to cake layer spreading to cover. Top with remaining cake layer. Frost top and sides of cake. Store cake loosely covered in refrigerator.

Nutritional Information
Calories:307 (22% from fat)
Fat:7.5g (sat 4.4g,mono 2.2g,poly 0.4g)
Protein:3.8g
Carbohydrate:56.7g
Fiber:0.4g
Cholesterol:43mg
Iron:1.2mg
Sodium:251mg
Calcium:97mg
Karen A. Levin, Cooking Light, DECEMBER 1999

German Chocolate Cake with Coconut-Pecan Sauce

This is a scrumptious cake with warm frosting drizzled on top. German Chocolate cake also happens to be Dad's favorite.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

I'm always trying to sneak veggies into my kids food. This came from Family Fun magazine, quite a few years ago. Shhh! They still don't know (and neither does Kurt). I make this alot in the summer, usually into cupcakes, when the zucchini in the neighborhood is plentiful and free.

Carol's Carrot Cake

The Torbenson's had 5 kids of their own and usually 5 more running around with them somewhere. In their neighborhood in Kaysville, Utah, there were no fences separating the yards so the kids could just run all over the neighborhood. Wherever you were at dinnertime, that's where you ate. I was always amazed that Carol, the mom, was always able to feed whoever showed up. Especially since she loved teenagers and welcomed them from all over the world - and we all know they can eat! One day while I was visiting from BYU, she whipped up this cake for dessert from the ingredients she had in the pantry. It's the best carrot cake I've ever had. (It's in my handwriting because she was surprised that anybody would actually want the recipe and was too busy to write it down. She just gave it to me from memory.)

Blueberry Coffeecake

This came from the "Farmhouse Breakfasts" section of Gooseberry Patch's A Pinch of This, A Dash of That...I got the book from Grama Faye. It gave Natalee and I something to do today while she mends from this yucky bug we've had. I figured she could use the calories because she hasn't eaten for 3 days!

2 c. flour
1 c. sugar
3 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1/3 c. margarine, softened
1 c. milk
1 egg
1 c. blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat all ingredients, except blueberries, in a large bowl on a low speed for 30 seconds. Then beat on a medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Grease a 13" x 9" pan. Spread half the batter in the pan. Sprinkle one cup of blueberries over batter, then top with the rest of batter. Add streusel topping below, then bake in oven to 40 minutes.

Streusel:
1/2 c. walnuts, chopped (we used pecans today)
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. flour
1/2 t. cinnamon
3 t. margarine

Mix all ingredients together until crumbly. Sprinkle on top of cake.

Glaze: (we didn't use this at all today)
1 c. powdered sugar
2 T. milk
1/4 t. vanilla

Combine all ingredients, drizzle over top of coffeecake.

Jello Poke Cake

I love cold cakes! This is one of my favorite recipes because it's so colorful and fruity. You choose the flavor of jello and that is the color you will get in the cake! So easy. I remember mom making this a lot when I was a kid.