Strawberry Cream Cake

Strawberries happen to be one of my favorite fruits. You can do a million different things with them. I am beginning to see them appear in grocery sale papers, marking the start of their season.  My father-in-law takes frequent fishing trips to an area of Florida where strawberries are grown and are ripe in the early spring. On his way home he likes to stop at roadside produce stands and buy some of the Sunshine State's bounty. We like it because he generously shares what he brings home....ripe tomatoes, Indian River grapefruit, several varieties of oranges, and red, juicy strawberries.

I always feel rushed to use up the strawberries while I have them and today's recipe is one of my favorite ways to do it. The actual preparartion and assemly of the cake is not difficult. But the process requires some time, i.e., cooling of the angel food cake and refrigeration time. Calories can be shaved off by using reduced or fat free ingredients. I will print the recipe as written and in parentheses I will put the lower calorie alternatives.

                            

I like to make the angel food cake as opposed to buying a ready made one because it yields a larger cake.  I used to be intimidated by angel food cake but nothing can be easier than a Duncan Hines mix....no eggs, oil, etc. You only add water to the mix and let the mixer go to it for a few minutes. You don't even have to grease and flour the pan. On the contrary, beaters and bowl and pan should be grease free as any oils prevent the incorporation of air which gives the cake its fluffiness. The cake in the pan is turned upside over a bottle to cool for an hour and a half. I use a wine bottle for this purpose.

Slice off the top of the cake and put aside.

Using a serrated knife, cut one inch from the center hole and side of cake. Use a "sawing" action with the knife as the cake does not cut cleanly. With your fingers, pull out pieces of cake to form a tunnel. Be careful to leave the side and bottom intact.

Mix the cake pieces with strawberries, cream cheese, condensed milk, lemon juice, and almond flavoring.

Fill in the tunnel with mixture and replace the top. Frost with Cool Whip and decorate with sliced strawberries if desired.

Strawberry Cream Cake
1 (14.5oz) package white angel food cake mix
1 (8oz) pkge cream cheese (or 1/3 less fat), softened
1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk (or fat-free)
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1 (8oz) carton frozen whipped topping, thawed (or lite variety)
Additional strawberries for decoration
 Prepare angel food cake according to package directions, using a 10-inch tube pan. Invert pan on funnel or bottle for 2 hours or until cake is completely cooled.
 Loosen cake from sides of pan using a small metal spatula. Remove from pan; cut a 1-inch slice crosswise from top of cake and set top aside. Cut 1 inch from center hole and outer edge of cake with a sharp or serrated knife.Carefully remove center of cake, gently pulling cake pieces out with fingers, leaving a 1 inch layer of cake on bottom. Reserve cake pieces.
 Beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add condensed milk; mix well. Stir in lemon juice and almond extract. Fold in cake pieces and strawberries; spoon into tunnel in center of cake. Top with reserved cake slice. Chill 8 hours or overnight. Frost with whipped topping and garnish with additional strawberries.

Happy cooking!
Nan

Chocolate Chocolate (Chocolate) Cake

B and I had my coworkers and their husbands over for dinner at our home about three weekends ago.  I really enjoyed planning and preparing the meal.  And I actually cooked a couple of recipes from Mamas' posts on this blog like Cranberry-Dijon Pork, which I had not tried and it was to die for!  For this particular dinner, I was especially looking forward to making dessert.  We all love chocolate at the office so I knew dessert must consist of just that.  I automatically retrieved Aunt "Skeeter's" cookbook from the shelf in search of the perfect chocolate dessert recipe.  I was not surprised when I quickly found a match--"Chocolate Chocolate Cake".  Oh my! After a phone call to Aunt Skeeter for reassurance and a short trip to Publix, I was ready to make this chocoholic's dream.  And, as if two chocolate components weren't enough, I topped this decadent cake off with a third chocolate--white chocolate morsels.  It was heavenly, every bit of it.  Since then I have made this cake again and for the third chocolate topping I used mini semi-sweet morsels.

For the holidays, I plan on substituting the semi-sweet morsels for the dark chocolate and mint ones.  And maybe if I'm feeling frisky, I'll shave some Andes mints over the icing. We'll see...

Chocolate Chocolate Cake
Marcelle Shelnutt, Niceville, FL

• 1 pkg. Devil's food cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)
• 1 small pkg instant chocolate pudding
• 6 oz. of package semi-sweet chocolate chips (about 1/2 of bag)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 1 - 8 oz container sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine all ingredients except chocolate chips.  Mix on LOW with electric mixer until blended then beat on HIGH for 5 minutes.  Stir in chocolate chips and pour into greased tube pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until cake pulls away from the sides of the pan (my oven cooks fast so it takes approximately 50 minutes).  Aunt "Skeeter" says please do not overcook this cake! Allow to cool completely on wire rack.  Make frosting--recipe following.

Frosting:

• 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips (about 1/2 of bag)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Melt chips in microwave, cooking in 30 second intervals then stirring until melted, and cool.  Stir in sour cream and vanilla.  Add sugar and stir until combined.  Pour over cooled cake. 
*To make triple chocolate cake, sprinkle your favorite morsels over frosting.

Enjoy!

Marie

Paula Deen's Copper Pennies and a Southern Living Cheesecake

I have no idea how this dish got named "Copper Pennies".  The only reason I can think of is the carrots resemble pennies. I have no idea about that but I am certain of its deliciousness. And it ranks high on our family's list of top salad items.  I made these "pennies" on Mother's Day this year and they were a hit, especially with Brandon's family. So, a few months back, Brandon's Momaw asked that I make them for Thanksgiving lunch.  I was glad to have a reason to make them again.  They seem to go along with any meal and taste even better after they have sat in the refrigerator for a few days. I prepared the "pennies" on Saturday before Thanksgiving. I simply covered them tightly with plastic wrap and didn't open them back up until the following Thursday afternoon. Okay, that's a lie. I dipped out a small amount to go with my lunch on Tuesday (and if I remember correctly, I may have had a little more on Wednesday, too...oops!).  Anyway, Paula Deen says that they can be stored in the refrigerator for up to six weeks. So there you go, it's a make-ahead type of dish, which adds another reason to try them.

Copper Pennies
Paula Deen

1 cup sugar
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1 (10 3/4 oz) can tomato soup
2 pounds carrots, peeled, cooked, and sliced
1 medium onion, sliced into rings
1 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped

Combine the sugar, vinegar, oil, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add the soup. Mix the carrots, onion, and bell pepper together in a large glass dish; pour the sauce over the vegetables, stir gently to combine, and refrigerate overnight. This salad will keep for up to 6 weeks in the refrigerator.

In the words of Paula Deen, "Best dishes, y'all!"


Also, I wanted to share the dessert recipe I made for Thanksgiving. WOW! It was a Pumpkin-Pecan Cheesecake with praline topping that was featured on the cover of November's Southern Living issue. I was very proud of myself after it was completed so I took a picture and posted on Facebook. I received many compliments on it's apparence and several friends mentioned that they wondered if it would taste as good as it looked...

Well, I am here to tell ya that not only did it taste as good as it looked but it was five times better! The praline topping was by far the best part. Check out the recipe Here.

Enjoy,

Marie

Nutella Swirl Pound Cake

If you know me well you know that I am a peanut butteraholic. If at home, you will find me camped out at the pantry door with spoon in hand going to town in the peanut butter jar (for all of you who eat my cooking, don't worry--I have my OWN jar!). I will occasionally put a dab on a banana, squirt chocolate syrup over my peanut buttered spoon, or do the same with grape jelly. I just cannot get enough peanut butter!

About a year ago, I sent B to the grocery store and as usual he came home with at least 3 extra items that weren't on the list. One of the "extras" was a jar of Nutella. I had seen it at the store and knew people who ate it but didn't take a interest due to my peanut butter freakishness. Well, for dessert this particular night, B asks if he could have one of "my" bananas. (I eat a banana every morning and when without it, it gets ugly. In fact, I am out this morning and WW III is about to go down in Montclair!) After I agreed, he proceeded to open the new jar of Nutella and put spoonfuls of it over each bite of banana just as I do with peanut butter. I am standing back thinking, "Oh no he didn't". Then after 2 or 3 bites, he says "Babe, this is amazing; you've gotta try it." So I did and now, admittedly, I am a Nutellaholic. End of story...

Here's a recipe that I have made twice. It's a combination of two of my most favorite things--Nutella and pound cake. Fortunately, I took the pictures on the first batch because the second round under-cooked and was less attractive, yet still delicious nonetheless. Try this scrumptious dessert and I promise you won't have regrets. Enjoy!

"I'm smiling 'cause I'm so good!"

Nutella Swirl Pound Cake
From Easy Desserts, Vol. 45

4 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 jar (13 ounces) Nutella

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9-inch x 5-inch loaf pan and dust with flour (The first cake I made turned out best in a porcelain dish vs. metal.).

Combine the eggs and vanilla in a glass measuring cup and lightly beat. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.

Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down sides as necessary.

With the mixer on medium-low speed, pour the egg mixture into the bowl in a slow stream, stopping the mixer once or twice to scrape down sides.

Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. After the last addition, mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.

Scrape 1/3 of the batter into the prepared pan and smooth with a spatula. Spread 1/2 of the Nutella over the batter and smooth with a clean spatula. Scrape another 1/3 of batter over the Nutella and smooth. Scrape the remaining Nutella over the batter and smooth. Spread the remaining batter over the Nutella and smooth. Run a butter knife blade through the batter to create marbling. Do not overmix.

Bake the cake until it's golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let the cake cook in the pan for 15 minutes, invert it onto a wire rack, and then turn it right side up on rack to cool completely. Slice and serve.

Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Enjoy (and be prepared to become a Nutella freak like me!),
Marie

Key Lime Cake

Maybe I am missing summer a little more than I thought. Here's a recipe you've got to try--Key Lime Cake. When I make this delicious cake, memories flood my mind of the vacation our family took to Key West the summer between my high school graduation and freshman year of college. It was a wonderful time spent with family but what I remember most was consuming lots of Key Lime Pie during our stay! Key Lime everything for that matter! I feel like every restaurant served it's own signature version of the famous concoction with their native fruit. However, I am pretty certain that a cake alternative was no where to be found on their menus. Let us know what you think.

Key Lime Cake
Recipe by Betty Miller

1 3/4 cup oil
3/4 cup orange juice
5 eggs
1 pkg. lemon flavored cake mix
1 (3 oz) pkg lime gelatin

1/4 cup lime juice
5 to 6 Tbsp powdered sugar

Combine oil, orange juice, eggs, gelatin, and cake mix, beating until smooth. Pour into greased and floured 9 x 13" pan and bake at 325 degress for about 40 to 45 minutes. Remove cake from oven, prick top all over with a fork . Combine lime juice and powdered sugar stirring until smooth and drizzle over cake. Let cool completely before icing.

Frosting:
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1 tsp vanilla
4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) butter, softened
1 (1 lb) box powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in vanilla until creamy and then slowly beat in powdered sugar until creamy. Spread over cooled cake. Refrigerate to prevent souring.

Chocolate Sheet Cake

How are you celebrating the holiday weekend? Some of our family members are at the lake. Others are visiting in Atlanta. Us? Our plans got changed and we are finding ourselves at home and busy tying up some loose ends that keep nagging at us.

Wherever you are and whatever you do, I know at some point you will be thinking about something to eat. I've got a great dessert for you that can go anywhere, anytime, and is a real crowd pleaser. I call it a "bake and take" cake because it can be baked, frosted, and ready to eat or leave the house with you in an hour. I almost always have the ingredients on hand and I can easily make it on my lunch hour. I've even mixed it up while preparing breakfast. While the cake bakes, I put on my "face", do my hair, and get dressed. I pour on the icing just before I leave for work. I am also including some variations you might want to try sometime.

Have a safe and happy Labor Day!

Bring butter, water, oil, and cocoa to a boil over medium heat.

Pour the hot mixture over the flour and sugar and mix well. Make sure you use a heat proof mixing bowl. Add the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla.

Pour it all into a greased (or Pam'd) 13x9 baking pan. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

I wanted to show you my little nut chopper. I know you probably have a fancy, schmancy chopper, all electric and everything and I've got one too. But this one belonged to my Nannie and guess what?
When the glass cup is almost full I know I have a cup of chopped nuts. So, there. Laugh at it if you want to.

Okay, this is what the icing looks like and I wish you could smell the delicious aroma of chocolate in my kitchen right now! Pour onto the hot cake and then lick the pan.

There she is and she tastes as good as she looks. I have never taken this cake anywhere that I didn't get compliments and requests for the recipe.

Chocolate Sheet Cake
2 cups self-rising flour
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
3 tablespoons Hershey's cocoa powder
2 sticks butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 teapoon vanilla
Mix flour and sugar in a large mixing bowl. I whisk the two together to break up lumps in flour. In  a medium saucepan, mix water, 2 sticks butter, oil, and cocoa. Bring to a boil over medium heat whisking occasionally until smooth. Pour hot mixture over sugar and flour mixture and whisk until blended. Add buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla, mixing well. Pour into a greased 13x9 inch pan (I use cooking spray to grease pan). Bake at 350F about 45 minutes or until cake tests done in center. While the cake is baking, make the icing.

Icing for chocolate sheet cake:
1 stick butter
3 tablespoons Hershey's cocoa powder
6 tablespoons buttermilk
1 box (1lb) confectioners sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 tablespoon vanilla
Wipe out or rinse the saucepan you used for the cake and use it to make icing. Bring butter, buttermilk, and cocoa to a boil over medium heat, whisking until smooth. Remove from heat and whisk in confectioners sugar until smooth. Add pecans. Pour over hot cake in pan.

Variations on a theme:
To make a chocolate peanut butter cake, make the cake as directed. Mix together a 12 oz jar of creamy peanut butter and 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil. Spread over hot cake and let cool. Make icing as directed above leaving out chopped pecans. I've never tried it but I bet it would be good to add chopped peanuts to the icing. Pour icing over cooled cake.

To make a rocky road cake, prepare cake as directed and let cool a little bit.While cake is still warm pour a bag of miniature marshmallows on top. Prepare icing as directed above and pour over marshmallows and cake.

Happy cooking!
Nan

Glenda's Pound Cake

I have had such a great week! My sister, Marcelle, is visiting and we've had so much fun talking, laughing, and cooking together. Marie took some time off from her work so she could be with us which made it all the more fun to be together. I am so thankful for these two very special ladies!

Tuesday was Marcelle's birthday. I won't tell you how many years she celebrated because she would kill me!
Anyway, we asked her what her favorite cake is and, without giving it any thought, she said Glenda's pound cake. I'm sure she has told me who Glenda is and how she got the recipe but I have forgotten. What is memorable is this cake...so moist and delicious. Well, that was all the excuse I needed to get out the old tube pan, some butter, eggs, sugar, etc. and whip up a cake which we promptly cut and ate while it was still warm. Awesome!!!!!!!!!

So here we go.....

This is all the stuff you will need. I like to get the ingredients together or else I will leave something out.

I love my mixer! My husband gave it to me and every now and then when I am using it he will say, "I did good, didn't I?'' And I will answer, "You did VERY good!"

I, also, love this tube pan. It belonged to my mother, Dot, and is precious for that reason alone. I think I "borrowed" it from her and "forgot" to return it. I have looked for one to give Marie but cannot find one that is the quality this one is. So, no, you can't have it! It is part of Marie's inheritance.

Sift the flour, friends. It gets the lumps out. Do it before you measure unless the recipe states otherwise.

This is what a properly greased and floured tube pan looks like. I like to wrap a piece of paper towel around my fingers, dip them in some Crisco and rub the inside and tube until there is a thin coating. Then I sprinkle flour all around the tube portion then swirl to coat sides. Shake out excess flour, give the pan a good tap to remove any remaining loose flour. Now, I'm not saying my way is the only way but it's the one that works best for me.

Cream the butter, Crisco, and sugar together real good 'til it's fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time blending after each one. I crack the eggs in a small custard cup before adding because I have had to stop and fish out egg shells too many times. If you are one of those people who can crack the egg on the edge of the bowl and add in without shells then go for it.

Okay, at this point, I have all of the ingredients in and the batter is in the pan. I tap the pan on the countertop a couple of times to release air bubbles and swirl it to even the batter out. "They" say baking is a science, meaning the ingredients should be added in a specific order. I always try to follow the recipe but this I know...when putting in the dry and liquid ingredients always begin and end with the dry. So I will start with a third of the flour, then add half of the liquid, then the next third of flour, and so forth, ending with the last third of the flour.  Ready for our friend, the oven.

What a beautiful sight! I wish you could scratch and sniff. Cool in pan 10-15 minutes then turn onto plate.

With a bamboo skewer, poke holes in the top of the cake.

Pour topping over cake saving some to brush on sides of cake with a pastry brush or rubber spatula.
This topping penetrates the cake and makes it so moist! Now sit back and wait for the compliments!


Glenda's Pound Cake

2 sticks butter ( I ALWAYS use salted butter...never been a problem)
1/2 cup Crisco
3 cups granulated sugar
5 large eggs
1 teaspoon rum flavoring
1 teaspoon coconut flavoring
3 cups of sifted all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup whole milk

Cream butter, Crisco, and sugar with electric mixer until creamy and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, blending after each egg. Add flavorings, salt, and baking powder. With mixer on low speed, add flour and milk beginning and ending with flour. Stop mixer to scrape down sides of bowl and continue until flour in incorporated. Pour into greased and floured 10 inch tube pan. Bake at 325 F
for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove cake from oven and test for doneness with skewer or cake tester.
Let cake cool in pan for 10-15 minutes. Invert cake onto plate and turn back over onto another plate so cake is right side up. Poke holes in top of cake and pour on topping.

Topping:

1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon almond flavoring

Comine sugar and water and bring to a boil. Simmer until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add almond flavoring. Pour over top of cake and brush sides of cake as described above.


Happy Cooking!
Nan