2-Ingredient Pumpkin Cake

Recipe Courtesy BigRedKitchen, Photo Courtesy NoblePig
INGREDIENTS:
One Cake mix- I used yellow
1 -15 ounce can 100% pumpkin- puree, not pumpkin pie filling

1 cup powdered sugar
2 T. apple cider
1/2 t. pumpkin pie spice

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl mix cake mix with pumpkin filling using a hand mixer or a stand mixer. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Pour batter into a greased 7 x 11 inch baking dish. Bake for 28 minutes or until tooth pick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

In a small bowl blend all ingredients until smooth. Pour over Pumpkin Cake letting it drizzle down the sides of the cake. Let set before covering.

5 Minute Chocolate Cake

INGREDIENTS & DIRECTIONS:
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 pinch salt
Mix together in a coffee mug (larger would be better). I didn't use salt, but found out afterwards it would definitely add the extra taste it needed.

1 egg
Add to the mug and mix well.

3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
Add to the mug and mix well, again. You could add in a couple tablespoons of chocolate chips, if you dare.

Microwave it on high for 3 minutes. Watch it in there. That's half the fun. The cake will rise pretty high out of the mug, but it will go back down (it should anyway). Let it cool a minute.

OPTIONS:
#1: Eat it straight out of the mug,
#2: Dump it on a plate and be more formal about it, or
#3: Dump it in a bowl, plop some vanilla ice cream on it, douse it in Hershey's syrup, and dig in like a pig.
The choice is yours.

Cake Balls

Recipe and photo courtesy Kendra Benson











This is perfect for cake scraps.

INGREDIENTS
Cake Scraps (any kind), or a whole cake if you're feeling ambitious
Frosting (canned or homemade)
Dipping chocolate or milk chocolate morsels
Sprinkles, white chocolate, other decorations (optional)

DIRECTIONS
While the cake is still warm (but not hot), crumble it into a bowl into semi-fine crumbs. There should be some larger-than-crumb pieces, but not too big, about 1/4" or smaller. Let the crumbs cool to room temperature.

Spoon in frosting a little at a time and mix together with a fork or the back of a spoon. Continue adding frosting until your "cake" sticks together and you can form a ball from it.

If you have a melon baller (or some similar kitchen tool), scoop out the "cake" and roll into balls. Place them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and freeze them for a minimum of 10 minutes to hold their shape.

While the cake balls are freezing, melt the milk chocolate according to the directions. Dip the cake balls in the chocolate and refrigerate to harden. Decorate as desired and serve in mini muffin cups.

Heavenly Angel Food Cake

Recipe & Photo Courtesy AllRecipes.com












INGREDIENTS
12 eggs
1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar

DIRECTIONS
Separate eggs; discard yolks or refrigerate for another use. Measure egg whites, adding or removing whites as needed to equal 1-1/2 cups. Place in a mixing bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, sift confectioners' sugar and flour together three times; set aside. Add cream of tartar, extracts and salt to egg whites; beat on high speed. Gradually add sugar, beating until sugar is dissolved and stiff peaks form. Fold in flour mixture, 1/4 cup at a time. Gently spoon into an ungreased 10-in. tube pan. Cut through batter with a knife to remove air pockets.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Immediately invert pan; cool completely before removing cake from pan.

Nutritional Analysis: One slice equals 101 calories, trace fat (0 saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 59 mg sodium, 23 g carbohydrate, 0 fiber, 3 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1-1/2 starch.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Courtesy Williams-Sonoma

INGREDIENTS
For the topping:
7 fresh or canned drained pineapple slices (1/4- inch slices)
6 Tbs. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs. firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar

For the cake:
2 cups cake flour
1 1/8 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
6 Tbs. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
7 canned cherries in syrup, drained

DIRECTIONS
Have all the ingredients at room temperature.

Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 350°F. Grease a pineapple upside-down cake pan (Kendra doesn't have one of these so she uses an 8" square pan).

To prepare the topping, place the pineapple slices in the prepared pan, aligning them with the relief pattern. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar and heat until the butter melts. Stir to blend the ingredients, then spread the mixture over the pineapple slices. Set aside.

To make the cake, in a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and vanilla. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy and smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the granulated sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk mixture and beginning and ending with the flour. Beat each addition just until incorporated, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly. Bake until the center of the cake springs back when touched and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool upright in the pan for 15 minutes.

Tap the pan gently on a work surface to loosen the cake, invert the pan onto a cake plate and lift off the pan. Place 1 cherry in the center of each pineapple slice. Let the cake cool for 45 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.