♫ Goin' to the Chapel ♪ ♫

Saturday was all about the wedding cake (after a rousing game of kickball first thing in the morning). This cake would take a professional about an hour (or less) to put together after baking the layers. I'm going to pretend I am a professional and it only took me that long. And I'll use professional lingo and refer to my friend and her son (the groom) as "clients". ☺

The clients (I'm cracking myself up) chose an unusual topper with the bride and groom in a sitting position and just kind of hanging out. It was very cute and I thought of a few ways to make it funny, like have them chilling in a beach chair or something, but in the end they were perched on the edge of the top layer, looking like they're ready to slide (or take the plunge, ha ha). There were no other requests, just a mention that they like strawberry cake.
Strawberry cake meets white fondant and the rest is history.

I know this isn't a recipe, but sometimes we professionals have other things to do over the weekend. ☺

(Cell phone pics, that's all I've got.)

A Wedding

I'm making a wedding cake this Saturday. I don't think they know about my Scout Eagle Court of Honor cake disaster or they wouldn't have asked me to make it.
Anyway, they like strawberry cake so I was testing out this recipe I found yesterday. The cake was quite good and the frosting even better. I'm not sure I can use the frosting because it's kind of thin and runny for decorating, but I think the cake will taste good with regular old white decorator's frosting if I decide do that.
Here's the recipe for the cake and the frosting. I will make this again, it was that good.

Strawberry Dream Cake

1 white cake mix
1 1/2 cups frozen sweetened strawberries, pureed
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
8 (1 oz) squares Bakers white chocolate
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 (8oz) container cool whip, thawed
1/2 pint fresh sliced strawberries (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease 2 9-inch round cake pans.
Make cake per directions except substitute the 1 1/2 cups of strawberries for the water and add 1 extra egg. (My cake mix required egg whites, which I used and then added a whole egg), and 8 ounces of the cream cheese. Beat well and pour into the prepared pans.
Bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown. Let cake cool fully before frosting.
To make frosting, heat the heavy cream until just beginning to boil. Pour it over the white chocolate (chopped) and the remaining 4 ounces of cream cheese. Mix well and let cool. Once cool, fold in the cool whip. Frost cake and garnish with fresh strawberries.
I wonder if it would be better to chill the frosting before frosting the cake because when the put the frosted cake in the fridge, the frosting firmed up.

What Diet?

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

This frosting recipe will knock you right off that diet wagon you might be on.

I originally got it from Amy, who originally got it from someone else, and it originally came with this recipe for Strawberry Cake, which is sinfully delicious itself. Here's the original recipe:

Strawberry Cake
1 white cake mix + ingredients listed on the box
1 single serving size strawberry yogurt

Mix the cake according to directions, adding the yogurt with the other ingredients. Bake as normal. Cool, frost and then top with frozen, sweetened strawberries (thawed).

Cream Cheese Frosting
2 small boxes vanilla pudding
2 (8 oz) blocks cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
16-24 ounces Cool Whip

Blend the pudding, cream cheese and powdered sugar together until smooth. Blend in the Cool Whip last. The more you use, the lighter the frosting is. I use the max amount. This recipe makes a crazy amount of frosting and should probably be halved for a 9x13 cake. I make the entire recipe when I make cupcakes so there's plenty to pile on top of each cupcake.

Here's where the chocolate comes in. Just swap out the vanilla pudding for chocolate pudding and you have Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting. It's sooooo good!! The picture above is a cupcake made using this recipe, then topped with a huge amount of frosting. Just plan to go on a 5 mile run after you eat one. ☺

The Last Piece

Learned this one from Bridget a while ago.

And I know it's not chocolate but I've heard it's good made with a chocolate cake mix. ☺

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

1 White cake mix + all ingredients on the box
2-3 ripe bananas
Mash the bananas in a bowl and set aside. Mix the cake according to directions, then blend in the bananas at the end. (2 = less banana flavor 3 = more banana flavor)
Bake according to directions on the box. Frost with cream cheese frosting. Here's a basic recipe. (I'll post a to-die-for cream cheese frosting recipe later this week along with another quick and delicious cake recipe.)

Cream Cheese Frosting
1 box (pound) of powdered sugar
1 stick butter, softened
1 block cream cheese, softened
1 tsp vanilla
milk to make it thinner, if you'd like

Blend it all together until smooth, adding the milk for a thinner consistency.

Very Chocolatey

Tried another Martha special. These turned out rich and fudgy and were eaten before I could get a picture with ice-cream on top.

Chocolate Truffle Cakes

5 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 Tbsp all purpose flour
14 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 Tbsp sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Generously butter a standard 6-cup muffin tin. Dust with flour, tapping out excess; set aside.
2. Put chocolate, butter, and 1 Tbsp sugar in a medium heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water; whisk occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat and let stand until cool and thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Process eggs and remaining Tbsp sugar in a food processor until pale and oubled in volume, about 2 minutes. Sift flour and salt into egg mixture; pulse to combine. Add chocolate mixture 1/4 cup at a time; pulse each addition until combined, about 10 times. (Batter will be thick.)
3. Spoon mixture into the prepared muffin tin, filling cups three-quarters full; swirl tops with back of spoon. Bake until tops are springy to the touch, 18 to 20 minutes. Immediately turn onto wire racks; reinvert, and let cool.
Serves 6.

I Got Nothin'

I'm on a diet. But yesterday Jill made the already posted Too Much Chocolate Cake recipe. But since she's such a picky eater, she made it gluten-free.
Betty Crocker has made a at least one Celiac's dream come true by making a gluten-free cake mix. We have no idea what it tastes like made per the directions on the box, but we do know if you doctor it up with the same ingredients as in the Too Much Chocolate Cake recipe (substituting the cake mix itself, of course) it tastes almost identical to the recipe made with regular cake mix - which is super rich and super moist and super delicious!
Be sure to check out the ingredients in the chocolate chips you choose, as well as the pudding. Sometimes ingredients change but we know today that Jello chocolate pudding is gluten-free. Hershey's brand chocolate chips are too.

Ice Cream Cake

After stumbling across this how-to video of this recipe, I just had to make it.
It was a huge hit! It's so simple too.
After reading the reviews, I doubled the filling mixture so there was enough to add to the top. I used alot more cool whip to frost it before freezing. Right before I cut it to serve, coated it in more crushed Oreos.

Oreo Fudge and Ice Cream Cake

1/2 cup hot fudge ice-cream topping
1 (8 ounce) tub cool whip, thawed
1 (4 oz) pkg instant chocolate pudding
8 Oreos, crushed
12 vanilla ice-cream sandwiches, unwrapped

Pour fudge topping into a medium bowl. Add 1 cup of the whipped topping; stir with wire whisk until well blended. Add dry pudding mix; stir 2 minutes or until well blended. Gently stir in chopped cookies; set aside.
Arrange 4 of the ice cream sandwiches, side-by-side on a 24-inch piece of foil; top with half of the whipped topping mixture. Repeat layers. Top with remaining 4 ice cream sandwiches. Frost top and sides of dessert with remaining whipped topping. Bring up foil sides. Double fold top and ends to loosely seal packet.
Freeze at least 4 hours before serving. Store leftovers in freezer.

Eat Your Veggies

My friend made this cake from a recipe of a friend of hers. She claims it's moist and delicious. I'm going to post it even though I didn't test it out myself but I trust her. ☺ Thanks Jeanette!!

Chocolate Zucchini Cake
1/2 c. butter or margarine
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 3/4 c. sugar
2 1/2 c. flour
2 eggs
4 Tbs. cocoa
2 c. shredded zucchini
1/2 c. sour milk or yogurt
1 t. vanilla
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
1 t. cinnamon
1 bag chocolate chips

Blend butter, oil & sugar. Then add all liquid ingredients. Then add cocoa and dry ingredients. Then add 1/2 the bag of chocolate chips. Pour into a sprayed 9x11 baking dish. Sprinkle the other 1/2 of chocolate chips on top. Sprinkle brown sugar on top. Bake at 350 for 30-35 min. (I did mine for 40 min and the middle was still gooey.)

IT IS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO YUMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Apparently so. ☺

Kids In The Kitchen

So, our cool friends from Utah are here and of course,
as usual we have been eating too much.
Yesterday we made a delicious treat from a
cute little cookbook they brought.


Here's the one we tried. Unlike some recipes from kids cookbooks I've tried, these were actually really good! Like better than a Fat Boy good. (Although I don't really like the taste of sprinkles so I could have lived without those.)

Ice Cream Sandwiches
1 chocolate cake mix, with pudding in the mix
2 eggs
1/4 cup warm water
3 Tbsp melted butter
2 cups vanilla ice cream, softened
Colored sugars and/or sprinkles

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line 13x9 inch pan with foil; spray with cooking spray. Beat cake mix, eggs, water and butter in large bowl with electric mixer at low speed until blended. Press dough into prepared pan; prick surface evenly with fork. Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack.
2. Cut cookie in half; remove half from pan. Spread ice cream over cookie in pan. Top with second half; wrap with foil. Freeze 4 hours. Cut into squares; dip into sugars.
Makes 8 sandwiches.

Chocolate Oatmeal Cake

Let's just pretend I didn't change the post date and really did post this on Monday. :)

Chocolate Oatmeal Cake
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Topping:
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp butter, melted
1 1/2 cups flaked coconut
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
6 Tbsp half and half
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a bowl, combine the oats and boiling water. Let stand for 15 minutes or until cooled. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one. Add the oat mixture, mix well. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture.
Transfer to a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Combine the topping ingredients; spoon over top of warm cake; broil about 4 inches from heat for 3-4 minutes or until top is lightly browned.

Cake Balls

Seen these babies several times and have been wanting to taste one.
After getting the recipe and instructions from her friend Vanessa,
Amy did the messy work for us this Easter weekend and they were yum!

Bake one Devil's Food Cake Mix as directed on the box. Let cake cool.


Crumble cake up in a bowl, and mix in one can of chocolate frosting...oh yes!


Roll into small balls, and let them set up in fridge for an hour or so
for easier handling when dipping.


Dip balls into melted chocolate...I used milk chocolate chips,
you can thin with a tiny bit of oil.


You can also add sprinkles for special effect, or if you have cake decorating supplies, you could even pipe some flowers or other "fancy" stuff on them.


Thanks Vanessa and Amy!

Too Much Chocolate Cake

The Last Piece

I saw that another crafty blog posted an almost identical recipe a few days ago, but I'm going to post mine anyway because I've been wanting to make it for a few weeks now and yesterday was the planned day! It was everything I hoped it would be and has now replaced my old standby doctored chocolate cake mix. I mean seriously, why would you make it entirely from scratch if it tastes this good?

Too Much Chocolate Cake
1 devils food cake mix
1 (5.9 oz) chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup warm water
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°.
In a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs and water. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour batter into a well greased 12 cup bundt pan.
Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until top is springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cake thoroughly in pan at least an hour before inverting onto a plate.
Serve with your favorite chocolate glaze or mine ☺.

Frosting/Glaze
8 oz tub Cool Whip
6 squares of semi-sweet baking chocolate

Melt both ingredients in microwave for 30 seconds. Stir and melt for additional 30 seconds or until smooth and shiny.

Chocolate Camping

Yesterday, I walked into the kitchen and my 11-year-old scout was baking a surprise for the family. He found this recipe in the March-April Scouting Magazine and decided to give it a go. With some help from his dad, he altered the recipe slightly to bake it at home but we will definitely try it next time we go camping. It won the 1st Place award in the Dessert category of their Great Tastes In Camp Cooking Contest.

Three Rivers Muddy Delight
1 box Jiffy Devil's Food Cake Mix
1 egg
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups hot water
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp coconut extract
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup coconut flakes
8 cherries
8 ounces Cool Whip

Preheat large Dutch oven. Prepare the cake mix per instructions and set aside.
Select a disposable aluminum cake pan and pinch the edges of the pan to ease removal of the finished cake from oven.
Pour prepared batter into the cake pan and place in Dutch oven. Mix "mud" ingredients - baking cocoa, brown sugar, hot water, vanilla and coconut extract - in a separate bowl and pour over batter.
Bake for 30 minutes using 12 coals on top of Dutch oven and 8 coals underneath.
Remove lid and sprinkle cake with chocolate chips. Replace the lid and wait 3 minutes for chocolate chips to melt. Spread evenly and sprinkle with coconut flakes.
Serve warm with a dollop of Cool Whip and a cherry on top.
Serves 2-4.

And FYI, the following recipe won the overall Grand Prize in the contest and also looks worth trying out.

Lemon Lime Soda Apple Dumplings
2 large Granny Smith apples
1 12-ounce can lemon lime soda
2 8-ounce cans refrigerated crescent rolls
1 stick real butter
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon

Use a Dutch oven large enough to accommodate all apples in one layer because they'll rise/expand while cooking.
Cut each apple into 8 pieces. Wrap each piece in one crescent roll.
Melt butter in bottom of the Dutch oven and roll each piece in the melted butter before placing them in the bottom of the pan.
Mix cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle the mixture over all apple pieces (mixing the sugar rather than just dusting the tops better incorporates the cinnamon flavor). Carefully add the soda so as not to wash away sugar from the dumplings.
Based on oven size, adjust the amount of briquettes on top and bottom and bake until dumplings turn golden brown (in conventional oven about 30 minutes at 350°).
Serves 8.

There you go. Two recipes for the price of one. ☺

Casserole For Dessert?

This is called Chocolate Casserole and it's kind of like a bread pudding. It has a liquid chocolate center. ☺

Chocolate Casserole
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup milk
1 Tbsp oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup boiling water
1/3 cup coarsely chopped peanuts
2 Tbsp crumbled chocolate-flavored graham crackers
Whipped Cream

Preheat oven to 350°. In a medium mixing bowl combine flour, the 1/4 cup sugar, and baking powder. Add milk, oil, and vanilla. Using a wire whisk, stir until smooth. Stir in peanut butter and chocolate chips.
Pour batter into an ungreased 1-quart casserole. Set aside. In same mixing bowl stir together remaining sugar and cocoa. Gradually stir in boiling water. Pour mixture evenly over batter in casserole.
Bake 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake portion comes out clean. Remove from oven and top with peanuts and graham crackers, if desired. Serve warm with whipped cream. Makes 6 servings.
This recipe is perfect for people who don't like their chocolate too sweet. Use milk chocolate chips and serve it a la mode if you want it sweeter. ☺

Chocolate Monday Night

Thanks to my SIL, Laura for this delicious-ness. And thanks to my other SIL, Rachel for answering the phone to give me the recipe. ☺

Earthquake Cake

1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup coconut
1 box German chocolate cake mix (plus ingredients listed on the box)
1 block softened cream cheese
1 stick softened butter
1 box (1 pound) confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Combine pecans and coconut and layer across the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Prepare cake mix batter as directed on the box and pour over the pecan/coconut layer. Mix the cream cheese, butter, sugar and vanilla until it is blended. It will be thick like frosting consistency. Plop spoonfuls of this mixture evenly over the cake mix. Bake at 350° for 40-50 minutes.

I like to use this 'doctored' cake mix recipe for a very moist cake.

Black Forest Cake

1 chocolate cake mix (or Devil's Food, chocolate fudge, etc.)
1 1/4 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 small box instant chocolate pudding

Blend all together and pour into two 8-inch round pans. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Cool completely and frost each layer generously with cream cheese frosting. Just before serving, spread a can of cherry pie filling over top.

You can cheat simplify and use canned frosting, or try this one:

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 box powdered sugar
1 stick butter
1 block cream cheese

Blend all together until smooth.

Orange Chocolate Torte
1 devil's food cake mix
1 cup orange juice
1/3 cup oil
2 eggs
Beat cake mix, juice, oil and eggs for 2 minutes. Pour into 2 lightly greased round cakes pans (I always use disposable). Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes. Immediately put cakes in refrigerator after removing from oven. Chill 1 hour.

Fluffy Orange Frosting
1 small box vanilla instant pudding
1 cup orange juice
1 cup sour cream
8-ounces cool whip
chocolate sprinkles or mini-chocolate chips
Combine pudding and juice with whisk. Fold in sour cream and cool whip. Frost top of one layer, place second layer on top, frost and garnish with sprinkles. Keep refrigerated.
(Frosting may also be used as a fruit dip.)

Thanks Bridget!

Chocolate Pound Cake

This recipe comes from Becky, who says it comes from her mom. Becky is a spunky mom, actively involved with her brood of 5. Her oldest daughter, Abbie, is married and recently made Becky a GRANDMA!! That's right, she's a granny, but she certainly doesn't look or act the part. She is an avid exerciser and tennis player, an inspiration to us all.
I was still a little girl when she started having kids so I can remember some of the creative things she has done with her little ones. Those ideas will come in handy as a Grandma ☺ and I'm sure she'll be giving us examples of all that creativity soon (that's a hint, Becky).
Meanwhile, enjoy her delicious cake!

Chocolate Pound Cake
1/2 lb butter
1/2 cup shortening
3 cups sugar
5 eggs
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup cocoa
1 1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Cream butter and shortening. Add sugar and cream again. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Sift dry ingredients and add to butter mixture, alternating with milk. Add vanilla and mix thoroughly. Pour into well greased tube pan. Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 25 minutes (watch). I LOVE THIS POUND CAKE!

Double Chocolate Banana Cake

The blonde, blue-eyed beauty of the bunch is Bridget. She hails from California but we've brainwashed her since she married into the family. She's a true East Coaster now...California who?... :)
Not only can she throw down in the kitchen (evidenced here in today's featured recipe), but she can sew like nobody's business. She and Jill and I attempted a craft fair a few years ago but we got rained out shortly after we set up.



We would have made millions too, I know it. Well, Bridget would have...
She has 4 boys and one little Princess who is most often dressed in something made by her mother. Lucky girl, no hand-me-downs for her.
Okay, onto the CHOCOLATE!
Enjoy, courtesy of Bridget...


Double Chocolate Banana Cake
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 large ripe banana
3/4 cup oil
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Beat banana in mixing bowl; add all remaining ingredients. Mix until moistened. Spread in lightly greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes. Serve warm.

Eclair Cake

First up - A family favorite. This one is addicting. I think it came from Marilyn. Where it originated, I don't know. Probably heaven. It's that good, not to mention EASY.

Eclair Cake
2 small boxes vanilla pudding
3 cups milk
8 oz. Cool Whip
1 box graham crackers
1 can milk chocolate frosting

Mix pudding and milk until well blended. Let it set for a few minutes until it thickens. Fold in the cool whip. Lightly butter the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Add a layer of graham crackers then a layer of half of the pudding mixture. Add another layer of graham crackers and the other half of the pudding mixture. Top with one more layer of graham crackers. Take the lid and foil off the frosting can and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir until smooth. Spread the frosting over the top layer of graham crackers. Chill at least 2 to 3 hours before serving to give the graham crackers time to soften up.