Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
1 cup butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips
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Melt chocolate chips and set aside to cool.

Cream butter. Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing well between each addition. Once it is all incorporated well, add the melted chocolate and vanilla.

*Recipe taken from Fredillicious

Moist Chocolate Cake

Moist Chocolate Cake
1-1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs, separated
1/2 cup cocoa
approx. 3/4 cup water
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
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Cream sugar with shortening. Add eggs yolks, slightly beaten. (Save the egg whites for later.)

In a small bowl, add cocoa and then enough water to make it one cup. I added about half a cup, but after stirring the cocoa powder, I needed more water. Add 1 tsp. vanilla. Mix cocoa mixture into sugar mixture.

In another bowl, mix flour, salt and baking soda. Then alternating with the milk, mix the dry ingredients into the cocoa mixture.

Beat egg yolks until stiff peaks form. Fold into cocoa mixture.

Pour into greased cake pan. Bake at 350° for 35 mins.

Chocolate Ice Cream Roll

One of the ladies I work with brought this to work one day. It was so GOOD! I got a copy of the recipe from her, but then buried it in my drawer. I think its been in there for well over 2 years now. Seems like its time to finally get around to trying out this recipe myself.

Chocolate Ice Cream Roll
5 eggs
5 Tbsp. water
2 tsp. vanilla
1-1/4 cup sugar
1-3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
3-4 Tsp. cocoa
1/3 cup oil
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Beat the eggs, water, vanilla and sugar until foamy. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, salt and baking powder well. Then add to egg mixture. Combine the cocoa and oil and then mix into the egg mixture.

Flour and grease pan. Bake 10 minutes at 350°. Turn out on towel sprinkle with powdered sugar. Roll up in towel. Let cool. Slice ice cream and lay on unrolled cake. Re-roll. Cover with foil and freeze.

Red Velvet Cake Treats

One of the gals at work brought these treats today and according to her they are "OOO LA LA YUMMY"!  So I got the recipe so I can try to make them some day.

Red Velvet Cake Treats
Cook red velvet cake according to package directions. Cool completely. Crumble cake into a large bowl. Add a softened container of cream cheese frosting. Mix frosting & cake together with hands and put in freezer until firm. Form mixture into balls and place on wax paper. Put back into freezer. The longer it is in the freezer, the easier it will be to handle. Dip cake balls into melted chocolate and place on wax paper and place back in freezer until set.

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

I haven't made these since we made them in our cake class last summer, but they are so GOOD! 

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

12 tsp. Pink colored sugar

1 pkg white cake mix

water and oil (based on cake mix instructions)

3/4 cup frozen pink lemonade mix thawed (undiluted)

1 Tbsp. lemon peel finely chopped

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Preheat oven to 350°. Spray pan with vegetable pan spray; sprinkle 1 tsp. colored sugar into each cup. Add water to pink lemonade mix to total amount of water called for o cake mix package directions. Follow cake mix package directions to prepare cake, adding chopped lemon peel. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on rack; remove and cool completely before decorating. 

Frankenstein Cake

Frankenstein Cake
1 pkg. (18-1/4 oz.) chocolate cake mix
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 carton (8 oz.) frozen whipped topping, thawed
Moss green paste food coloring
1 can (16 oz.) chocolate frosting
1 Swiss cake roll or Ho Ho
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Prepare cake batter according to package directions. Pour into a greased and waxed paper-lined 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan. In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth. Drop by tablespoonfuls about 1 in apart onto batter.

Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until center is firm when lightly touched. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make Frankenstein, cut a piece of cake from the head (about 10in. x 7-3/4 in) and neck (about 2-1/2 in. x 4-1/2 in.). Cut two pieces for ears (about 2-3/4 in. x 1/2 in.). Save remaining cake for another use. Position head, neck and ears on a covered board.

Place 1/4 cup whipped topping in a small bowl; tint dark green with moss green food coloring. Cut a small hole in the corner of a small plastic bag; insert round pastry tip #3 and fill with tinted topping. Set aside.

Tint remaining whipped topping moss green. Frost face, neck and ears, building up areas for the forehead, nose and cheeks. With reserved dark green topping, pipe mouth, stitches on neck and forehead and eyes with pupils.

Cut a hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; insert pastry tip #233. Fill with chocolate frosting; pipe hair 1-1/4 in. from top of head to forehead and about 4 in. down sides of head. Cut cake roll in half widthwise; place on each side of neck for bolts. Store in the refrigerator.

The Great Pumpkin Cakes

The Great Pumpkin Cakes
1 pkg. (18-1/4 oz.) yellow cake mix or cake mix of your choice
2 can (16 oz. each) vanilla frosting, divided
1 to 1-1/2 tsp. orange paste food coloring
12 green gumdrops
1/2 tsp. green paste food coloring
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Prepare cupcakes according to package directions. Fill 24 greased muffin cups two thirds full. Bake at 350° for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

For frosting, in a small bowl, combine 1-1/2 cans frosting; tint orange. Cut a thin slice off the top of each cupcake. Spread frosting on 12 cupcakes. Invert remaining cupcakes and place on top; frost top and sides.

For stems, place one gumdrop on top of each pumpkin.

Tint remaining frosting green. Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; insert #5 round tip and fill with a third of green frosting. Pipe curly vines from pumpkin stems. Using remaining green frosting and a #352 leaf tip, pipe leaves randomly along the vines.

Slime-filled cupcakes

Slime-Filled Cupcakes
1 pkg. (18-1/4 oz.) chocolate cake mix
FILLING:
1/4 cup shortening
3 Tbs. butter, softened
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 Tbs. milk
8 drops green food coloring, optional
FROSTING:
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup baking cocoa
2 Tbs. milk
GLAZE:
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 Tbs. milk
6 drops food coloring
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Prepare cake mix batter according to package directions; fill 24 paper-lined muffin cups. Bake at 375° for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pans to wire racks to cool completely.

For filling, cream the shortening, butter, confectioners' sugar, milk and food coloring until light and fluffy. Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; insert #7 round tip. Add filling. Push the tip through the bottoms of paper liners to fill cupcakes (the top of the cupcakes will begin to expand when they are full.)

In a small mixing bowl, combine the frosting ingredients; frost cupcakes. Combine glaze ingredients; drizzle over frosting.

Halloween Cupcakes

Mummy Cupcakes
Cupcakes of your choice
1 can (16 oz.) chocolate frosting
Pastry tip--basket weave tip #46
1 can (16 oz.) vanilla frosting
Blue and black decorating gel
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Frost cupcakes with chocolate frosting. For noses, drop a small mound of chocolate frosting in the center of each cupcake.

Insert tip #46 into a pastry bag; fill with vanilla frosting. Pipe long bands across each cupcake, leaving small gaps for the eyes and mouths.

With blue gel, pipe eyes. Add pupils with black gel.

Batty Bats
Cupcakes of your choice
1 can (16 oz.) vanilla frosting
Blue paste food coloring
Gum balls
Sticks Winterfresh gum
Fudge-striped cookies
1 can (16 oz.) chocolate frosting
Pastry tip--round tip #3
Candy corn
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Tint vanilla frosting bright blue; frost cupcakes.

Add gum ball eyes. Using clean scissors or a small sharp knife, cut sticks of gum into eyebrow shapes. Pint the tops to curve if desired; insert above eyes.

For bat wings, with a small serated knife, cut cookies in half. (Use a gentle sawing motion for best results.) Add scalloped edges if desired. Insert two cookie halves into each cupcake.

Using chocolate frosting and #3 tip, pipe pupils on eyes. For fangs, cut the white part from the candy corn. Add two white fangs under each mouth; press down gently.

Mini Spider Bites
Miniature cupcakes of your choice
1 can (16 oz.) chocolate frosting
M&M's miniature baking bits
Chocolate sprinkles
Pastry tip--round tip #7
1 can (16 oz.) vanilla frosting
Shoestring black licorice
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Generously frost cupcakes with chocolate frosting; add M&M's for noses. Top with chocolate sprinkles.

Insert tip #7 into pasty bag; fill with vanilla frosting and pipe spider's eyes. Add M&M's for pupils. Cut black licorice into 2-in. pieces; attach eight legs to each cupcake.

Buried Surpise Cupcakes

Buried Surprise Cupcakes
1 pkg. (18-3/4 oz.) red velvet cake mix
1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) cook-and-serve chocolate pudding mix
1-1/4 cups water
1/3 cup canola oil
3 eggs
1/2 cup seedless raspberry spreadable fruit
24 Halloween gummy candy body parts or gummy candy finger rings
1 can (16 oz.) cream cheese frosting
6 to 12 drops purple neon food coloring
Purple sugar
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In a large bowl, combine cake and pudding mixes. Beat in the water, oil and eggs on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.

Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing form pans to wire racks to cool completely.

Using a sharp knife, cut a 1-in. circle 1 inch deep in the top of each cupcake. Carefully remove tops and set aside. Fill each with 1 tsp. spreadable fruit and a gummy candy; replace tops. Tint frosting purple; spread over cupcakes and sprinkle with purple sugar.

Yogurt Cake

I was having a nice relaxing evening when I suddenly remembered...I have to bake a cake for a funeral tomorrow! We are leaving for St. George in the morning to go see my grandpa for Easter, so I needed to bake this cake now. These thoughts flew through my mind at 8:30.

When I started my cookbooks last October this recipe was the first one on my list. I LOVE THIS CAKE! It is so moist.

Yogurt Cake
1 pkg. white cake mix
1-1/4 cups water
1/3 cup oil
4 egg whites
3 yogurts (6 oz. each of the same flavor)
1 carton (8 oz.) whipped topping, thawed
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In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, water, egg whites and oil; beat on low speed for 3 minutes. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Fold in 1-1/2 cartons of yogurt.
Pour into a 13-in.x9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
Place remaining yogurt in a small bowl, fold in whipped topping. Spread over cake. Store in the refrigerator.

A few notes:
*We use lemon yogurt
*In the cookbook I made a typo on this recipe. Just beat the batter on low for 3 minutes, not 30.

Cranberry Cake

I love this cake! I recently talked about it on my other blog. Click here to see that story.
Cranberry Cake
3 Tbs. butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup milk
2 cups fresh cranberries
2 Tbs. grated orange or lemon peel
SAUCE:
1-1/3 cups sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2/3 cup butter
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Cream butter & sugar. Beat in egg. Combine flour, baking powder, nutmeg. Add to creamed mixture alternately w/ milk. Stir in cranberries and orange/lemon peel. Batter will be thick. Pour into a greased 11x7x2 pan. Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. SAUCE: Combine ingredients. Cook & stir over medium heat until heated. Serve over individual servings of cake. Reheat sauce as needed.

My mother in-law cooks this in a square 9-inch pan, but I cook it in a regular pan so it will go further. I love the sauce. To get maximum coverage I usually cut my cake in half and layer the butter between the slices. The butter sauce will harden as it cools. I just refrigerate it and warm it for the leftovers. This cake is best when served warm. ENJOY!