Cakes
When it comes to desserts, nothing says celebration quite like Cakes. To that end, here are six yummy cake recipes to help you through the day, including Red Velvet Cake and Chocolate-Chocolate Birthday Cake. Do I have your attention now? Good. Enjoy!
ONE-BOWL CHOCOLATE CAKE
This is from Genevieve Ko in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this yumminess, Genevieve wrote, "Fluffy and tender, this chocolate cake comes together quickly in one bowl. It’s a friendly little birthday cake with its dead simple frosting (or a really great snack without). A blend of oil and buttermilk or yogurt keeps the crumb moist, as does a nice pour of hot tea. Oolong gives the cake a floral aroma, while using coffee instead highlights the cocoa’s bittersweetness. Plain hot water gives this an old-fashioned chocolate cake flavor. The two-ingredient frosting – essentially cream and chocolate melted together, then cooled until thick enough to swoop and swirl – can be made in the same bowl used for the cake batter. You can sprinkle flaky salt, chopped toasted nuts or sprinkles on top too. But, frosted or not, this cake welcomes coffee, tea or ice cream."
I have to add, I welcome a cake this yummy, especially chocolate.
Prep Time: 5 minutes; Cook Time: 2 hours, mainly cooling; Total Time: 2 hours, mainly cooling; Yield: One 8-inch cake (9 to 12 servings)
This was featured in "Learn to Bake in 5 Easy Recipes," and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1025183-one-bowl-chocolate-cake.
Ingredients
For the Cake
Canola or vegetable oil, for greasing the pan
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk or plain full-fat yogurt
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup hot oolong or black tea, hot coffee or hot water
For the Frosting (optional)
1 (4-ounce) bar bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, broken into small pieces
1/2 cup heavy cream
Preparation
Make the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Rub oil all over an 8-inch square cake pan.
Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Add the eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla, and stir with the whisk until smooth. It will be thick at this point; gently smack the whisk against the bowl to release any batter stuck inside.
Add the hot tea and whisk until very smooth. Switch to a flexible spatula and scrape all of the batter into the pan.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few tiny crumbs, about 45 minutes. Cool completely in the pan on a rack.
If you’re making the frosting, start it as soon as the cake comes out of the oven: Use the same bowl you used for the batter, washing it if you want. Combine the chocolate and cream in the bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir well, then microwave for 15 seconds and stir until smooth. If some chocolate remains solid, zap for 10 more seconds and stir.
If you don’t have a microwave or microwave-safe bowl, set the bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water and stir until smooth.
Let the chocolate cream cool, stirring now and then, until thickened to the consistency of soft frosting. (This may take up to an hour.) Plop it all over the cake, even if it’s still a touch warm, and use a flexible spatula or a large spoon to swoop and swirl it to cover the top. Cut into pieces and serve.
CHOCOLATE-CHOCOLATE BIRTHDAY CAKE
This is from Dorie Greenspan in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this recipe, Dorie wrote, "This is the birthday cake I’ve made for my son since he was about 11. After boxed cakes, ice-cream cakes, a cake in a Darth Vader mold (that year, the party’s theme was “May the Fours Be With You), this cake hit the spot and remains a favorite. It’s a double-layer devil’s-food cake made with cocoa and bittersweet chocolate, the same pair that makes the frosting so luscious. You can make the layers ahead of time, wrap them and freeze them for up to a month. As for the frosting, it’s best spread between the layers and over the cake when it’s just made. Once assembled, the cake can be refrigerated overnight. It cuts most easily when it’s cold but tastes best when it’s at room temperature, which is about what it will be once the candles are blown out and the slices put on plates. Ice cream alongside is unnecessary but nice. Hey, it’s a birthday!"
Time: Baking and cooling: About 3 hours; Yield: 12 to 14 servings
This was featured in "The Double-Layer Chocolate Cake I Make for My Son’s Birthday", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019312-chocolate-chocolate-birthday-cake.
Ingredients
For the Cake
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature (plus more for the pan)
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (plus more for the pan)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1-1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, well shaken
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
For the Frosting
3-1/3 cups confectioners’ sugar
4-1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
4-1/2 tablespoons buttermilk
Small decorations to scatter over the cake, optional
Preparation
Center a rack in the oven, and preheat it to 350. Butter the interiors of two 9-inch round cake pans, dust with a little cocoa powder and tap out the excess. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Working with an electric mixer (use the paddle, if you have one), beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one by one, and beat for a minute after each goes in; beat in the vanilla. Reduce the speed to low, and add the dry ingredients in 3 additions and the buttermilk in 2 (start and finish with the dry, and don’t worry if the buttermilk makes the batter look slightly curdled). Mix in the melted chocolate. Divide the batter evenly between the pans.
Bake for 24 to 28 minutes, until a tester poked into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Transfer to racks, let rest 5 minutes and then run a blunt knife around the edges of the pans. Unmold the cakes onto the racks, and cool to room temperature.
Make the frosting: Sift together the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder. Using an electric mixer (with the paddle, if available), beat the sugar, cocoa, salt and butter on high speed until fluffy. On low speed, add the chocolate. When it’s almost incorporated, beat in the buttermilk. It’s best to use the frosting immediately.
If necessary, just before you’re ready to frost the cakes, slice a sliver off the top of each layer to create a flat surface. To assemble, place one cake layer, top up, on a serving platter, and cover with frosting. Top with the second layer, top down, jiggling it into the frosting to hold it in place. Frost the top and sides of the cake — go sleek or swirly. If you’re using decorations, scatter them over the cake. Chill for at least 1 hour (or for up to 1 day); bring to room temperature before serving.
TEXAS SHEET CAKE AND ICING
This is from Diana Rattray, a contributer at The Spruce Eats. For this yumminess, Diana wrote, "Texas sheet cake may be so named because of its size, but ask any proper Texan and they can likely recite a family secret for making 'the best.' Featuring a signature Texas ingredient, pecans, the moist chocolaty cake looks unpretentious, like brownies, but it makes an undeniably rich statement on the dessert table. Take one to a backyard barbecue or anywhere you want to feed a crowd.
"The classic recipe generally calls for buttermilk, but this updated version substitutes sour cream for a pleasantly acidic flavor and a particularly moist and tender texture."
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 20 minutes; Total Time: 35 minutes; Servings: 12 servings
To view this online, go to https://www.thespruceeats.com/texas-sheet-cake-with-frosting-3053367.
Ingredients
For Cake:
1 cup butter
1 cup water
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For Icing:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
Directions
Make the Cake
Gather the cake ingredients.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine butter, water, and cocoa in a saucepan over medium heat; stir constantly until butter melts.
Add sugar, flour, salt, eggs, soda, sour cream, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla; mix well.
Pour batter into a 15 x 10 x 1-inch jelly roll pan or sheet cake pan.
Bake cake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The cake should pull away from sides of the pan and spring back when you touch it. Ice hot cake immediately, following instructions below.
Prepare the Icing
Gather the icing ingredients.
With about 10 minutes left on timer, prepare icing. Combine butter, cocoa, and milk in a saucepan; bring to a boil, then pull off heat.
Add confectioners' sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla; blend icing with an electric hand mixer until sugar is fully incorporated. Stir in pecans.
Pour icing over hot cake. With a spatula or knife, spread icing to edges.
Let cake cool, then cut into squares to serve.
Variations
Replace the water in the batter with brewed black coffee, cooled to room temperature, for a mocha flavored cake.
Add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the batter to make a Mexican chocolate cake.
Substitute chopped walnuts, almonds, or peanuts for the pecans. Or omit them altogether for a nut-free version.
Leave out the cocoa powder when you make the batter and the icing for a white Texas sheet cake version.
RED VELVET CAKE
We lived in Connecticut for several years while I was growing up. During this time, a lady called the local radio station and said she’d recently returned from a trip. During a stay in a fancy hotel with her husband, she had this cake in their restaurant. Returning home, she wrote to the hotel and requested a copy of the recipe, saying she’d pay for it. She received a copy of the recipe, along with a bill for $300. (This was during the mid-1960s.) Furious over the bill, she proceeded to read the recipe over the air.
Ingredients
1/2 C butter (note)
1/4 tsp. salt
1-1/2 C sugar
1 C buttermilk
2 eggs, well beaten
1 T vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
2 T cocoa
2-1/4 C flour (sifted)
2 oz. red food coloring
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease & flour two 8" round pans. Cream butter & sugar. Add eggs. Make paste of food coloring & cocoa. Add to 1st mix. Add salt & buttermilk alternately with flour. Add vanilla. Dissolve soda in vinegar & add this last. Blend all ingredients, as little as possible. Pour into pans & bake for 30-40 minutes. When cool, split each layer horizontally.
FROSTING FOR RED VELVET CAKE
Ingredients
1 C butter (note)
1 C milk
1 C sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
5 T unbleached flour
Directions
Cream butter with sugar. Cook flour & milk in saucepan until very thick, stirring the whole time. Cool. Combine 2 mixes & add vanilla, using electric mixer. Spread on cake.
NOTE: Butter must be used in the frosting, otherwise the frosting will liquefy & refuse to harden. In the cake itself, though, margarine may be used. Also, if two 9" round pans are used, layers don’t need to be cut in half.
MILLION DOLLAR CAKE
This is from Allrecipes, and begins, "A cake made from yellow cake mix is frosted with a cream cheese, mandarin orange, and pineapple mixture for a light and refreshing cake."
Prep Time: 30 minutes; Cook Time: 25 minutes; Additional: 9 hours; Total Time: 9 hours 55 minutes; Servings: 12; Yield: 1 (8 or 9 inch) layer cake
To view this online, go to https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/7903/million-dollar-cake/.
Ingredients
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
8 ounces cream cheese
1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice
2 (8 ounce) cans mandarin oranges, drained
1 (3.5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
Directions
Mix and bake cake mix as per package instruction for two 8 or 9 inch round layers. Let layers cool, and then split each layer in half so as to have 4 layers.
In a large bowl, whip cream cheese until soft, and then gradually mix in confectioners' sugar. Stir in the pineapple with juice and the drained mandarin oranges, reserving about 5 mandarin orange slices to decorate the top of cake. Mix in the dry pudding mix. Fold in the whipped topping.
Place one cake layer on a cake plate cut side up; spread with frosting. Place another layer cut side down on the first one, and top with more frosting. Repeat until all layers are used, spreading last bit of frosting on top and sides of cake. Decorate with reserved mandarin orange slices. Refrigerate overnight before serving.
ROCKY ROAD CAKE
Years ago, I'd gone back to school at the local junior college, something that eventually took way longer than I'd anticipated: a few years here (with repeated classes), a couple of semesters there, until I finally graduated in 2002. (Hooray!!!)
One of the classes that was required to graduate was a speech class. One week we had to give a demonstration speech. One of the students demonstrated how to make this cake. After her short demonstration, she passed out copies of the recipe along with pieces of cake. It’s absolutely delicious. The icing can be used on almost any kind of cake; it would be really good on carrot cake!
This recipe can also be found in my e-cookbook Off the Wall Cooking.
Ingredients
1 C chopped nuts
1 C raisins
1 C mini-marshmallows
6 oz. package of chocolate chips
1 package (18.25 oz) Devil’s Food cake mix with pudding
4 eggs
1 C mayonnaise
1 C water
Directions
Grease and flour 2 9” pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix first four ingredients in medium-size bowl.
In large bowl at low speed, mix cake mix, eggs, mayo and water until blended. Increase speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes. Stir the nut mixture into the cake batter, then pour into greased and floured pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Cool in pan 15 minutes on cooling rack.
Icing (for Rocky Road Cake)
Ingredients
1 tsp. vanilla
1 stick butter
8 oz. cream cheese
1 box confectioners sugar
Ingredients
Place ingredients in bowl and cream together. When cake is cool, ice. ENJOY!
ONE-BOWL CHOCOLATE CAKE
This is from Genevieve Ko in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this yumminess, Genevieve wrote, "Fluffy and tender, this chocolate cake comes together quickly in one bowl. It’s a friendly little birthday cake with its dead simple frosting (or a really great snack without). A blend of oil and buttermilk or yogurt keeps the crumb moist, as does a nice pour of hot tea. Oolong gives the cake a floral aroma, while using coffee instead highlights the cocoa’s bittersweetness. Plain hot water gives this an old-fashioned chocolate cake flavor. The two-ingredient frosting – essentially cream and chocolate melted together, then cooled until thick enough to swoop and swirl – can be made in the same bowl used for the cake batter. You can sprinkle flaky salt, chopped toasted nuts or sprinkles on top too. But, frosted or not, this cake welcomes coffee, tea or ice cream."
I have to add, I welcome a cake this yummy, especially chocolate.
Prep Time: 5 minutes; Cook Time: 2 hours, mainly cooling; Total Time: 2 hours, mainly cooling; Yield: One 8-inch cake (9 to 12 servings)
This was featured in "Learn to Bake in 5 Easy Recipes," and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1025183-one-bowl-chocolate-cake.
Ingredients
For the Cake
Canola or vegetable oil, for greasing the pan
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk or plain full-fat yogurt
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup hot oolong or black tea, hot coffee or hot water
For the Frosting (optional)
1 (4-ounce) bar bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, broken into small pieces
1/2 cup heavy cream
Preparation
Make the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Rub oil all over an 8-inch square cake pan.
Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Add the eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla, and stir with the whisk until smooth. It will be thick at this point; gently smack the whisk against the bowl to release any batter stuck inside.
Add the hot tea and whisk until very smooth. Switch to a flexible spatula and scrape all of the batter into the pan.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few tiny crumbs, about 45 minutes. Cool completely in the pan on a rack.
If you’re making the frosting, start it as soon as the cake comes out of the oven: Use the same bowl you used for the batter, washing it if you want. Combine the chocolate and cream in the bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir well, then microwave for 15 seconds and stir until smooth. If some chocolate remains solid, zap for 10 more seconds and stir.
If you don’t have a microwave or microwave-safe bowl, set the bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water and stir until smooth.
Let the chocolate cream cool, stirring now and then, until thickened to the consistency of soft frosting. (This may take up to an hour.) Plop it all over the cake, even if it’s still a touch warm, and use a flexible spatula or a large spoon to swoop and swirl it to cover the top. Cut into pieces and serve.
CHOCOLATE-CHOCOLATE BIRTHDAY CAKE
This is from Dorie Greenspan in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this recipe, Dorie wrote, "This is the birthday cake I’ve made for my son since he was about 11. After boxed cakes, ice-cream cakes, a cake in a Darth Vader mold (that year, the party’s theme was “May the Fours Be With You), this cake hit the spot and remains a favorite. It’s a double-layer devil’s-food cake made with cocoa and bittersweet chocolate, the same pair that makes the frosting so luscious. You can make the layers ahead of time, wrap them and freeze them for up to a month. As for the frosting, it’s best spread between the layers and over the cake when it’s just made. Once assembled, the cake can be refrigerated overnight. It cuts most easily when it’s cold but tastes best when it’s at room temperature, which is about what it will be once the candles are blown out and the slices put on plates. Ice cream alongside is unnecessary but nice. Hey, it’s a birthday!"
Time: Baking and cooling: About 3 hours; Yield: 12 to 14 servings
This was featured in "The Double-Layer Chocolate Cake I Make for My Son’s Birthday", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019312-chocolate-chocolate-birthday-cake.
Ingredients
For the Cake
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature (plus more for the pan)
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (plus more for the pan)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1-1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, well shaken
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
For the Frosting
3-1/3 cups confectioners’ sugar
4-1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
4-1/2 tablespoons buttermilk
Small decorations to scatter over the cake, optional
Preparation
Center a rack in the oven, and preheat it to 350. Butter the interiors of two 9-inch round cake pans, dust with a little cocoa powder and tap out the excess. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Working with an electric mixer (use the paddle, if you have one), beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one by one, and beat for a minute after each goes in; beat in the vanilla. Reduce the speed to low, and add the dry ingredients in 3 additions and the buttermilk in 2 (start and finish with the dry, and don’t worry if the buttermilk makes the batter look slightly curdled). Mix in the melted chocolate. Divide the batter evenly between the pans.
Bake for 24 to 28 minutes, until a tester poked into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Transfer to racks, let rest 5 minutes and then run a blunt knife around the edges of the pans. Unmold the cakes onto the racks, and cool to room temperature.
Make the frosting: Sift together the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder. Using an electric mixer (with the paddle, if available), beat the sugar, cocoa, salt and butter on high speed until fluffy. On low speed, add the chocolate. When it’s almost incorporated, beat in the buttermilk. It’s best to use the frosting immediately.
If necessary, just before you’re ready to frost the cakes, slice a sliver off the top of each layer to create a flat surface. To assemble, place one cake layer, top up, on a serving platter, and cover with frosting. Top with the second layer, top down, jiggling it into the frosting to hold it in place. Frost the top and sides of the cake — go sleek or swirly. If you’re using decorations, scatter them over the cake. Chill for at least 1 hour (or for up to 1 day); bring to room temperature before serving.
TEXAS SHEET CAKE AND ICING
This is from Diana Rattray, a contributer at The Spruce Eats. For this yumminess, Diana wrote, "Texas sheet cake may be so named because of its size, but ask any proper Texan and they can likely recite a family secret for making 'the best.' Featuring a signature Texas ingredient, pecans, the moist chocolaty cake looks unpretentious, like brownies, but it makes an undeniably rich statement on the dessert table. Take one to a backyard barbecue or anywhere you want to feed a crowd.
"The classic recipe generally calls for buttermilk, but this updated version substitutes sour cream for a pleasantly acidic flavor and a particularly moist and tender texture."
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 20 minutes; Total Time: 35 minutes; Servings: 12 servings
To view this online, go to https://www.thespruceeats.com/texas-sheet-cake-with-frosting-3053367.
Ingredients
For Cake:
1 cup butter
1 cup water
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For Icing:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
Directions
Make the Cake
Gather the cake ingredients.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine butter, water, and cocoa in a saucepan over medium heat; stir constantly until butter melts.
Add sugar, flour, salt, eggs, soda, sour cream, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla; mix well.
Pour batter into a 15 x 10 x 1-inch jelly roll pan or sheet cake pan.
Bake cake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The cake should pull away from sides of the pan and spring back when you touch it. Ice hot cake immediately, following instructions below.
Prepare the Icing
Gather the icing ingredients.
With about 10 minutes left on timer, prepare icing. Combine butter, cocoa, and milk in a saucepan; bring to a boil, then pull off heat.
Add confectioners' sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla; blend icing with an electric hand mixer until sugar is fully incorporated. Stir in pecans.
Pour icing over hot cake. With a spatula or knife, spread icing to edges.
Let cake cool, then cut into squares to serve.
Variations
Replace the water in the batter with brewed black coffee, cooled to room temperature, for a mocha flavored cake.
Add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the batter to make a Mexican chocolate cake.
Substitute chopped walnuts, almonds, or peanuts for the pecans. Or omit them altogether for a nut-free version.
Leave out the cocoa powder when you make the batter and the icing for a white Texas sheet cake version.
RED VELVET CAKE
We lived in Connecticut for several years while I was growing up. During this time, a lady called the local radio station and said she’d recently returned from a trip. During a stay in a fancy hotel with her husband, she had this cake in their restaurant. Returning home, she wrote to the hotel and requested a copy of the recipe, saying she’d pay for it. She received a copy of the recipe, along with a bill for $300. (This was during the mid-1960s.) Furious over the bill, she proceeded to read the recipe over the air.
Ingredients
1/2 C butter (note)
1/4 tsp. salt
1-1/2 C sugar
1 C buttermilk
2 eggs, well beaten
1 T vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
2 T cocoa
2-1/4 C flour (sifted)
2 oz. red food coloring
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease & flour two 8" round pans. Cream butter & sugar. Add eggs. Make paste of food coloring & cocoa. Add to 1st mix. Add salt & buttermilk alternately with flour. Add vanilla. Dissolve soda in vinegar & add this last. Blend all ingredients, as little as possible. Pour into pans & bake for 30-40 minutes. When cool, split each layer horizontally.
FROSTING FOR RED VELVET CAKE
Ingredients
1 C butter (note)
1 C milk
1 C sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
5 T unbleached flour
Directions
Cream butter with sugar. Cook flour & milk in saucepan until very thick, stirring the whole time. Cool. Combine 2 mixes & add vanilla, using electric mixer. Spread on cake.
NOTE: Butter must be used in the frosting, otherwise the frosting will liquefy & refuse to harden. In the cake itself, though, margarine may be used. Also, if two 9" round pans are used, layers don’t need to be cut in half.
MILLION DOLLAR CAKE
This is from Allrecipes, and begins, "A cake made from yellow cake mix is frosted with a cream cheese, mandarin orange, and pineapple mixture for a light and refreshing cake."
Prep Time: 30 minutes; Cook Time: 25 minutes; Additional: 9 hours; Total Time: 9 hours 55 minutes; Servings: 12; Yield: 1 (8 or 9 inch) layer cake
To view this online, go to https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/7903/million-dollar-cake/.
Ingredients
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
8 ounces cream cheese
1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice
2 (8 ounce) cans mandarin oranges, drained
1 (3.5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
Directions
Mix and bake cake mix as per package instruction for two 8 or 9 inch round layers. Let layers cool, and then split each layer in half so as to have 4 layers.
In a large bowl, whip cream cheese until soft, and then gradually mix in confectioners' sugar. Stir in the pineapple with juice and the drained mandarin oranges, reserving about 5 mandarin orange slices to decorate the top of cake. Mix in the dry pudding mix. Fold in the whipped topping.
Place one cake layer on a cake plate cut side up; spread with frosting. Place another layer cut side down on the first one, and top with more frosting. Repeat until all layers are used, spreading last bit of frosting on top and sides of cake. Decorate with reserved mandarin orange slices. Refrigerate overnight before serving.
ROCKY ROAD CAKE
Years ago, I'd gone back to school at the local junior college, something that eventually took way longer than I'd anticipated: a few years here (with repeated classes), a couple of semesters there, until I finally graduated in 2002. (Hooray!!!)
One of the classes that was required to graduate was a speech class. One week we had to give a demonstration speech. One of the students demonstrated how to make this cake. After her short demonstration, she passed out copies of the recipe along with pieces of cake. It’s absolutely delicious. The icing can be used on almost any kind of cake; it would be really good on carrot cake!
This recipe can also be found in my e-cookbook Off the Wall Cooking.
Ingredients
1 C chopped nuts
1 C raisins
1 C mini-marshmallows
6 oz. package of chocolate chips
1 package (18.25 oz) Devil’s Food cake mix with pudding
4 eggs
1 C mayonnaise
1 C water
Directions
Grease and flour 2 9” pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix first four ingredients in medium-size bowl.
In large bowl at low speed, mix cake mix, eggs, mayo and water until blended. Increase speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes. Stir the nut mixture into the cake batter, then pour into greased and floured pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Cool in pan 15 minutes on cooling rack.
Icing (for Rocky Road Cake)
Ingredients
1 tsp. vanilla
1 stick butter
8 oz. cream cheese
1 box confectioners sugar
Ingredients
Place ingredients in bowl and cream together. When cake is cool, ice. ENJOY!
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