Caramel Apple Cake

This is another one of those great Bisquick recipes.

Caramel Apple Cake

1 1/2 cups Bisquick
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 medium cooking apples, pealed and sliced (2 cups)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup boiling water
Ice cream or Sweetened whipped cream, if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix Bisquick and granulated sugar in medium bowl. Stir in milk until well blended. Pour into ungreased 9 x 9 x 2-inch square pan. Top with apples; sprinkle with lemon juice. Stir together brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over apples. Pour boiling water over apples.

Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Serve warm with ice cream, if desired.

Makes 6 servings.

Frosted Pumpkin Cake Squares

I love recipes with pumpkin and spices. It makes me think of cool weather and gatherings with family and friends.

Frosted Pumpkin Cake Squares

1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup cream cheese
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9-inch square pan.

Beat sugar and eggs for two minutes with mixer at medium speed. Beat in pumpkin and oil. At low speed, add flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Beat one minute.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack.

With mixer at low speed, beat confectioners' sugar, cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract for two minutes or until fluffly. Frost cake.

Yields nine servings.

Apricot-Nectar Cake

This recipe came from my Grandmother. I know this because it says so on the little recipe card I've been using for many, many years. Honestly, though, I don't remember her ever making this cake. I'm sure she did. It's just that when I think of her cooking -- and she was a really good Southern cook -- I always think of her biscuits. Nobody ever made homemade biscuits the way she did. I wanted so badly to learn how. I had the flour bowl and all the other ingredients. But she didn't know how to teach anyone else how to make them. She just sort of threw ingredients into her flour bowl and out came the best tasting biscuits ever. So that recipe is lost. At least this one isn't.

This is a cake my Mother made on a regular basis. I always enjoyed making it because it's good and it tastes like it requires more effort than it does. I love to cook but sometimes time is an issue. When it is, try this. You'll love it and so will your guests.

Apricot-Nectar Cake

1/2 cup Wesson oil

1/2 cup sugar

4 eggs

1 cup Apricot Nectar

1 box Duncan Hines Lemon Supreme Cake Mix

Mix all ingredients, blending well. Pour into a tube pan. Bake at 325 degrees for one hour and 15 minutes.

Lemon Glaze

1 1/2 or 1 3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted

juice of two lemons

Mix powdered sugar and lemon juice. The exact amount of powdered sugar depends on how much juice you get from the lemons. Remember that this is a glaze. You need to be able to pour it over the cake -- and then enjoy your super-easy cake.

Apricot Nectar Cake