Pumpkin Cake

I got this recipe years ago from Elizabeth Grayson's website. She got it from someone, who got it from someone, who got it from someone. And they're not even Southern!

Pumpkin Cake

1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
4 whole eggs
2 cups canned pumpkin (plain, not pie filling)
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
6 oz. chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Blend together by hand the oil, sugar, eggs and pumpkin.

Sift together remaining ingredients separately. Actually, don't sift. Put all the ingredients together and use your whisk. It's a lot easier, makes less of a mess and does the same thing as sifting.

Add dry mixture to wet. Stir only until moistened.

Bake in greased bundt pan on the lowest rack in oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Oven temperatures vary so make adjustments as necessary.

Remove cake from pan when partially cooled. Lightly dust with powdered sugar.

You can also use this recipe to make muffins.

Coconut-Lemon Mousse Cake

I love coconut. I love lemons. Add the two together and you get an absolutely wondeful dessert!

Coconut-Lemon Mousse Cake

1 can (15 oz) cream of coconut (not coconut milk), stirred well in can
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 frozen family-size poundcake ( 16 oz), not thawed
1 tub (12 oz) frozen whipped topping
1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut; chop 1/2 cup
2/3 cup bottled lemon curd
Garnish: lemon slices

Coat an 8 or 9 inch springform pan with nonstick spray.

Scrape cream of coconut into a bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup cold water in a medium saucepan. Let stand 1 minute, then stir with a heat-proof plastic spatula over medium-low heat until gelatin completely dissolves and liquid begins to steam. Stir in  1/2 of the cream of coconut. Heat until warm, then stir into cream of coconut left in bowl. Refrigerate, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes or until the consistency of egg whites.

While that mixture is chilling, cut the crust off of the poundcake. Cut cake crosswise in 18 equal slices. Cut each slice diagonally to form 36 triangles. Cover bottom of pan with 1/2 the triangles, trimming to fit as needed.

To make the mousse, stir in a large spoonful of the whipped topping into the gelatin mixture. Fold in the remaining topping until blended. Spoon 1 cup of this mixture into a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until later. Fold chopped coconut and lemon curd into remaining mousse mixture.

Spoon 1/2 the mousse onto cake that is already in the pan. Spread evenly. Top with remainig cake, cut to fit, then remaining mousse. Cover pan and refrigerate at least 5 hours or until mousse is firm.

When you're ready to serve the cake, remove the pan sides. Using broad spatulas, lift cake off pan base onto serving platter. Stir reserved mousse to soften. Spread in a thin layer over cake. Press remaining coconut on sides and sprinkle on top. Garnish with lemon slices.

This makes 12 servings.

Lemon Pound Cake

Lemon Pound Cake

1 cup (6 oz) Nestle Toll House Premier White Morsels
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened (Land O'Lakes butter recommended)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs
3 to 4 tablespoons grated lemon peel (about 3 medium lemons)
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Grease and flour 10-inch Bundt pan.

Melt morsels in medium, uncovered microwave-safe bowl on Medium High for 1 minute. Stir. If morsels aren't fully melted, microwave an additional 10 to 15 seconds, stirring every 5 seconds, until morsels are fully melted. Don't overcook. Cool slightly.

Combine flour, baking power and salt in small bowl. Set aside. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon peel and melted morsels. Gradually beat in flour mixture alternating with buttermilk. Pour into prepared Bundt pan.

Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until a wooden pick insert in cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes.

Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice in small bowl. Make holes in cake with wooden pick; pour half of lemon glaze over cake. Let stand 5 minutes. Invert onto plate. Make holes in top of cake; pour remaining glaze over cake. Cool completely before serving.

Note: It's okay to substitute 3 bars (6 oz) Nestle Toll House Premier White Baking Bars for the morsels.

Butternut Cake

This is a go-to recipe in our family. It's a favorite of several relatives, so it tends to show up on special occasions.

A few years ago we had a bit of drama when, suddenly, stores around here stopped selling butternut flavoring. My Mother was distraught. My Aunt started a massive search. She located a store two towns over that still carried butternut flavoring. I wonder if the store manager ever understood why he had a sudden run on butternut flavoring. At least, he was smart enough to order more and continue stocking the popular product.

Some people add chopped pecans to the frosting. Suit yourself. Some people love nuts and some don't. Personally, I prefer a small amount -- maybe 1/2 cup of chopped pecans -- so you get the taste but the nuts don't overwhelm the cake.

Butternut Cake

2 cups sugar
1 cup Crisco oil
4 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon butternut flavoring

Beat together sugar, Crisco and eggs. Add other ingredients, alternately.

Cut wax paper to fit bottoms of round cake pans. Grease both sides of wax paper and place in bottom of cake pans. Grease sides of pans. Divide batter evenly between the four pans. Bake in a 350 degree oven until done. Cake will brown and pull slightly from sides. A wooden toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean.

Carefully remove from pans and cool.

Icing

1 8-oz. package cream cheese
1 stick margarine
1 box confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon butternut flavoring

finely chopped pecans 

Blend all ingredients thoroughly. If you like pecans, stir chopped pecans into frosting. Smooth frosting between cake layers, on top of cake and on the sides of the cake.

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

Carrot Cake

We've been searching for what seems like forever for two jars of junior baby food carrots. My mother uses them to make Carrot Cake. So do I. It works. They taste fine in the cake and no one knows you cheated unless you tell them.

There comes a point, however, when it's time to throw in the towel. Just give up. Grate the carrots. Put them in the food processor. Just get on with it! I reached that point about a year ago. I was alone. My mother never gave up hope. So we've searched for junior baby food carrots in Target and Walmart. We've done so at the commissary (repeatedly!) and at more supermarkets than I care to remember. No junior baby food carrots.

The other day Mother came in and -- you guessed it -- she produced two jars of junior baby food carrots from a brown paper bag. They were suddenly at the commissary. I don't know if the folks out there simply decided to start selling them or if the pleading talk I had with a baby food company rep influenced their decision. I don't even care. We've got the carrots. Now, maybe, we'll get the cake.

Carrot Cake

2 cups sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup Crisco oil
4 eggs
3 cups grated carrots OR 2 jars junior baby food carrots

Sift flour, baking soda and salt. Mix with sugar. Beat in oil. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Add carrots.

Cut wax paper to fit cake pans. Use margarine on each side of wax paper, then place the wax paper in each pan. Grease sides of the pans.

Divide batter equally in three or four cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until cake starts to pull away from sides.

Frosting

1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened
1 stick margarine, softened
1 box confectioners sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla

Blend cream cheese, margarine and sugar. Add vanilla. Stir in nuts until well blended.

Frost cake.