Carrot Cake

Happy Easter! Seemed appropriate to showcase Carrot Cake for that Easter Bunny!

Many years ago I made this extremely time consuming carrot cake and I wasn’t too impressed. Decided it’d be a long time before I’d make that again.

I saw a recipe in the Bunco Cookbook (that I had mentioned in one of my earlier blogs) that said this carrot cake was the best and easiest. I read it and it sounded simple enough. I do believe the person who contributed that recipe is right. It was simple and it was good. I’m not sure if it’s the best, but I’d never turn down a piece. However, the icing makes enough for two cakes in my opinion.

I encourage you to purchase the cookbook as the proceeds go to a good cause (see Hot Fudge Cake for details).

Now you can make this cake in a 9x12 pan or in two 9 inch round cake pans. And as you can see what I did was make two cakes instead of layering it.

I took one to an event and left the other one at home for hubby. How about those cute candied carrots on top? I picked those up at a local candy/baking store—Sallies.

Did I mention hubby has a sweet tooth and somehow manages to stay slim?

Turtle Cake

The first time I had this cake, I was working as a secretary in the corporate world. I didn’t have any kids then and didn’t do a lot of baking at that point. Another secretary brought in turtlecake for someone’s birthday and I thought she was a Queen Baker.

I asked her for the recipe. I can’t remember the first time I made it, but I did just recently for an event. If you like turtles—those candies with chocolate, pecans and caramel, then you’ll probably like turtle cake.

Mix, according to the directions, a swiss or german chocolate cake mix. Pour half of the batter into a 9x12 glass (greased) pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

While that’s going on unwrap a bag of Kraft caramels. This will take you about 6 minutes to unwrap the caramels. Melt ¾ stick of butter in saucepan, add caramels and ½ cup evaporated milk.

The original recipe said to melt over medium heat. I kept mine on low as I was in between the upstairs and downstairs kitchen and doing multiple things. This way I was sure not to burn the caramels. Once I could pay attention to the mixture, I turned the heat up to medium and total it took about a good 20 minutes to melt the caramels (the last 5 minutes was on medium heat). Once melted, add 1 cup chocolate chips and 1 cup chopped pecans, stir and pour on top of the already baked cake.

Then spread remaining cake batter on top of caramel mixture.

Bake another 20 minutes or until cake is done.

No icing is needed because the caramel mixture in the middle give it what it needs.

Spahetti Cupcakes

You all remember me talking about Bunco in one of my previous sweet treats (Hot Fudge Cake), well when it’s your turn to host Bunco (everyone takes a turn), you’re in charge of food and drinks and prizes. One time I made lasagna and then had spaghetti cupcakes for dessert. Sounds kind of weird until you sink your teeth into these cupcakes.

I got the idea from the book Hello, Cupcake! If you like to have fun creating desserts, this book is the one to get for all kinds of crazy ideas on making cupcakes. Allow yourself a lot of time to decorate—this isn’t for the faint of heart—but if you follow the directions, you should be able to master them for the most part.

Making the cupcakes them selves are easy. I think they have a recipe in the book, but I use a boxed cake mix. This saves a little bit of time. You buy whatever kind of icing you want also or you could mix up a batch of your favorite. If you have ziplock or plastic bags (or if you’re a real pro and have a pastry bag, that works too). You fill the icing in the bag, snip off the corner and squeeze a bunch of squirrely lines all over the cup cakes. Top it with a round chocolate candy that is covered in strawberry jam.

There are other cupcakes that I have made from this book (to be posted later). There you go Sioux—the mystery is solved about what Linda was talking about with my cupcakes.

Gooey Butter

If you've been over to Lynn, What's for Dinner? you'll know that it's my daughter Jessica's 26th birthday.

Gooey Butter or Cherry Pie is the usual request for birthday desserts and since I already posted Cherry Pie, then Gooey Butter it is. She'll get both for her birthday, which I'm sure will break her heart.

This dessert is also a favorite among my other children—and others. My girls brought Gooey Butter into their work claiming that their momma’s gooey butter was the best. A skeptical boss claimed that it’d be hard to beat his dad’s. But after he took one bite of my gooey butter, he had to admit mine topped his pop’s. He also asked the girls if I wanted a job as a baker.

The original recipe came from my stepmother.

Mix 1 yellow cake mix, 1 egg, and 1 stick of melted butter and spread in a 9x12 glass pan. (In her recipe you are to push the edges up slightly, but I find leaving it even is better. It also calls for greasing the pan, but I don’t as it burns the edges.)

With an electric mixer, combine 1 eight ounce package of softened cream cheese and 2 eggs. This will start to look like scrambled eggs. Then add 1 pound (or around 4 to 4 ½ cups) powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla and mix until blended.

Pour on top of cake mix. Bake in 350 degree oven for 40 minutes. (I usually bake mine longer as I like mine to be really golden brown.)

Cool before cutting. I run a knife around the outside edge after I cut it and before I remove a piece as the edges will stick to the sides of the pan almost like concrete. The edges are the best part – in my opinion. But then others think the middle—the gooeyiest part—is the best.

If the only gooey butter you’ve had is store bought, I guarantee you will never go back to store bought again after you’ve had this.

Jessica, I love you and Happy Birthday!

Rating & Type: E