Pumpkin Crunch Cake

I find this cake addictive.  I think I like it better than pumpkin pie. I can't make it very often or if I do I have to share it or I will eat the whole pan.  I like it that much.  It is pretty much pumpkin pie on the bottom and then cake mix with butter and nuts on the top.  I compare it to cherry dump cake.  If you love pumpkin than you should try this asap!

Pumpkin Crunch Cake
from various sources

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INGREDIENTS

1 box yellow cake mix

1 (15 oz) can pure pumpkin

1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk

3 whole eggs

1 cup sugar

1 TB. cinnamon

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup melted butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9X13 pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon until well blended. Spread pumpkin mixture in prepared baking dish. Mixture will be very wet.
3. Sprinkle cake mix evenly on top of the batter. If adding pecans, sprinkle them over the cake mix. Pour melted butter over the top of the cake mix. Bake 60 minutes.
4. Cool. Top with whipped cream or ice cream.

Lazy Woman's Banana Cake

I think we all know how much I love banana's.  I really wanted banana cake one night but was feeling lazy so I just whipped up a white cake and threw in some mashed banana's.  It turned out really good and it's very moist.  I added some canned buttercream frosting and it was finished.

Lazy Woman's Banana Cake
a Lacey Creation

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1 box of white cake mix
1 1/4 cup of water
1/3 cup oil
3 egg whites
4 mashed ripe banana's

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

In a bowl mix together the cake mix, water, oil, egg whites, and mashed banana's.  Spray a 9X13 pan with cooking spray and pour in the cake mixture.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Once cool frost with icing of choice.  I like the canned buttercream frosting but cream cheese frosting is great too.

Banana Cake made Light

Have I mentioned my love of banana's lately?  I haven't.  Shame on me.  I <3 banana's!  I found this recipe on my Taste of Home app.  Have I mentioned my love of my iPhone?  Love it!  I made this cake several months ago but I have some banana's on my counter just begging to be made into this cake or maybe bread.  I haven't decided yet.







Banana Cake made Light
from Taste of Home

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3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
dash salt

For Frosting:
1 package reduced fat cream cheese
1/3 cup butter, softened
3 cups confectioner's sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until crumbly, about 2 minutes.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in the bananas, applesauce and vanilla.  Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into butter mixture just until blended.

Transfer to a 9x13 baking pan coated with cooking spray.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool in pan on a wire rack.

For frosting, in a small bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy.  Add confectioner's sugar and vanilla; beat until smooth.  Frost bars.  Refrigerate leftovers.

Cake Pops are fun for all!

Cake pop fun with Joyce and her granddaughters. For Anastasia's birthday Joyce wanted to do something different. So we made ice cream cone cake pops and regular cake pops. They had a good time. Messy, but a lot of fun.

Cake Balls

Whoever first came up with the idea of taking a cake and mixing it up with a can a frosting and then rolling the mixture into balls and dipping them into chocolate should be applauded. Cake balls are so easy to make and they are so good. Addictive even. Not just to eat but also to make. I have tried many variations and all have turned out great. Red velvet cake with cream cheese icing, strawberry cake with strawberry icing, chocolate cake with chocolate icing, German chocolate cake with coconut pecan icing, yellow cake with cream cheese icing, and I'm thinking of carrot cake with cream cheese icing. Maybe some kind of mint creation since my hubby loves mint. There are so many options. I'm having a lot of fun trying them all. I really want to get Bakerella's Cake Pop book. What she can do with a ball of cake is amazing. I got the ice cream cone idea from her. You can check out her blog at www.bakerella.com. If you are inclined to do so send up a little prayer for her. She has been in the hospital the past few weeks. I hope that she will be feeling better soon.

I'm on vacation this week and decided to make some cake ball creations. I shared them with my library friends at Lake Station and Hobart. When I got done making them and were letting them dry I completely forgot to take a picture. Since I started doing this blog my camera stays in the kitchen. I'm not the best photographer and yes I do use paper plates, a lot, but I think recipes with pictures are the best. So I take pictures, not the best pictures, but a least you can see what the food is supposed to look like. I realized I didn't take pictures of my cake pops after I had wrapped them up like 20 times in saran wrap. I was lazy and didn't want to unwrap them so I took pictures through the saran wrap. You can kind of get the idea.

For the cake balls:

1 box cake mix, any flavor you want
1 can frosting, any flavor to go with the cake

Make the cake according to the package directions and bake in a 9x13 pan. Let cool completely. When cooled crumble cake in a large bowl and mix in the frosting. I use the whole can but 3/4 would do. I use a small cookie scoop to form the balls but you don't need one. Place the balls on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and place in the freezer to firm up.

If you want to make cake pops just stick lollipop sticks in the balls. Dip in melted chocolate and place upright in Styrofoam. Sprinkle on colored sprinkles if desired. Or if you have the cake pop book go to town making almost to cute to eat cake pops.

Or if you just want to make cake balls dip the balls into the chocolate and place back on the parchment paper to dry.

To make the Ice Cream Cones:

First prepare the ice cream cones. You want to cut the tops off the sugar cones. Be careful because to much pressure while cutting can cause the whole cone to break. I used regular cones this time as well. They are very easy to cut and you want to just cut off the top part of the cone leaving the bottom.

Before forming the cake balls I like to stuff some of the cake mixture down inside the cone. And then using my small cookie scoop I put a scoop of the cake mixture on top of the cone pressing it down slightly. I did the same thing with the regular ice cream cones but ended up using the slightly larger cookie scoop since the regular cone is a little bigger than the sugar cone. Place the cones in the freezer to firm up. About 15 minutes.

I had never used Wilton melting chocolate before and really wanted to give it a try. You can find many colors at Walmart. Of course the day I bought some they only had pink and white in stock. Oh well the colors worked out for the ice cream cones. Before dipping in need something to hold the cones upright while they dry. I used a card board box. I cut X's in the card board so I could push the cone through. It worked out okay but I want to come up with some other way. In a microwave safe bowl melt the pink chocolate in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Take the ice cream cones out of the freezer and start dipping them one at a time in the chocolate. Let the excess run off and then place the cone upright in whatever device you have created. For me it was a cardboard box. Or you can place cake side down to make it look like you dropped the cone. It looks cute like that. You can do other colors or dip some in milk chocolate like I did. Then I melted some of the white chocolate to put on top of the pink chocolate. I spooned some of the white chocolate on top of the pink and then sprinkled colored sprinkles on and placed a red peanut m&m on top of that. Once they are dry you can store them in the fridge or I like to leave them in the freezer.

Chinese Takeout Cupcakes

Part of my job duties as a librarian is to create programs for the community to come and enjoy. Most of my programs revolve around food. You're shocked I'm sure. I'm not a children's librarian anymore and I miss doing kids programs so I do a lot of family programs. Family programs are nice because it involves the whole family and I think that the the parents enjoy it as much as the kids. In February I started a four week Hello Cupcake series. If you are familiar with Hello Cupcake then you know how darn cute the cupcakes are that Karen Tack has created for her books. I picked out four creations that gradually get more difficult. The first week were the Sweet Talk cupcakes. I didn't get any pictures. The second week were these Chinese Takeout cupcakes. Unfortunately for me no one came to make these. I ended up making them myself since I had everything ready. On the left side of the picture above is Fried Rice and to the right is Pork Lo Mein. Once you get everything cut up and ready to go these are really easy and fun to put together. I really think the kids would have enjoyed this.

Pork Lo Mein Cupcakes
from Karen Tack's Hello Cupcake books

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12 vanilla cupcakes
12-14 green fruit chews (Jolly Rancher or Tootsie Roll)
3 pink fruit chews (Jolly Rancher, Laffy Taffy, or Starburst)
1 can vanilla frosting
green and yellow food coloring
1 teaspoon cocoa powder (Hershey's)
1/2 cup dark green sprinkles
1 strand green licorice twist (Twizzler's Rainbow Twists), thinly sliced diagonally

1. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. For the broccoli stems, make a lengthwise slit halfway down the center of each green fruit chew and open slightly. I used Laffy Taffy because I couldn't find Tootsie Rolls or Jolly Rancher but I think it would be cuter with Tootsie Rolls. Cut the pink Laffy Taffy into strips for the pork.

2. Tint 1/2 cup of the vanilla frosting bright green with the green food coloring, spoon the frosting into a ziplock bag, press out the excess air, and seal. Tint the remaining vanilla frosting light brown with 1 drop yellow food coloring and the cocoa powder. Put the frosting in a ziplock bag, press out the excess air and seal.

3. Place the green sprinkles in a small bowl. Snip a mall corner from the bag with the green frosting. For the broccoli florets, pipe mounds of frosting on the tips of the split ends of the green fruit chews on the cookie sheet. Holding the broccoli by the stem, press the frosted end lightly into the sprinkles to cover completely; return to the cookie sheet.

4. Snip a small corner from the bag with the brown frosting. To make the lo mein noodles, pipe the frosting in an irregular pattern all over the cupcakes, piling it high and letting it hang over edges. Arrange the pink fruit chew pork slivers randomly on top of the cupcakes. Add one or two pieces of broccoli on top. For scallions, scatter a few green licorice slices on top of the cupcakes.

Fried Rice Cupcakes

12 vanilla cupcakes baked in white paper liners
2 tablespoons small light green jelly beans (Jelly Belly)
4 orange fruit chews (Starburst)
3 yellow fruit chews (Starburst or Laffy Taffy)
1 1/4 cups puffed rice cereal (Rice Krispies)
1 can vanilla frosting
1/4 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
2 strands green licorice twists (Twizzlers Rainbow Twists), thinly sliced diagonally


1. For the peas, cut the green jelly beans half crosswise with a small knife or clean scissors. For the carrots, cut the orange fruit chews into 1/4 inch cubes. For the scrambled egg, cut the yellow fruit chews into small strips and pinch to soften the sharp edges. For the rice, place the rice cereal in a medium bowl.

2. Tint the vanilla frosting pale beige with the cocoa powder. Spread the tops of the cupcakes with a thin layer of frosting; use about 1/2 cup of the frosting. Heat the remaining 3/4 cup frosting in a small microwavable bowl in the microwave until it has the texture of lightly whipped cream, about 15 seconds. Pour the heated frosting over the cereal, tossing to coat evenly. Reserve a few of the cut jelly beans and fruit chews for finishing and toss the rest with the cereal mixture. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the cereal mixture on top of each frosted cupcake, pressing down to secure. Arrange the reserved candy pieces on top of the cupcakes. For the scallions, scatter a few licorice pieces on top.

Chocolate Whipped Cream Cake

This my friends is Weight Watcher Friendly. And it's sooooooooooo good!!!! It tastes like a devil dog. My hubby even loved it. When I did my first turn at doing WW a few years ago I was told about making a cake with egg whites and diet pop. If you made cupcakes it was 1 point per cupcake. Now with the new points system it is 2 points per cupcake but that's not bad. Basically you take a box mix and mix it with three egg whites and a can of diet pop. Use light pop for light cakes and dark pop for dark cakes. I was going to make cupcakes but my pans were at the library. So I made a whole cake instead. Next time I will make cupcakes just because I can.

This is the cake frosted with fat free cool whip. It looks good like this but I can make it better.













That's what I'm talking about. Heated up chocolate frosting poured over it. Mmmm!!!

You hardly can tell it's WW.











Chocolate Whipped Cream Cake
a Lacey Original

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12 slices, 6 WW points per slice
If you make 24 cupcakes it would be 3 WW points a cupcake


Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

1 devil's food cake mix
3 egg whites
1 can diet coke or some other diet dark pop
1 container fat free cool whip, thawed
1/2 can chocolate frosting

In a bowl mix together the cake mix, eggs, and diet pop with a whisk or mixer. Split the batter between two greased 9 inch round cake pans. Or if making cupcakes split batter between 24 cupcake liners. Bake according to the package directions. Let cool.

Take the cakes out of the pans. Place one cake face first on a cake plate. Spread 1/4 of the cool whip over the cake. Place the second cake bottom down on top of the cool whip. Spread the remaining cool whip over the rest of the cake. In a bowl heat up the chocolate frosting for about 20 to 30 seconds. Heat just long enough to make it pourable. Let cool a minute and pour the frosting over the cake. Cut into 12 slices and enjoy. Refrigerate the leftovers.

If making cupcakes frost each with the cool whip and pour the chocolate frosting over each cupcake.

Banana Sour Cream Cake

Okay so you are probably wondering what is that white thing. This white thing is a banana sour cream cake. I tried a slice but didn't get a picture of it. I love banana's and any dessert that features banana's. Banana bread, banana nut muffins, banana cake, pie, I think you get my point. But I think banana cake is my favorite. This cake only has five ingredients if you don't count the frosting. Next time I will up how many banana's I use. The recipe calls for 1 cup and two banana's made one cup but I think it needs three banana's. I'll also put the walnuts it calls for around the sides of the cake next time because I think that would make this cake over the top.

Banana Sour Cream Cake
adapted from Food & Family's Winter 2008 magazine

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1 pkg. yellow cake mix
3 eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup oil
2 cans cream cheese frosting or *1 recipe homemade cream cheese frosting
1 cup walnuts finely chopped

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Beat cake mix, eggs, bananas, sour cream, and oil with mixer on low until moistened, scraping the bottom of the bowl often. Pour batter into greased and floured 9X13 pan. Bake 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake completely in pan. Remove cake from pan. Carefully cut cake crosswise in half using serrated knife. Place one cake half, top-side down, on plate. Spread top with frosting. Top with remaining cake half, top side up. Frost top and sides. Press nuts onto sides.

Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter, softened
1 pkg. (16 oz.) powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese and butter with mixer on medium until blended. Gradually add sugar, beating well after each addition.

Homemade Oreos

Homemade Oreos!!!! I love Oreos and when I saw this recipe on The Girl Who Ate Everything's blog I knew I had to make them. My husband loved them and I thought they were really good but I wasn't in love with the filling. When I made these again I used the filling recipe from the Whoopie Pies and I loved them.



Homemade Oreos
as seen on The Girl Who Ate Everything and original source Paula Deen

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2 boxes of devils food cake
4 eggs
2/3 cup oil

1 8oz cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Pre-heat oven 350 degrees.

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat. In a mixing bowl combine the cake mix, eggs, and oil with a mixer. I use my Kitchenaide. The batter will be stiff. Pinch off pieces of the dough and roll into balls. If you have a small cookie scoop you can use that. Place 1 inch apart and flatten slightly with your fingertips. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack or plate.

In another bowl mix together cream cheese and butter until well blended. Gradually add in the powdered sugar and vanilla until the icing is smooth. Try and match up same size cookies together. Flip over half of them and spread icing on them. Top with the remaining un iced cookies. Store in a sealed container in the fridge. Makes about 2 dozen.

If you want to try them with the Whoopie Filling click here: Whoopie Filling

Whoopie Pies

My husband's birthday was a week ago today and when I asked him what kind of cake he wanted he said a giant Oreo cake. A few weeks before I had made homemade Oreos and he wanted me to make one big Oreo. I wasn't sure how to tackle that at the time and I told him about these whoopie pies I had seen on a food blog I read. I made him two huge pies and then the rest were smaller. He declared he liked them but that he prefers the Oreos. I myself favor these pies.

Whoopie Pies
as seen on Love and Olive Oil
makes two big pies and about 2 dozen small ones

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For the Batter:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup milk (I used skim with great results)

Icing:

1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/3 cups Marshmallow Fluff (I get the marshmallow fluff from Aldis and use the whole container)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray baking sheet with butter spray. I like to use a silicone baking mat because my light color baking sheets burn everything. The baking mat prevents that and the cookies slide right off.

2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and vanilla until smooth. Add the egg, beat well. Add the cocoa and stir until combined.

3. Add the flour to the batter alternately with the milk, beating until smooth. Scrape down the sides and beat again briefly to combine the scraping to the batter.

4. Drop the batter onto the baking sheet using a 1/4 measuring cup or by a large cookie scoop. Leave plenty of room between each because they do spread.

5. Bake between 10-15 minutes until they are set and firm to the touch. Cool slightly remove from pan to wire rack or plate. Cool completely before frosting.

6. While the cookies bake make the frosting. In a mixing bowl beat together the butter, shortening, sugar, and marshmallow until well blended. Add vanilla and beat until smooth.

7. Try and put same size cookies together. Flip over half of the cookies. Spread or pipe frosting onto the flipped over cookies. Top each frosted cookie with an unfrosted cookie to make a sandwich. Place cookies in an airtight container and store in the fridge.

Red Velvet Cake Balls

I have wanted to make cake balls for a long time and I'm not sure why I waited so long. They were very simple and tasted great. I had a family Christmas Lantern/Treat program at the library on Wednesday and I made these tasty morsels to serve while they made their treat jars. I want to try strawberry cake dipped in chocolate next.



Red Velvet Cake Balls
makes about 4 dozen

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1 box red velvet cake mix, (I'm sure if you wanted to make your cake from scratch that would be good too)
1 can cream cheese frosting
1 bag milk chocolate chips
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
wax paper

1. Prepare your cake according to the instructions on the box for a 9X13 pan. Once baked cool completely.

2. In a large bowl crumble the cake and mix in the can of frosting until incorporated. Use your hands if you dare.

3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls. I used my small cookie scoop and left the bottoms flat instead of rolling.

4. Put in the freezer to freeze. A half hour is sufficient but I found that freezing overnight made dipping even easier.

5. In a microwave safe bowl melt the chocolate chips and oil in 30 second intervals until smooth.

6. Working in small batches dip one cake ball at a time and place on wax paper. Once all are dipped place back in freezer to harden the chocolate.

7. After a half hour check to make sure the chocolate is hard and then store in a container in the refrigerator.