Simply Delicious Strawberry Cake

Mom made this cake a few years back for Melanie's birthday. I thought it was so wonderful, so I made sure she sent me the recipe. It's a Paula Dean recipe. Since she's never posted it, I told her I would do it for her.

I have been craving it for quite sometime, so when I had the chance to make it for the Relief Society birthday dinner, I jumped at it. If I had the whole cake in my house, I would be sure to eat the whole thing and then lick the plate as well, so I was happy to share and only have a few slices to myself.

Simply Delicious Strawberry Cake

Makes 1 (9-inch) cake

1 (18.25-ounce) box white cake mix
1 (3-ounce) box strawberry flavored instant gelatin
1 (10-ounce) package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed
4 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)

Garnish: sliced fresh strawberries

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease 2 round 9-inch cake pans. (For the cake to come out easier, line the bottom with parchment paper after you have greased it.)
In a large bowl, combine cake mix and gelatin. Add pureed strawberries, eggs, oil, and water; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour into prepared pans, and bake for 20 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks. Spread Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting in between layers and on top and sides of cake. Garnish with sliced fresh strawberries, if desired.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
Makes about 4 cups

1/4 cup butter, softened
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (10-ounce) package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed
1/2 teaspoon strawberry extract
7 cups confectioners' sugar

In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in 1/4 cup strawberry puree, reserving remaining for another use. Beat in extract. Gradually add confectioners' sugar, beating until smooth.
Note: For pinker frosting, add 2 to 3 drops of red food coloring to frosting.

Chocolate Eclair Cake

I was really craving those red velvet cupcakes that Melanie posted. I was all ready to make them today and realized, I didn't have any cocoa, and forgot it at the store!! I was in the chocolate mood, which is hard when you don't have cocoa. So this is as close to chocolate that I'm getting today. My sister in law Laura posted this quite a while ago and I've loved it ever since. Now go and make it and don't share it with anyone else. You won't be sorry!!Chocolate Eclair Cake

Crust:
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour
4 eggs

Bring the water and butter to a boil. Remove from heat and add flour. Beat in the eggs with a spoon one at a time. Bake in a 9x13 greased pan at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool.

Filling:
1 (6 oz) package vanilla instant pudding
2 1/2 cups milk
8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
Mix the milk and pudding, fold in the cream cheese and pour over crust. Put in refrigerator until set.

8 oz. Cool whip

Top with cool whip.

Chocolate:

3 Tablespoons milk
1/2 cups chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup powdered sugar

Melt together milk, choc. chips, butter. Add powdered sugar. Cool, then drizzle over cool whip. Refrigerate.

'Nothing Bundt Cake'

This is the homemade version of a Nothing Bundt Cake. It's a great bakery that specializes in, um....bundt cakes :). Check out the link and see their website, they have some yummy sounding cakes and serve them very cute. Now I want to copy all the flavors! Anyway, we love them so much we make my mom lug one on the plane as her carry on when she comes to visit. I looked around online last night and found this version and it's extremely close to the real thing. If you love chocolate, this cake is for you!

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Nothing Bundt Cake

1 pkg. devils food cake, German chocolate cake, or chocolate cake mix
1 pkg. instant chocolate pudding
1 c. sour cream
4 large eggs
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. oil
1 1/2 c. mini chocolate chips
2 (8 ounce) pkgs. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. butter, softened
3-4 c. powdered sugar (or more)
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Mix first six ingredients together with a beater. Add chocolate chips. Pour into a greased bunt cake pan (cooking spray works best, my cake just fell out of the pan). Cook in oven at 350 degrees for 45-50 mins. Remove from oven. Let cool for 20 mins. Remove from pan. (you can wrap it well in Saran Wrap and let it sit overnight in the fridge before frosting and serving, this is the kind of cake that tastes better the next day) In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the powdered sugar. I added the full 4 cups because to frost it like they do, you want the frosting pretty thick. It made a ton though, enough to cover 2 cakes so it next time I would cut the frosting recipe in half. I also used a gallon ziploc bag with a corner cut off to pipe it on and that added more frosting that necessary. After we were finished we all felt like death by bundt cake. But it was death by cake in a good way!

(Thanks for the photos Marion!)

Pioneer Woman Chocolate Sheet Cake

This is a close version to the Texas Sheet cake in the cookbook, only it uses buttermilk. It is SO SO good!! And one of those recipes that is even better the next day. It's from this website.

Pioneer Woman Chocolate Sheet Cake

Combine in a mixing bowl:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a saucepan, melt:
2 sticks butter
Add 4 heaping tablespoons cocoa. Stir together.
Add 1 cup boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.

In measuring cup, pour 1/2 cup buttermilk.
Add:
2 beaten eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.

While cake is baking, make icing:
Chop 1/2 cup pecans finely.
Melt 1 3/4 sticks butter in a saucepan.
Add 4 heaping tablespoons cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat.
Add:
6 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 lb minus 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Stir together.
Add pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake.