Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Mama's Fresh Apple Cake

Inspired by my favorite season, fall, I thumbed through my recipes a couple of weeks ago and found my mama's recipe for fresh apple cake. This is one of 10 recipes that she wrote down for me per my request several years ago. Those recipes are such a treasure to me now! The cake turned out beautifully and was very popular with the group who shared it with me. My dad has always said that German chocolate cake was his favorite but when I made this he informed me that it has been replaced by this apple cake. Pretty high compliment! Hope you enjoy it as much as my family and friends do!


For the cake:
1 1/4 c. vegetable oil
2 c. sugar
3 room-temperature eggs, beaten
3 c. sifted self-rising flour
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 c. coarsely chopped apples (I used honeycrisp apples)
1 c. finely chopped pecans

For the icing:
3/4 c. butter
1 1/2 c. brown sugar (dark or light,it doesn't really matter)
3/8 c. Eagle Brand milk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Cake preparation:
Combine oil and sugar.
Add eggs.
Gradually add flour.
Add vanilla.
Fold in apples and pecans.
Bake in 3 layers (8" pans) at 325 degrees for 45 minutes.
Reduce temperature to 300 degrees and bake an additional 15 minutes.

While cake is cooling, prepare the icing:
Bring butter, sugar and milk to a boil.
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
When icing has cooled, spread on cake.


Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Pumpkin Cake



I'm baaaackk!!! I am sorry that it has been a while since I last posted anything. Life has just been happening at break-neck speed over the past month or so but I hope to be settling back into somewhat of a routine. Since we are in the midst of my FAVORITE season, Fall, I thought I would share one of my FAVORITE recipes! I have a lot of favorite recipes but this is one that I have made so many times that I have committed it to memory and have been known to tell complete strangers in the grocery store about it. Seriously. The beauty of this recipe is it is an absolutely delicious, moist, perfectly pumpkin cake with to-die-for cream cheese frosting, but I have also made it sans frosting and baked it in a 9x13-in. pan. It is wonderful!! Hope you enjoy.

FOR CAKE:
Duncan Hines spice cake mix (yes, it has to be Duncan Hines to pass the test in my kitchen)
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1/3 c. water
3 large eggs
15-oz. can Libby's pure pumpkin

FOR FROSTING*:
1 stick butter, room temperature
1 box powdered sugar
8-oz. cream cheese, softened
1 tsp. vanilla

*I halved this recipe when I made the cake in the picture because I didn't want to frost the entire cake.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all cake ingredients and pour into two greased 8" cake pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

While cake is baking, prepare cream cheese frosting. Cream the butter and cream cheese together, then gradually add powdered sugar, mixing on low speed. Add vanilla.

Frost cake once it has completely cooled.