Lisa's Super Moist Strawberry Cake

My friend Lisa made this cake for our Life Group many years ago. It is incredibly moist and a delicious summer dessert. Here are her directions in her own words...

1 strawberry cake mix - made per directions on box.

While cake is baking:

mix 1 large box strawberry jello with 1 1/2 c. boiling water,

add 1 1/2 c. strawberry soda.

Poke holes in cake (I use round toothpick).

Pour jello/soda mixture slowly and evenly over cake.

Allow to cool.

Chill in refrigerator.

Add topping.


Topping:

Small box vanilla pudding - made per directions.

fold in small tub of cool whip.

Spread over chilled cake. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

German Chocolate Gooey Butter Cake

1 box German chocolate cake mix
1 cup butter, melted and divided
1 large egg
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese, room temperature
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 16oz box confectioners' sugar
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut (optional)
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 13x9x2 inch baking pan.
In a large bowl, combine cake mix, 1/2 cup melted butter, and egg. Beat at low speed with an electric mixer until combined. Press evenly into bottom of prepared pan. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Gradually beat in sugar until smooth. Add remaining melted butter , beating at slow speed until combined. Stir in coconut and pecans. Pour over cake mix layer, spreading evenly. Bake for 45 minutes (the center should remain slightly gooey). Remove from oven. Let cool completely before cutting into squres.

Gooey Butter Cake

1 18 1/4-ounce package yellow cake mix
1 egg
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 of a 16-ounce box powdered sugar


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter and beat together.

Next, add the powdered sugar and mix well. Spread over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Make sure not to over bake as the center should be a little gooey.

Cola Cake

Yummy but definitely not low fat. Great for a special occasion! Very rich, so serve small pieces so your guests do not go into a sugar coma. :)

1 cup coke
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350. Combine coke and buttermilk. Beat butter at slow speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until blended. Add eggs and vanilla/ beat at low speed until blended.
Combine flour, cocoa, and baking soda. Add to butter mixture alternately with coke mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in marshmallows. Pour batter into a greased and floured 13x9 inch pan.
Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven. Cool for 10 minutes.
Pour Classic Coke frosting over warm cake. (Sprinkle with toasted pecans - optional)

Classic Coke Frosting (the best part)
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup coke
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1 16 oz pkg powdered sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
Toasted Pecans (optional)

Bring first 3 ingredients to a boil in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring until butter is melted. Remove from heat; whisk in sugar and vanilla. Use immediately.

Kristi’s Chocolate Cake

My friend Kristi made this cake for a meeting and we all thought it was super moist and delicious. We were shocked when she told us that it was not a scratch cake but that it was a cake mix and that it was super easy. I have made it a couple of times and I am always asked for the recipe.

1 pkg. yellow cake mix
1 large box (5-6 oz) chocolate instant pudding mix
½ cup sugar
¾ cup oil
¾ cup water
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
12 oz. chocolate chips

Mix dry pudding, dry cake mix and sugar together in a large bowl. Add oil, water and eggs and stir. Add sour cream and chocolate chips and stir. Pour into a floured bunt pan and bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes. Cool cake completely.

Chocolate Glaze: (optional) Kristi's notes- "The cake is very moist and the glaze is not necessary. I did put a glaze on it, but only half the recipe." I too put the glaze on it to when I make the cake.

2/3 c. Hershey’s cocoa, natural unsweetened
1 stick butter
3 c. powdered sugar
1/3 c. milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Raspberries or strawberries (garnish but important - cuts the sweetness of the cake)

Melt butter in medium saucepan. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating on medium speed to desired consistency. Add more milk if needed. Stir in vanilla. Drizzle over cooled cake while glaze is warm. Garnish with raspberries or strawberries.

Lemon Cupcakes w/ Marscarpone Frosting

Dimples Cupcakes use to be my favorite local bakery. I loved the Lemon Delight cupcake, which is strange, because lemon is not my first choice when it comes to dessert. This cupcake is super moist and the lemon cuts the sweetness - I CRAVE this cupcake. Sadly, I no longer go to Dimples because of an article published in D Magazine that outed the bakery. They do not make their cupcakes from scratch and they are dishonest business owners, so can not longer in good conscience support their business.

When I saw Leigh Anne's recipe for the Perfect Lemon Cupcake I had to try it so I could get my cupcake fix. Here I have adapted the recipe a bit by adding a lemon mascarpone frosting. For an added touch, you could put a thin slice of lemon on top or a candied lemon slice. If you have not visited the blog Your Homebased Mom you are missing out. Leigh Anne has amazing recipes and entertaining ideas. She also has a whole blog dedicated to party planing ideas called Your Homebased Parties.

1 package lemon cake mix
1 C sour cream
3/4 C water
3/4 C oil
4 eggs
1 small package lemon instant pudding

Mix dry ingredients and then add wet ingredients. Mix with electric mixer on medium speed for about two minutes. Use a strong mixer, this batter is thick. For cupcakes, bake them at 350 degrees for 20 minutes (I was able to get 24 very full cupcakes from the recipe). Don’t over bake or the cake will be too dry! The toothpick test works to check to see if they’re done.

Frosting:
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Finely grated zest of 2 lemons, plus more for garnish
Pinch of salt
2 cups mascarpone, at room temperature

In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and salt and mix at low speed until the sugar is dissolved. Add the mascarpone and beat at low speed until creamy; do not overbeat.

Candied Cake Bites

This recipe is from my friend Gabrielle. Below is the recipe in her words. I have never made these and I love that she gives lots of ideas on flavor combos. Can't wait to make them.

Very easy - you use a cake mix and basically, make a truffle. They are a little time consuming though. and yes, buying them would be easier, but not cheaper if you need a couple hundred.

So here is the recipe:
BASIC CAKE BALLS
1 (18.25-ounce) boxed cake mix plus ingredients called for on box
1 (16-ounce) can prepared frosting
Almond Bark Coating or Confectionery Wafer Coating (both recipes follow)

Bake the cake according to package instructions. While warm, crumble the cake into a bowl with a hand mixer to a fine texture. Mix in frosting to make a paste, using 3/4 to a full can of frosting, according to taste. Chill the mixture for at least 2 hours.

Using a melon baller or your hands, form the mixture into 1 ½ -inch balls. Place the balls on wax paper; freeze at least 6 hours.

Working in small batches, remove the balls from the freezer and dip the balls into warm, melted Almond Bark Coating or Confectionery Wafer Coating, using toothpicks or forks to manipulate the balls. Remove the balls. Place the balls on wax paper to harden.
Makes about 30 cake balls.

Almond Bark Coating: In a double boiler, melt one (20-ounce) package vanilla- or chocolate-flavored almond bark, stirring constantly. Or, in a tall, narrow container, microwave almond bark for 45 seconds on High (100 percent power). Continue to heat in 15-second intervals, stirring between intervals, until melted; be careful not to scorch.

When almond bark is melted, stir in 1 teaspoon vegetable oil. If desired, stir in oil-based coloring drop by drop until you achieve the desired color. See "Where to find supplies" for purchase information.

Confectionery Wafer Coating: Melt 48 ounces confectionery wafers in double boiler or microwave oven per instructions for Almond Bark Coating. Omit oil. If desired, stir in oil-based coloring drop by drop until you achieve the desired color.

CAKE BALL TIPS
1. Chill the cake-and-frosting mixture well (at least 2 hours) before you shape the balls. Freeze the balls at least 6 hours before dipping. Before dipping, make sure the cake balls aren't frozen solid because after being dipped, the coating has a tendency to crack when drying. Pre-dipped cake balls can be kept frozen for weeks.
2. To form the balls, use a melon scoop for uniform size. Small balls are easier to eat.
3. Work in small batches when dipping, keeping the rest in the freezer.
4. Use toothpicks, a fork or a skewer to manipulate the balls when dipping. Perfectionists may want to buy a candy-dipping fork because it ensures even coating of each cake ball to make it look like a truffle.
5. Use oil-based candy dye to color frosting. Start with a few drops, and add a little at a time.
6. Lay the dipped balls on wax paper to harden, placing the spot where you pierced the ball down to cover the hole, or cover the hole with decoration.
7. For decoration, fill a narrow-tip plastic squeeze bottle with a contrasting color of melted coating and paint stripes over the balls, or sprinkle on rainbow jimmies, colored sparkling sugar or finely chopped nuts. (If you are using oil-based candy color to tint coating made from white- chocolate disks, decorate with sprinkles quickly as the oil candy color causes the coating to set rapidly.
8. Dipped balls will keep at room temperature for days; if you refrigerate them, the coating will sweat.



You will need three things for cake balls: cake, frosting and coating. Here are some ideas:
•Devil's food cake with fudge icing and dark- chocolate coating
•Yellow cake with buttercream frosting and orange-colored vanilla coating with green or black accents
•White cake with white frosting mixed with orange and yellow sprinkles and chocolate coating
•German chocolate cake with coconut- pecan icing and milk- chocolate or light-cocoa flavored coating
•Spice or carrot cake with cream-cheese frosting and vanilla coating
•Lemon cake with lemon frosting and vanilla coating
•Chocolate cake with vanilla frosting and mint-flavored coating tinted green

Chocolate Pumpkin Dump Cake

I found a Pumpkin Dump Cake recipe at Main Street Mom Cooks. I want to make it, but only a couple of my family members would eat it, so I thought I would wait to make it when I have to take it somewhere. So I took her concept and made it chocolate but kept the pumpkin to sneak in a something healthy.

1 can pumpkin (15 oz cans)
3 tbsp 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1/2 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
2 eggs
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup splenda
1/4 cup splenda brown sugar
1 German Chocolate cake mix
1 stick of light butter
1 cup chopped nuts

Mix pumpkin, cream cheese, cinnamon, splenda and milk.Pour into a greased and floured (I use Baker’s Joy) 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with cake mix. Drizzle with melted butter. Put on the chopped pecans. Bake 350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour (check at 35 minutes). Serve topped with frozen yogurt.

Side note: next time I will make two of these desserts and take one to a friend because we thought the ratio of chocolate to pumpkin was off (too much pumpkin). From now one I will put only half the pumpkin mixture in the dish and put the other half in a dish and buy an additional cake mix and light butter to make two desserts. Also at 45 minutes our pecans were a little burnt so I will begin checking after 40 minutes.

Pumpkin Spice Cake

I made this cake Tuesday morning for Bible Study. I made it the night before so great recipe to be made ahead. Very moist and delicious!

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice*
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use Baker’s Joy spray to a grease the Bundt pan
In a medium bowl, sift or whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices; set aside. In a large bowl combine eggs, sour cream, pumpkin, and oil. Beat well with a hand mixer (or use a stand mixer), scraping down sides with a spatula, until everything is well blended. Add flour mixture a little at a time, beating well after each addition, until everything is well combined. Scrape down sides, then blend in the vanilla extract.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in the center of a 350 degree oven for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. Let cool on wire rack for ten minutes, then invert cake onto wire rack and let cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar immediately before serving if desired.

Notes: *Pumpkin pie spice can be substituted with 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice, and 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Millionaire Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

Another recipe from my friend Allison - maybe I should make an "Allison" category? Super moist and delicious.

1 box Butter Cake Mix
1 cup oil
1/4 cup water
4 eggs
1 8 ounce carton sour cream
1 box instant vanilla or chocolate pudding mix
1 6 ounce package chocolate chips
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions
In large mixer bowl, place the cake mix, oil, water, eggs, pudding mix and beat well. Add sour cream, beating on medium until blended in batter Gently stir in the chocolate chips and vanilla.

Pour batter into a greased Bundt pan and bake for 1 hour at 325 degrees

Optional add-ons

Drizzle with a thin chocolate glaze
Add toasted chopped pecans to the glaze

Gooey Cake Bars

A lady at church brought this to a leadership meeting I attended in January. I am not usually a coconut fan, honestly I did not know it was in there until she sent me the recipe. These are rich so you may want to cut the bars small.

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
2 (8-oz.) cans crushed pineapple (undrained)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Coconut Icing recipe below

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and flour a 13x9 baking pan.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add eggs, pineapple, and vanilla. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until well combined. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Using the end of a wooden spoon poke ½ inch deep holes in top of cake at 1 inch intervals. Pour Coconut Icing over hot cake. Cut into squares to serve. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Coconut Icing
1 cup butter
1 (5-oz) can evaporated milk
1 ½ cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

In medium saucepan, combine butter, evaporated milk and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat; boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Mix in nuts and coconut pour over cake.

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cakes w/ Almond Whipped Cream

I have made this several times and always get requests for the recipe. You can make it early in the day and leave it out at room temperature until ready to cut and serve. Cut small pieces because it is really rich.

Cake:

1 (18 1/4-ounce) package yellow cake mix

1 egg

8 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

3 eggs

8 tablespoons butter, melted

1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin

1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar ***(See note below)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon vanilla

***My adaptation - I only use 1/2 box of powder sugar b/c the whole box makes it too sweet.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan.
To make the filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter, and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well. Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Make sure not to over bake as the center should be a little gooey.
Serve with fresh whipped cream.

Image and Recipe courtesy Paula Deen and Food Network

Almond Whipped Cream

My grandma made whipped cream she would use Almond extract instead of vanilla.

1 pt. Heavy cream

3 tbsp. Sugar

1 tsp. Pure Almond Extract

In a cold bowl add heavy cream and sugar with mixer. Be careful not to over beat or else will get too thick like butter. When it begins to thicken, and Almond extract; mix to combine. Refrigerate.

Mom's Carrot Cake

In my family we like this cake VERY moist - to get it that way make it a couple of days early. It does not have to be refrigerated.

Cake
2 Cups Flour
2 Tsp Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Baking Powder
2 Tsp Baking Soda
2 Cups Sugar
4 Eggs (Room Temp)
1 1/2 Cups Corn Oil
3 Cups Grated Carrots
1 Tsp Vanilla

Frosting
8 OZ Cream Cheese (Room Temp)
1 Stick Butter (Room Temp)
1 Box Confectioner Sugar
1 Tsp Vanilla
1 Cup Pecans (Chopped)

Preheat oven to 350*. Prepare 3- 9 inch cake pans grease, flour and line each pan with parchment paper.

Mix first four ingredients together and set aside. To a large bowl add sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla - mix well. Then add the three cups of carrots to the wet ingredients and mix again. Begin to slowly add the dry ingredients to the large bowl and then add cake batter to pans. Cook cakes for 30 minutes, checking after 20 minutes. They are done when a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean. Cool cakes in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out on cooling racks to cool completely before frosting.
Mix cream cheese and butter together, add vanilla and powdered sugar slowly until well mixed. Begin to add icing between layers then ice the sides of the cake. Add the pecans to the remaining frosting and use it to ice the top of the cake.

Amazing Chocolate Cake

My family LOVES this cake and it is made for every one's birthday. The recipe is from Paula Deen (Food Network) with a little secret addition of my own.

Cake:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (my addition)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 (16-ounce) can chocolate syrup (recommended: Hershey's)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Frosting:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan.

For the cake: Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together in another bowl. Add to creamed mixture, continuing to beat. Add vanilla and chocolate syrup to batter and mix well. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Just before cake is done, prepare frosting.

For the frosting: Put butter, chocolate chips, sugar and evaporated milk in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Stirring ingredients together, boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and nuts. Pour over warm cake.