Best Chocolate Cake

This is by far my very very favorite cake. My husband asks me to make it almost everytime I make a desert. It's also great as a cupcakes! They turn out much thicker, moister, and tastier than a regular cupcake.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 

2 eggs

3/4 cup warm water

1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk and 1 T vinegar)

Bake at 325 degrees for 40-50 minutes depending on thickness of pan used. Mix wet and dry ingredients separately and then combine together. Spray pan well with cooking spray.  

Carrot Cake

This is one of the best carrot cakes I've had. My sister made it for me for my birthday. It was delicious and super moist. It is impossible to stop eating once you start.

Ingredients

For the Cake

• unsalted butter and all-purpose flour for the pans
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1-3/4 cups sugar
• ¼ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup canola oil
• 2 cups freshly shredded carrots
• one 8-ounce can crushed pineapple in its own juice, well-drained

For the Frosting

• 16 ounce cream cheese
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 3 cups confectioner's sugar
• 2 cups toasted, cooled, and chopped walnuts

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 9-inch cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment rounds, butter the paper and lightly sprinkle with flour. Tap out the excess flour and set pans aside. In a bowl, sift together (a fine mesh strainer is fine) the flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and salt and set aside. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the eggs and the sugars and beat on medium-high until slightly thick and pale in color, about 2 minutes. Beat in the vanilla. With the mixer on low, slowly add the oil in a thin stream and mix until combined. With the mixer still on low, add in the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Add in the carrots and pineapple and mix until just combined.
2. Evenly divide the batter between the prepared pans and bake until the tops are golden and a cake tester comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans on wire racks for 10 minutes before turning out onto the racks to cool completely.
3. Make the frosting: In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth, occasionally scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in the vanilla and salt. With the mixer on medium, gradually add in the confectioner’s sugar and mix until frosting is smooth.
4. Place one cake layer on a cake stand or plate. Spread a thick layer of the frosting evenly over the cake. Top with the second cake layer. Spread the remaining frosting evenly over the sides and top of the cake. Sprinkle the walnuts over the top of the cake.

Red Velvet Valentines Cake

Happy Valentines Day!

In honor of Valentines Day I made my boyfriend a Valentines cake. I used a bundt cake recipe that I was trying out for the first time. I decided to do a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting.

The cake turned out perfect! I'm not the best at frosting a cake so if you are like me you might want to add milk to the frosting to allow you to poor it on.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla 

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk (1 cup milk and 1 T vinegar)

Red Food Coloring (Use more than you think)

Bake at 325 degrees for 40-50 minutes depending on thickness of pan used. Mix wet and dry ingredients separately and then combine together, and poor into bundt pan or whatever pan you choose. Spray pan well with cooking spray.  

I had extra batter leftover so I used it in these cute little heart baking dishes. Since I used a bundt cake recipe I wanted these to turn out fluffier than the main cake so I added a pinch of baking powder and half a cup of hot water. They turned out so delicious! They were moist and fluffy, but still had a density to them some how. I may have like how they turned out better than the real cake! They were so so good!

Use with a Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe, and pinch of red food coloring for the pink color. 

The Ultimate Spice Cake

Spice cake is one of my favorite deserts. I love it. I really love carrot cake, but spice cake just seems easier to make because I dont' have to deal with shredding carrots. My love for cream cheese frosting might be the culprit as well.

INGREDIENTS

Spice Cake

2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup butter softened
1/2 cup canola oil
5 large eggs, seperated
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground allspice
pinch salt
1 cup buttermilk

Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
16 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 tsp vanilla
pinch salt
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar


INSTRUCTIONS

Cake

Cook at 350 degrees
Use 2 nine-inch round pans.

Mix sugar and butter, then add oil and egg yolks.
Next, mix dry ingredients together and then slowly add in the wet mixture.
Separately beat egg whites until fluffy and fold into the main mixture.

Split batter in pans.
Bake about 25 minutes or until center springs back.

Once the cakes have cooled, slice in half, making four round cakes. Then frost each layer, place each layer on top of one another, then frost the entire outside.

Frosting

Melt brown sugar and 1/2 cup butter in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Leave it until it begins boiling and then remove from heat. Whisk the cream in. Cool

Mix 12 Tbsp butter and cream cheese, then add vanilla and salt. Pour in cooled brown sugar mix until smooth. Lastly add powdered sugar. Chill before adding to cake.

This cake was amazing. The frosting turned out a little runny, so the next time I make it I want to try a thicker frosting or thicken this particular frosting. Otherwise, this cake was absolutely amazing!


Thanks Food Network for this recipe

Yummy Carrot Cake

Cake Ingredients:

4 eggs

3/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup apple sauce

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon allspice or pumpkin pie spice

3+ cups grated carrots

Frosting Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter softened

8 ounces cream cheese

4 cups confectioners sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 9x13 inch pan.
2. To make cake...In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, white sugar, and 2 teaspoons vanilla.  Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and spice.  Stir in carrots.  Pour into prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. 
4. To make frosting... In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners sugar and vanilla.  Beat until smooth and creamy.  

I made this for Jelissa's Birthday.  It was quite delightful.  We took pictures of it BUT I left my camera at my Mom's House.  I will post it when I grab it.  You really should make it.  Consider it health with all those carrots in it.  You can eat the whole cake.