Cakes, Cookies, Bars & Frostings
Nancy's Famous Chocolate Mocha Liqueur Cake
This cake is ridiculously easy and totally fabulous. Friends ALWAYS ask for the recipe.
Equipment
- Bundt pan
Ingredients
- 1 18.5 oz package yellow cake mix
- 1 3.4 oz package instant chocolate pudding mix
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- ¾ cup water
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ cup coffee flavored liqueur
- ¼ cup vodka
Glaze
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup butter
- ¼ cup hot water
- 2 tbsp coffee liqueur
- 2 tbsp vodka
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan.
- In a large bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix, oil, water, eggs, coffee flavored liqueur and vodka.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Pour glaze over hot cake while still in the pan. Let cake sit for 30 minutes before serving.
For Glaze
- In a small saucepan, combine sugar, butter and water. Bring to boil and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in coffee liqueur and vodka.
St. Paddy's Day Boozy Bundt
This is a great finish to your traditional Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner. Be ware, it really packs a punch!
Equipment
- Bundt Cake Pan
Ingredients
- 1 pkg spice cake mix with pudding
- 1 pkg instant vanilla pudding mix (3.4 oz)
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 3/4 cup whiskey
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 4 jumbo eggs
- 1 1/3 cups coarsely chopped walnuts divided
Glaze
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup whiskey or to taste
- 1 tsp water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Grease and flour a standard sized bundt pan
- Combine the first six ingredients in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat on low for 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed for an additional 2 minutes
- Fold in 1 cup walnuts and pour batter into prepared pan.
- Sprinkle remaining walnuts over the top and bake for 60-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan.
Glaze
- Mix ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Cool 3 minutes and pour 1/2 of glaze over hot cake, (still in pan). Let stand for 30 minutes and remove from pan to cool completely. Cover.
- Next day, reheat the other 1/2 of glaze and brush over cake and cool before covering.Serve with shipped cream sweetened with pure maple syrup and sprinkle a little pumpkin pie spice over top.
Grandma's Spicy Gems
The smell of these baking always takes me back to my grandma's house!
Ingredients
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup butter softened
- 1 large egg well beaten
- ½ cup molasses
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp soda
- ½ cup hot water
Instructions
- Cream butter and sugar together. Add egg and molasses and mix well. Sift dry ingredients together and stir into molasses mixture alternately with hot water mixed with soda.
- Chill dough thoroughly. Drop by teaspoonful 2-inches apart on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 400°F for 8 minutes. Cool for a few minutes and then frost.
FROSTING
- Mix until thick and smooth: ½ cup powdered sugar, ½ tsp vanilla, 2-3 tsp hot milk or coffee.
Fluffy Peanut Butter Frosting
I made this frosting for my S-I-L's birthday cake and it was a big hit. After frosting a chocolate cake, I sprinkled pulverized Butterfingers over the top and then broke up a variety of small candy bars, (Halloween leftovers) and placed them in a circle in the center.
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter softened
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 3 tbsp milk or as needed
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar (also known as powdered sugar)
Instructions
- Place the butter and peanut butter into a medium bowl and beat with an electric mixer.
- Gradually mix in the sugar, and when it starts to get thick, incorporate milk, one tablespoon at a time until all of the sugar is mixed in and the frosting is thick and spreadable.
- Beat for at least 3 minutes for it to get good and fluffy.
Royal Icing
I used this sugar cookie recipe to make the party favors for TAPA THAT! -A peacock cookie cutter, colorful 'feather frosting', placed in individual boxes for guests to take home after the party.
Equipment
- Pastry Bag and Decorator Tips
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp powdered egg whites
- 1/2 cup warm water
- pinch tartar
- 1 lb confectioners' sugar (powdered) (4 cups)
- 1-2 tsp Lemon, Vanilla, or Almond extract Optional
- Gel Food Coloring
Instructions
- In a bowl of an electric mixer, beat powdered egg white, water and cream of tartar. Add confectioners' sugar and mix on medium speed until blended. Increase speed to high and beat until icing is thick and glossy, about 5 minutes. Add more water as needed to thin to desired consistency for piping or spreading. Use immediately, (or refrigerate in a covered plastic container. Beat icing again to soften before using.)
- To decorate cookies: put some Royal Icing in a pastry bag with a small plain, round tip. (Or put icing in a sturdy plastic bag and snip a tiny hole in one corner.) Pipe around edge of cookie and let dry. Stir 1 tablespoon water into another portion of Royal Icing to soften; put thinned icing in a clean pastry bag or new plastic bag. Pipe icing onto each cookie, flooding inside of border. Let dry. Re-pipe border. Sprinkle cookie with sanding sugar, shake off excess and let dry.
- Cookies may be store, tightly covered, in a tin for up to 2 weeks.
Favorite Holiday Sugar Cookies
This recipe has several variations which makes it a great choice for a cookie exchange.
Equipment
- Rolling Pin
- Cookie Cutters
Ingredients
- 2 sticks unsalted butter (1/2 lb)
- 1 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 3 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cup royal icing recipe follows
- sanding sugars optional
For Spice Cookies, add into full batch of Sugar Cookie Dough
- 3 tsp ground ginger
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp ground allspice
For Lemon Cookies, beat into full batch of Sugar Cookie Dough
- 3 tsp lemon zest finely grated
For Chocolate Cookies, follow directions for making Sugar Cookie dough, but add cocoa powder after beating in eggs and then add only 2 2/3 cups flour
- 1 cup cocoa powder
Instructions
- Cream butter and sugar in bowl of an electric mixer and beat until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add vanilla, baking powder and salt and beat at medium speed until mixed. Add eggs; beat until blended. Add flour and mix at low speed until combined, scraping down bowl once or twice.
- Divide dough in half. Using hands, shape dough into discs, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.
- Arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment. Remove 1 disc of dough from refrigerator. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut cookies into stars, snowflakes or any other shapes., Transfer cookies, with a metal spatula, to baking sheets and chill for 10 minutes. Bake cookies 12 to 15 minutes, depending upon thickness and size, rotating pans halfway through, until golden and firm to touch. Cool for 5 minutes, transfer to rack and let cool. Repeat with remaining dough.
Diane's Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe
This great cookie recipe comes from my dear mother-in-laws kitchen. It is easy to make and the cookies are spectacular- SOFT and CHEWY. Best part, my husband LOVES them.
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup Crisco
- 1 cup peanut butter either chunky or smooth
- 2 ex-large eggs well beaten
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda dissolved in 1 tbsp HOT water
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.Cream together the sugars, Crisco and peanut butter.
- Add eggs, salt, baking soda in water and vanilla extract. Mix well. Stir in flour to form dough.
- Roll dough into walnut sized balls and flatten with fork dipped in sugar. Bake in pre-heated oven 10-12 minutes.