Monthly Archives: July 2012

Better than Sex Cake

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Cakes and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

This cake was my other contribution to the dessert table at my granddaughter’s graduation party.  You may have seen it around, called “Better than Sex Cake”.  However, for a new high school graduate I thought it was more appropriate to name it Better Than Homework Cake.  No matter what name it gets,  I call it wonderful.  Everyone will want to know what makes it so moist and what IS that flavor I taste?

I got the recipe from all-recipes.com, where you can find many variations.  Since the graduate loves chocolate and so do I there had to be a chocolate something on that table.   S0 this is it:

BETTER THAN SEX/HOMEWORK CAKE

  • 1 boxed cake mix:  Devils Food
  • ingredients called for on the box:  eggs, vegetable  oil, water
  • 1/2 can condensed milk
  • 6 0z  (3/4 cup)  caramel topping
  • 1 bag chocolate-toffee chips such as Skor or Heath (or crush candy bars, if you can’t find the chips)
  • 8 0z container Cool Whip

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease well a 13″ x 9″ baking pan.

2.  Prepare cake mix as directed on the box.  Bake in prepared pan as box suggests.  Remove from oven when it tests done with a toothpick.  Allow to cool about 5 minutes.

3.   With the handle of a wooden spoon poke holes all over the top of the cake, taking care not to go all the way to the bottom. (Alternately, you can cut lines all over the cake top, again do not go too deep to the bottom).

4.  While cake is finished baking and cooling, mix together the condensed milk and caramel topping in a glass measuring cup and heat in the microwave; it does not need to get real hot.   Stir well to combine.  After cake has slightly cooled, pour slowly over the cake letting it soak in.  Sprinkle with about half  the toffee chips.

5.  At serving time,  top the cake with the Cool Whip, sprinkle with more chocolate-toffee chips, and drizzle with caramel syrup.   This is one ooey, gooey, scrumptiousdessert—-to die for!

 

SOURCE:  all-recipes.com

Tropical Pineapple Cupcakes

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Cakes and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The occasion—-High School Graduation.   The graduate—- my Granddaughter.  Future Plans—-Culinary school!   YEAH!   someone who loves to bake as much as I do.   I wanted to make something special,  yet cool and refreshing looking.  My  idea grew out of my finding a bag of marshmallowy, chewy candies in pastel colors that I thought would look cute as cupcake toppers.  So then I went on the hunt for a recipe for the base cupcake and its frosting, to tie the whole thing together into a theme.

I started with a yellow cake recipe to which I add chopped pineapple and a little pineapple juice.  The frosting is a butter cream with added lemon zest and lemon juice, tinted pale yellow.  The candies are pale green, peach and pale yellow.  So that is the color scheme I worked with,  and it was light, delicate and cool looking.

TROPICAL PINEAPPLE CUPCAKES

Yield:  I got 15 cupcakes, probably could have made each a tad smaller, and gotten 16.

Ingredients

  • 4 canned pineapple rings, finely chopped.  (or  1/2 cup crushed pineapple, well drained)
  • 2 tablespoons pineapple juice
  • 12 tablespoons butter softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/3 cup self rising flour***
***To use all-purpose flour, add  1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and  1/2 teaspoon salt to the flour measurement.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners.

Drain the pineapple, and reserve 2 tablespoons of the juice.  Finely chop the pineapple, or use crushed.

Place the butter and sugar in a large mixer bowl and beat together until light and fluffy.  Gradually beat in the eggs, one at a time.

Remove from mixer.  Sift in the flour, and using a large spoon (wooden?), fold into the batter.  Fold in the pineapple and the reserved 2 tablespoons juice.

Spoon the batter into the paper liners, filling about 2/3s full.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until risen, golden, and test done with a toothpick.  Cool in pan a few minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting

  • 4 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
  • grated rind of 1 lemon
  • 1 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • about 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • tiny dot of  yellow gel food coloring

Put butter and cream cheese in a beater bowl and beat together until smooth.  Add the lemon zest.  Sift the confectioners’ sugar into the mixture, then beat  until well mixed.  Gradually add the lemon juice until the frosting is of spreading consistency. Add the dot of gel food color, and beat for consistency of color.   Spoon the frosting into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip.  Pipe a swirl of frosting on top of each cupcake.  Sprinkle with sanding sugar in yellow and/or green.  Top with a marshmallow candy.  ( The candy I found at the grocery store is called “Mallo-Licious”).   I also think tiny palm trees would make a great topping too.—–next time!

SOURCE:   Adapted from a recipe in The Cupcake, by Angela Drake