Fabulous Buttercream Frosting

                                                                                                           By: Maureen Clegg



I know we can always buy cakes at bakeries but sometimes a homemade layer cake just cannot be replicated.   Bake any flavor cake from a mix  in two  8-9" cake pans  (I like Betty Crocker Devils Food).  Canned frosting sometimes has an odd flavor to me and homemade is so easy to do. I have used this basic recipe for years and amounts are approximate.

2/3 c butter (softened)
1 t vanilla
2 T milk
5-6 cups powdered sugar
If making chocolate frosting add:
1/3 c baking cocoa or to taste

Whip together ingredients well adding more  milk if too thick.  Be careful as a little milk thins it quickly.  If too thin just add more powdered sugar until it is at a good spreading consistency.  

Fresh Apple Cake

Linda Olson shared this dreamy cake at our October activity. What a yummy taste of autumn!






Fresh Apple Cake









1/2 c oil                            1 t salt
2 eggs                               2 c sugar
2 t soda                             2 c flour
1 t nutmeg                        5 c  raw apples (peeled and chopped)
1 t cinnamon

Dump in bowl all at once and mix together.  Pour into greased 9" x 13" pan.  Bake at 325 degrees for one hour.

Bishop Kelson's Favorite Rice Krispies Treats

These were so requested when Bishop Kelson was our bishop that he copied off the recipe!


1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
Heat to a bubble stirring constantly, take off heat immediately after it bubbles.

Thoroughly mix sugar mixture with 1 cup peanut butter.

Add 6 cups Rice Krispies to the mixture and mix well, push down into a well buttered 9 x 13 pan.

Melt and mix 1 package semi sweet chocolate morsels and 1 package butterscotch morsels together and spread over rice Krispies mixture.

Let set until cool.

Texas Sheet Cake

You won't find a more tender and delectable cake than this classic.

TEXAS SHEET CAKE

                                                                                                         From Susan Connell 

CAKE

2 sticks butter or margarine

1 cup water

4 tbls unsweetened cocoa powder

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups white sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1- 2 teaspoons cinnamon

* ½ cup buttermilk  (you can use dry)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

CAKE

Grease a 15x10 inch jelly roll pan. Bring 2 sticks butter, water and 4

tablespoons cocoa to a boil in a large saucepan. While still hot, remove

from heat and add to combined 2 cups flour and 2 cups white sugar. Mix well.

Add in eggs, cinnamon, buttermilk, baking soda, and vanilla. Do not

mix too long. Pour batter into greased 15x10 inch jelly roll pan. Bake

at 400° degrees for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center

of cake comes out clean.

ICING

½ cup butter

4 tbls unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ cup milk

3½ cups confectioners sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

ICING

Bring 1/2 cup butter or margarine, 4 tablespoons cocoa, and 1/4/ milk to a boil.

Remove from heat. While still hot, add confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and nuts. Beat well. Ice cake while icing is still hot

*Prepare the dry buttermilk according to package

  directions.

Rhubarb Raspberry Crunch-fabulous alone or with ice cream

We enjoyed this dessert at our visiting teaching conference last year.  


Rhubarb Raspberry Crunch
                                                               from Judy Frizzell

1 c sugar
3 T flour
3 c raspberries (fresh or frozen)
3 c diced rhubarb
1 1/2 c flour
1 c brown sugar
1 c butter (softened)
1 c rolled oats

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2.  In a large bowl, mix white sugar, 3 T flour, raspberries and rhubarb. Place mixture in 9 x 13 pan.
3.  Mix 1 1/2 c flour, brown sugar, butter  and oats until crumbly.  You may want to use a pastry blender for this.  Crumble on top of rhubarb and raspberry mixture.
4. Bake 45 min in the preheated oven or until crisp and lightly browned.

Creamy Homemade Vanilla Pudding

HOMEMADE VANILLA PUDDING

                                           From Alicia Guglielmo

1/2 c. sugar

1/3 c. flour

1/4 t. salt

2 eggs, well beaten

2 c. milk (scalded)

1/2 t. vanilla (or other extract)

2Tbs butter

Combine the sugar, salt, flour and eggs.  Add scalded milk slowly, stirring constantly.  Cook for 30 second intervals in the microwave stirring every 30 seconds. Cook until thick and smooth.  Then add vanilla and butter. This can also be served with chocolate chips melted or any other mix-ins you want. 

Nicole Goodman Shared her magic with cake pops

How to make cake pops

· Bake cake and let cool completely

· Crumble cake into fine crumbs

· Slowly mix in frosting until crumbs stick together

o Be sure to not add too much frosting

· Roll mixture into small cake balls (balls should be about 1.25 inches in diameter)

o Do not roll cake balls too tight

o Do not make cake balls too large

· Place cake balls in refrigerator for 2-3 hours

o Cover to prevent them from drying out

o You can place cake balls into freezer for about 20 minutes, do not freeze

o Cake balls should be firm before moving on to next step

· Slowly melt chocolate/candy melts (coating) in microwave or double broiler

o Use a deep bowl

o Be sure to not overheat, keep below 100 degrees

o Keep any water or water-based products out of coating

· Remove cake balls from refrigerator

· Dip ½ inch of lollipop stick into coating

· Insert dipped end of stick halfway into cake ball

· Refrigerate cake balls with sticks for a few minutes until coating is firm

· Have your Styrofoam (or whatever you will be using to place your cake pop in to dry) and any decorations out and ready

· Remove only 2-3 cake pops at a time from the refrigerator, taking them all out will cause them to warm up too much

· Submerge the cake pop into the coating

o Do not let the cake pop touch the bottom of the bowl

· Hold cake pop above bowl until excess coating drips off

· Let coating set for a moment before adding sprinkles or other decorations

o If sprinkles are added while the coating is too warm, they will pull the coating off

· Place the cake pop in stand until the coating is set up

· ENJOY!

To see more of Nicole’s awesomeness go to www.sweetcakesbynicole.com

Easy Pumpkin Crumble from Our Best Bites

This is the delicious Easy Pumpkin Crumble we had at our Thanksgiving Feast activity.  We found this recipe on the blog Our Best Bites.  Please go to their website here to get the recipe.