luscious lemonade layer cake

To my luck, my newly 7-year-old kiddo requested a "lemon cake" for his birthday.
Yippee! I love anything lemon...
He probably would have been fine with a boxed or store-bought, decoration-decked-out, crisco-frosting cake, but I wanted to enjoy it, too...;)
So I remembered making this lemon cake last year and loving it.
And it fit the bill again!
It's dense, moist, and the icing seeps into the cake making it even nummier the next day!

From "Keeping Up", 
luscious lemonade layer cake
click for: printable version

1 1/3 cups sugar
6 tablespoons butter, softened
zest of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons thawed lemonade concentrate
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
2 egg whites
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk

place sugar, butter, zest, lemonade and vanilla in a mixer and mix until well blended. add eggs and egg whites one at a time, beating well after each addition. in a separate bowl, mix together dry ingredients. add dry ingredients to batter, alternating with buttermilk, until all dry ingredients and buttermilk are well blended. pour into two well-greased 9'' round pans. bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes (my oven needed about 30 minutes...just do the toothpick test!). cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack.

frosting:
2 tablespoons butter, softened
zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons thawed lemonade concentrate
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

mix together all ingredients except powdered sugar and blend well. gradually add powdered sugar and beat at low speed until blended. don't over-beat. frost cake.

buttermilk brownies

So I pretty much have the sweetest neighbor.

A few weeks ago, she brought me a single brownie.
I adored it and asked for the recipe.

Today, she brought an entire pan of warm said-brownies and a hand-written recipe. 

Who does that? Dianne.

She knows our family too well, and how quickly that pan will disappear...

In fact, the brownies were still really warm and gooey, but I couldn't resist taking a fork-full and that is why there is the lame photo below.

You have to follow a few steps for this recipe, or so it seems from her recipe, 

which makes me all the more grateful that she made these for us! 

They are SUPER moist and rich with the buttermilk. 

They would make a great birthday cake.

I had to write down this recipe before her little note-card disappeared in the shuffle of this house...

Take the time to make and enjoy these brownies.

You will NOT regret it.

Cake

Whisk together in a large bowl...

2 Cups Sugar

2 Cups Flour

Bring to a boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly:

2 Cubes Butter

4 Tablespoons Cocoa

1 Cup Water

Pour that mixture over the flour and sugar.

Add:

1/2 Cup Buttermilk (put in first)

2 Slightly Beaten Eggs

1 teaspoon Vanilla

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

Mix well with a WOODEN SPOON and pour into a buttered 13x9 pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Frosting 

(start 10 minutes after brownies come out of oven)

Bring to a boil, stirring, constantly:

1 Cube Butter

4 TB Cocoa

6 TB Buttermilk

Add to:

1 Pound Powdered Sugar, Sifted

STIR LIKE CRAZY

Add:

1 teaspoon Vanilla

Spread on WARM CAKE IMMEDIATELY...

I bet you can't resist licking ever single spoon/finger/bowl you used!

Birthday Carrot Cake!

We all know that this is the cake Vern demands for his birthday each year.  The truth is I have never been a fan of carrot cake so I had to find a recipe that everyone else (including myself) could enjoy too!
I am not a fan of raisins and nuts in cake, thus you will not find it here (of course... add if you like).  The secret ingredient may frighten you, but it is the secret to a real moist, flavorful cake... Carrot Babyfood!!!
Everyone who eats this cake LOVES it!!  So give it a TRY!

Carrot Cake

Blend:
4 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 1/3 c. oil

Then add:
2 c. flour
2 t. cinnamon
2 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
4 small plastic containers of carrot baby food (3.5 oz size)
1- 2 t. vanilla
optional:
1/2 c. shredded carrots
1 c. coconut

Pour into greased/floured pan or pans (I use 2-round) and bake @ 350 degrees for 35-40 mins. (check w/ toothpick)

Cream Cheese Frosting:
4 T. softened butter
8 oz. cream cheese (can be low fat)
1/2 t. vanilla
about 6 cups of powdered sugar
add milk if too thick

 *Recipe originates from one given to me from Lori Radman/ Kris Plummer (her mom)

chess cake

this is a great recipe from aunt laura.

i made it for the family eve eve party...

a little goes a long way (esp. cuz it's made with cream cheese)

but, it was de-lish!

bottom layer:

1 box yellow cake mix

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 c butter

top layer:

1 box powdered sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

8 oz. cream cheese

preheat oven to 350 degrees.  mix first layer.  spread in greased 9x12 pan (should resemble cookie dough.)  mix top layer and pour over first layer.  bake 35-40 minutes until golden brown.

cool and serve with fruit and whip cream if desired.

bottom layer:

 top layer:

french banana cake

this is the first cake mom ever taught me to make.

from then on, i was always assigned "banana cake duty."

i love this recipe.

it's so EASY, so moist and so fluffy.

french banana cake

2/3 cup water

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 package white cake mix

2 eggs

1 1/4 cups very ripe bananas, mashed

2/3 walnuts (optional)

mix water, vinegar and soda.  combine with cake mix and eggs.  stir moistened.  scrape bowl with spatula.  add mashed bananas.  beat with electric mixer 3 minutes at medium speed.  pour into greased and floured 9"x13" pan.  bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes (or until toothpick comes out clean).  frost, when cooled, with creamy butter frosting.

creamy butter frosting:

4 cups powdered sugar

4 tablespoons soft butter

cream or milk

1 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract 

(i like almond the best)

mix powdered sugar and butter, adding enough cream and milk to make the right consistency of icing.  add vanilla or almond extract.  frost banana cake and store in the refrigerator.

(you can add sliced bananas to the top of the cake if you'd like)

 this recipe comes from the favorites cookbook.