Pumpkin Chip Cake

I am a member of Foodbuzz.  Although I don't post often, I love reading everyone's recipes.  Even if I know I will never make some of them, I read them.  Some of them I do make though...and here's what happens!

I loved the look and thought of a Pumpkin-Chocolate-Spice Cake and since I was going to visit Geneva, I thought I would make it and take most of it to them.  Them being, Geneva, Jesse, Laney and Autumn all house mates at NSU.

I read through the recipe and actually had everything I needed.  Amazing, I know because that never happens!

The recipe is from Claudia @ What's cookin' Italian and I love her stuff!  She is big on family and cooking from the heart so I know that even when I screw it up, it's okay because people that love you will eat it anyway.

Pumpkin Chip Cake
From Claudia Kitchen @ What's Cookin' Italian Cuisine

I used the yellow cake mix and doubled the cinnamon, allspice and ginger.  It seems that I had a lot of chocolate chips, etc. left so I just put it on the top (which is eventually the bottom).

When it was all said and done, it was ok.  BUT...Laney and Jesse loved it.  I wish I had taken more to them.

Next time though, I may just make a pumpkin spice cake and leave out the chocolate.  Just to see what happens.

What do you think?

Karen

My Mother's Pound Cake

When my Mother unexpected passed away in 1999, I was fortunate enough to get her recipe box.  I always loved that little, green metal box.  And I still do.

My Mother is alot like me.  If I know something, then it doesn't need to be written down because I'm probably the only one that will need it.  On many of her cards, she only has the ingredients.  No instructions.  Did you hear that...you get to guess.  Luckily on this one she went back and added baking time but that didn't happen on all of them.  I think it's cool.  Kind of adds to the fun of going through that little metal box.

You can see the what you need above.  I did switch lemon extract for the coconut.  It doesn't really change any flavor.  I creamed the butter, shortening and sugar.  Mixed the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, slightly beat the eggs and add the milk.

Alternate adding the dry and wet ingredients to the creamed butter, starting and ending with the dry.  Pour into a greased and floured bundt pan.  And this is what you get...

Indulge me for a minute.....

And maybe another minute.  You might want to pour a cup of coffee to go with this delicious cake.

I'm loving it.  How about you?

Apple Cake

While we don't have a change of seasons here in Houston, I look forward to this time of year.  I can't wait to start making soups and apple dishes, oh and pumpkin bread.  It's all so good.  The pick of the day is apples.

 As I was looking for recipes, I found the perfect one on 'The Pioneer Woman Cooks'.  She calls it Apple Cake in an Iron Skillet and it is a snap to make.  Most of her recipes are easy to follow as is this one.  It reminded me of a cobbler.  Since I didn't change anything in the recipe, please click on the link above to Ree's website.  You will love the story she tells about it almost as much as you love the cake.

Here are photos of this little autumn adventure. 
First add the apples, butter and sugar to cast iron pan.  Super simple, You let it cook for about 15 minutes.

 Mix the batter while the apples simmer away.  Yummy, Yummy.  Then spoon the batter on top.

 Spread out the batter to cover all of the apples.  It doesn't look like much but it goes along way.

 Then throw it in the oven.  I had to bake mine about 10 minutes longer than the recipe calls for.

It gets golden brown and soaks up all that butter making a cobbler like dough.

 It would be a very pretty presentation to turn it out on a cake plate but it got cut into too fast.

It looks good this way too. 

 And this way....



David Lebovitz

I regularly read David Lebovitz's blog.  I am living in Paris through him at times.  When I read this post I thought I had to share it with everyone.  I am making this cake today.

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2010/10/french-chocolate-mousse-cake-recipe/

The pictures make you want to lick the computer screen.  Take a look.

I'll post pictures of my cake tomorrow.

Best Brownie Fudge Cake Thing

Difficulty - Easy
Prep Time - 20 minutes
Cook Time - 20 minutes

The recipe came from The Pioneerwoman.com and the cake itself looks really cook.  However, there was so much going on.  I was making about 5 different dishes at once, Crystal was here watching Gracie, Charlie was having dinner, the dogs were going crazy because Gracie was here.  It was insane around the house and I missed an ingredient in the cake.  But I didn't know it. 

I took the cake to work for the Texans vs Cowboys pot luck.  And told everybody to let me know how they liked it.  I was so proud.  The guys kept calling it brownies while a few called it fudge.  I kept telling them it was cake but when you look at it, there was no cake texture at all.

I grabbed a couple of pieces for Charlie and James and they said the same thing.  More like brownies or fudge and it didn't look anything like the recipe picture.  While I was comparing the picture to the real thing, I reread the recipe and low and behold, I left out the boiling water.  Damn, I found a good thing through a mistake but now...I have to make it again to see how good the original one is.

Here's what you need:

For the brownie fudge cake:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 heaping tablespoons cocoa
2 sticks butter
1/2 cusp buttermilk
2 whole beaten eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla

What you do:
Combine flour, sugar and salt in medium bowl.
Melt butter in a saucepan.
Add coca to the butter and stir together.
This is where you can add 1 cup boiling water if you want a cakier texture.
Allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds and turn off the heat.
Pour into flour mixture and stir to cool.
Mix the buttermilk, beaten eggs, baking soda and vanilla.
Stir into the flour, butter, chocolate.
Pour into a lightly greased sheet pan.
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

For the frosting:
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 3/4 sticks of butter
4 heaping tablespoons coca
6 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pound (minus 1/2 cup) powdered sugar

And now for the sweetness:
Do this while the cake is baking.  You want to pour it onto a warm cake.
Chop the pecan.
Melt the butter (use the same saucepan as for the cake)
Add cocoa and stir.
Take saucepan off the heat and add the milk, vanilla and powdered sugar.
You might not need all of the powdered sugar that the recipe calls for. 
Add about a cup at a time and stir until you get a consistency that you like.
Add pecans and stir.
Pour over warm cake.
Cut into squares.

Make them both and let me know what you think.