Lemon Bundt Cake

I brought this cake for a work picnic and the lemony cake was a perfect summer desert!

Source: mix and match mama

Ingredients:
1 box of lemon cake mix

1 small box of instant vanilla pudding

1 small box of instant lemon pudding

1/2 cup of veggie oil

1 cup water

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

 4 eggs

2 cups powdered sugar

2 lemons, juice plus zest, divided

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Grease (I use coconut oil) a 10 inch bundt pan

3. In mixing bowl, combine cake mix, puddings, oil, water, 1/4 cup juice and eggs with electric mixer.  Pour into prepared pan and bake 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

4. Let cake rest on counter in pan 10 minutes.  Then, invert cake onto serving plate to finish cooling. 

5. To make the glaze, combine powdered sugar with the zest and juice of one lemon.  Mix together with a spoon.   (Add more powdered sugar if your glaze is too runny or more lemon juice from your second lemon if it's too thick.)  Spoon over cooled cake.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Cake

 I was talking to a friend of mine recently and she said she needed an easy dessert that looked impressive to take to a dinner party.  No problem!  This dessert is super easy and doesn't even require baking...can't get much easier than that.  And to top it off, it tastes great too!

Source: My Mom

Ingredients:
1 8oz cream cheese
1 3oz cream cheese
1 pint whipping cream
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons sugar
3 packages lady fingers
Fresh fruit for the top - I like strawberries and blueberries, but feel free to mix it up.

Instructions:
1. Whip the cream and add 2 tablespoons sugar.  Set aside
2. In a separate bowl, mix the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Combine cream cheese and whipped cream.
3. Use 9" spring form pan and line the outsides with lady fingers - round side of lady fingers towards the outside of the plan.  Also line the bottom with lady fingers.
4. Top with 1/2 the cream cheese mixture and add another layer of lady fingers and then add the remaining 1/2 of the cream cheese. 
5. Top with fruit and chill 4-5 hours before serving.

Almond Poppy Seed Bundt Cake

I recently left a job after 5 years in the department and I made this as my farewell cake.  My previous co-workers have been taste testing my cakes and other baked goods for years and it was fitting that I made one of my favorite cakes as my last one.  This recipe is a keeper!

Ingredients:
1 pkg yellow cake mix
1 (3.4 oz) pkg instant french vanilla pudding mix
1 cup thick sour cream
4 eggs
1/2 cup water
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup butter melted
1/4 cup poppy seeds - no this is not a typo it really does take 1/4 cup

Instructions:
1. Combine all ingredients with an electric mixer on medium speed for 5 min.
2. Pour into well buttered bundt pan
3. Bake 350 for 45 min
4. Cool 10-15 min then turn over onto serving plate

Icing Recipe:
8 oz cream cheese softened
1/4 cup butter softened
1.5 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Beat until mixed and ice or spread on the bundt cake.

100th Post - Strawberry Coconut Bundt Cake

I had no idea how much fun it would be to have a food blog when I started in July 2012. It has been such a joy to share my kitchen adventures with my family, friends and anyone else who has stumbled on this blog.

Top 5 clicked on recipes - Blogger has all these fun charts so I can see which of my posts gets the most clicks. 

1. Pink Lemonade & Nutella Bundt Cakes  These cakes are delicious so I can totally see why this is my most popular post!
2. Garlic Onion Tortilla Stack  I just saw Guy Fieri making these on Food Network recently.  Hmm I might need to make them again soon!
3. Salsa Pinwheels One of my co-workers families is addicted to these!  Her mom even asked for them for Mother's day next month!
4. White Chocolate Cherry Shortbread  These are great cookies, but I had no idea they would make the top 5 list.
5. Microwave Toffee  My blog readers must have a sweet tooth - 3 out of the top 5 are sweet!

My goal was to make 100 posts in my first year and I met my goal a little early (10 months). I hope each of you will continue to visit my blog and have kitchen adventures of your own!

Here is a yummy cake to celebrate 100 posts!

Strawberry and coconut is one of my favorite combinations!  Years ago, I was traveling in Europe with my parents when I had my first strawberry/coconut swirl ice cream cone...and I was hooked.  This cake is the perfect blend of both flavors!

Source: Mix and Match Mama Blog
Ingredients:

1 box of strawberry cake mix

2 small boxes of instant coconut cream pudding*

1/2 cup of veggie oil

1 1/4 cups water

4 eggs

2 cups shredded coconut, divided

1 can cream cheese frosting

 

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Grease a 10 inch bundt pan - I use coconut oil.

3. In mixing bowl, combine cake mix, puddings, oil, water and eggs with electric mixer. Stir in one cup of coconut. Pour into prepared pan and bake 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

4. Let cake rest on counter in pan 10 minutes. Then, invert the cake onto a serving plate to finish cooling.

5. Take your store bought cream cheese frosting and stir in remaining cup of coconut. Frost your cooled cake with your coconut frosting.

 

* I found instant coconut cream pudding boxes at Walmart.  My local grocery stores did not carry it.

Spiced Pumpkin Bundt Cake

This cake tastes similar to a Starbucks Pumpkin Latte minus the espresso.  A guy at work agreed that it was like pumpkin pie in cake form - seriously moist!  Yum!

Spiced Pumpkin Bundt Cake
Source: Mixandmatchmama blog

Cake Ingredients:

1 box of spice cake mix

2 small boxes instant vanilla pudding

1/2 cup veggie oil

1 1/4 cups water

4 eggs

1 cup pumpkin (I use Libby's)

 

Icing Ingredients:

4 cups powdered sugar

1 stick butter, softened

3-4 splashes milk

1 T. cinnamon (The original recipe calls for 2 T. I use really strong cinnamon so I cut back)

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Grease a 10 inch bundt pan - I use coconut oil
• In mixing bowl, combine cake mix, puddings, oil, water, eggs and pumpkin with an electric mixer. Pour into prepared bundt pan.
• Bake 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
• Let cake rest on counter in pan 10 minutes. Then, invert cake onto serving plate to finish cooling.
• In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, butter and milk with an electric mixer until creamy. Stir in cinnamon. Frost cooled cake.

Pink Lemonade & Nutella Bundt Cakes

 

 

I attended a very special baby shower today for my friend Nicole.  I am sharing my cake recipes with the wonderful women I met today and my regular blog readers!

 

First is the pink lemonade bundt cake - great pink color to celebrate Nicole's soon to arrive baby girl!

 

Cake recipe:

1 box of white cake mix

2 small boxes of instant lemon pudding

1/2 cup of veggie oil

1 1/4 cups thawed pink lemonade concentrate (from the freezer section!)

4 eggs

Mix and bake for 45-50 minutes at 350 (until your cake tester comes out clean).

 

Icing recipe:

1 cup unsalted butter - softened to room temperature

4 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup pink lemonade

3-5 drops red food coloring

Mix all the above.

 

Next is the Nutella Bundt Cake

Cake recipe:

1 box of chocolate cake mix

2 small boxes of instant chocolate pudding

1/2 cup of veggie oil

1 1/4 cups water

4 eggs

3/4 cup Nutella

Mix all of the ingredients together (except Nutella) with an electric mixer.  Then add the Nutella and mix until blended.  Bake for 45-50 min at 350. 

 

Icing recipe:

1 cup unsalted butter - room temperature

2 cups powdered sugar

2/3 cup Nutella

Mix the first two ingredients on low until blended then add Nutella and beat on medium for 2 min. 

Then add -

1 teas vanilla

pinch of Kosher salt

2 T. heavy whipping cream

Mix for 1 more minute.

 

One more hint - I have found that coconut oil works fabulously to have a bundt cake slide right out of the pan!  I rub a teaspoon or two of coconut oil all over the inside of the bundt pan making sure to get into all the groves. 

 

These bundt cake recipes were originally from Mix and Match Mama blog - to see her blog click here.  Please note that I changed the icing recipes based on some trial and error, so they were different from the originals.

 

What a fun day and I can't wait for Nicole's baby to arrive next month! 

Pistachio Cake

This cake has quite a story - Years ago I was part of a team performing a fraud investigation.  On the back of one of the pieces of evidence was a recipe for pistachio cake.  I told the team that when we finished the investigation I would make this cake.  So, I absolutely cannot site the person who gave me this recipe, but the team LOVED the cake when we celebrated the completion of our work.  I now refer to this as "fraud cake".  Even the green color just seems fitting.  Enjoy!

Pistachio Cake recipe:
1 box yellow cake mix
1 cup water
1 heaping cup sour cream
1 small box of pistachio instant pudding
2 eggs
Mix Well
Bake in a 9x13 at 350 for 25-30 minutes.
After the cake cools - make the icing.

Pistachio Cake Icing:
1 small box of pistachio instant pudding
1 cup cold milk
1 small carton cool whip
1 cup of crushed pistachios
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbs. melted butter
3 oz cream cheese (softened)
add milk to spread

Cherry Limeade Bundt Cake

Found a great blog called mix and match mama - click here

Her cherry limeade bundt cake based on the Sonic drink sounded great.  I made it and took it into the office where one of my coworkers proceeded to scrap every last bit of icing off the serving plate.  Yes, it was that good.