Apple Cake

4 cups finely diced apples
2 cups sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups flour
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups nuts
2 tsp vanilla

Topping:

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
4 TBSP flour
2 cups water
1 cup butter
 2 tsp vanilla

Mix apples and sugar together. Let stand until sugar is dissolved. Add eggs and beat well. Stir dry ingredients together. Stir in to apple mixture. Add nuts and vanilla. Pour into a 9x13 pan. Mix topping together and spread over top of apple mixture. Bat at 375 for 40 - 45 minutes or until done.

*D: This is a fairly easy recipe, but it takes a while to make, for some reason. Probably because you have to chop apples. It took me 5 small apples to get 4 cups. It would probably take 3 or 4 store-bought apples.

The cake mixture is very thick, and the topping is very runny. It's like pouring soup over a cake. This makes it hard to tell when the cake is done cooking, because the apples caramelize, and it almost turns out to be a custardy spice cobbler. It'd say when the top is cooked and crunchy the cake is done.

Put a cookie sheet UNDER the cake because it will boil over the edges.

Very delicious! Especially when warm. Serve with ice cream if you want, or just the cake. Either way it's delicious. Pin It

Vanilla Cupcakes

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup (130 grams) granulated white sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Zest of 1 large lemon (optional)
1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (60 ml) milk






Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and butter or line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter and bake for about 18-20 minutes or until nicely browned and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, frost with icing. If you want flat topped cupcakes then slice off the dome of each cupcake, with a sharp knife, before frosting. If you want to pipe the frosting, I like to use a large Wilton 1M closed star decorating tip.

Makes 12 cupcakes

*D: I LOVE these cupcakes! They might need a little more sweet, if you ask me. So I would probably add just a dash more sugar...maybe bring it up to a whole cup. I know that's more than a dash, but really I don't think it'd do anything but help.

I used the Butter Cream Frosting that came with the recipe. You can find it here. Please make sure you follow the directions or else your frosting will come out clumpy and funky. But still RATHER tasty. I ton't have a piping bag or tip, so I shoved all the icing in a plastic bag, cut the tip, and voila.


My sister is a cake decorator and showed me how to frost the tops in what I lovingly refer to as "little poops." The secret is to start on the outside and swirl to the center, making sure not to leave gaps between the frosting loops that you'll have to fill in later.

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Dangerous Chocolate Cake

4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips, optionals
mall splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug





Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again. Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts (high).

The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired. EAT! (This can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous).

And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world?

Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time - day or night!

I'm eating this right now. I'm surprised to discover that's it's light and fluffy. I expected it to be dense and rich. It's pleasant and I don't feel all that bad about eating it all because it's so light.

It may look gross, but trust me, it's delicious. I topped mine with a little chocolate syrup. Next time I'm going to put some cherries on top. Mmmm.

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New York Cheesecake

15 graham crackers (1/2 grahams, so 7 1/2 whole crackers)
2 TBSP butter, melted
4 packages of cream cheese, 8 oz each
1 1/2 c sugar
3/4 c milk
4 eggs
1 c sour cream
1 TBSP vanilla extract
1/4 c flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9" springform pan. This is a springform pan:



There's a glass, or metal, disc in the bottom or the pan and then the latch is released, the disc is removable.

Put the graham crackers in large plastic bag and crush them. I use a rolling pin and it works marvelously. In a medium bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs and butter together. The mixture will be that of moist crumbs. It will not be wet, and it won't even clump together.

Press the crumbs into the bottom of the greased pan. Press them slightly higher along the edges to create a very shallow lip.

In a large bowl mix cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Blend in milk and then mix in eggs one at a time; just enough to incorporate them. Mix in sour cream, vanilla and flour until smooth.

Pour filling into prepared crust. As you can see, it's very near the top. Yes, it does rise. I have never had it over flow, but I'm not willing to risk it. I put a cookie sheet under the cheesecake just in case.

Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour. Turn oven off and let the cake cool in oven with the door closed for 5 - 6 hours. This prevents cracking.

Chill in refrigerator until serving.

Here you can see the cake has risen out of the pan.

Once it cools, it will condense again. It is important to read the instructions. But it's even more important to follow them. Leave the door closed on the oven, otherwise this will happen:

I wasn't too worried because it all tastes the same. But your cake will not crack if you leave the oven door closed. I promise.

It still looks good anyway, if I do say so myself.

Next you just need to slice it up and "doctor" it (as my in-laws say) to perfection. My drug of choice? Cherry pie filling and chocolate sauce.

Mmmm.

Tell me your mouth isn't watering right now...

Aren't you impressed? If you make this for company or your spouse or your in-laws, they will be impressed too.

And trust me, it tasted as good as it looked.

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