Triple Chocolate Bunt Cake

My mother-in-law makes this delicious bunt cake that she calls Death by Chocolate cake. It's always a crowd favorite and there is never anything more than crumbs left over. It comes out of this little paper recipe book that she has and we all love it. I finally got my act together and called her up to get the recipe for a party that I was hosting and I'm so glad that I did. I renamed it, because you use three different chocolate ingredients and I think that it rolls off the tongue nicely. 

Triple Chocolate Bunt Cake

Source: Sue Peaden 

Ingredients: 

1 chocolate cake mix

1 small instant chocolate pudding mix

3/4 cup sour cream

4 eggs

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup oil

1-2 cups of chocolate chips

Directions:

Grease and flour a bunt pan. (This cake will sometimes fall apart if you don't grease it well - so be generous). In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, sour cream, water, and oil. After mixed thoroughly, add pudding and cake mix. Stir in chocolate chips and pour into bunt pan. Bake for 45-55 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from oven and let cool for no more than 5 minutes before flipping the bunt pan over to remove cake. Top with a light sprinkling of powdered sugar. Enjoy!

Caramel Apple Slices

I love caramel apples, however, I'm always a little disappointed in them for two reasons: they are hard to eat and they don't have the right apple to caramel ratio. These Caramel Apple Slices solve both of those problems and make a yummy and fun fall treat!  

Caramel Apple Slices

Ingredients: 

5 apples 

1 bag of caramels

1 cube chocolate almond bark

Directions: 

Cut apples in half and scoop out core. Melt caramel according to package direction. (Remove wrappers, place in microwave safe bowl with 1 tbs water, stir every 30 seconds until caramels melt.) Spoon melted caramel into the hollow apple and place in fridge to set up. Just prior to serving, cut apples into slices (this can get tricky - if the caramel pops out of the core just set it back in - it will set up nicely). Melt almond bark in microwave then transfer to a plastic baggie. Snip a small hole in the corner and drizzle over each apple slice. Enjoy!

 (Tip: Refrigerate until serving. It will make the caramel a little hard- but otherwise the caramel will start to melt like in these pictures. Originally the caramel was at the same level as the chocolate.)

Chocolate Cool-Whip Birthday Cake

I found this recipe when I was looking for the perfect birthday cake for my baby's first birthday. It turned out fabulously! We all loved it so much, but when David's birthday rolled around and he requested the same cake - I knew it was a real winner. And SO yummy. 

Chocolate Cool Whip Birthday Cake
Source: My Stubborn Miss (She has awesome step by step pictures that are really great. I'd recommend jumping over to her website to check them out.)

Ingredients:
1 tub of COOL WHIP Whipped Topping
1 box chocolate cake mix (and the ingredients listed on the box)
Melting chocolate or Almond Bark

Directions: 

Mix the chocolate cake batter according to the instructions on the box. Bake in 8- or 9-inch rounds and let cool. Slice each round in half to make four circular cakes. (If you happen to break one, don't worry, you can put it back together with your melted chocolate.) 

Melt your chocolate according to the package directions and spread it between the layers of cake you just cut apart, then reassemble the two round cakes to create two circular cakes with a layer or chocolate in the middle of each one. Let cool. 

Assemble the cake with COOL WHIP between the two cakes, then frost all over the outside. Top with sprinkles.

Want to see a flashback to Lydia's first Birthday party? I made a large cake for everyone else and a small cake just for her. It was so fun and really did turn out perfectly. I dare say this cake is a new family favorite! 

Sugar Cookie Bars

My friend, Sarah - author of High Heels and Grills, posted these a while back and I think that I tried them out that very same day. I'm such a fan! They are everything that you may want in a sugar cookie and only half of the work. You don't think that the rolling and cutting take that much time. But they do. This method is so much easier - and still so delicious!

Sugar Cookie Bars
Source: High Heels and Grills, a la Cooking Classy

Ingredients:
2-1/2 cups bread flour (or all-purpose flour is fine)
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1-1/2 Tbsp. sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 and grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. (The longer you beat it, the fluffier your cookies will be.) Add egg and combine well. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until completely blended. Slowly add the flour mixture and stir until well combined.

Gently press the batter into the greased baking dish and spread out with hands. (If you butter your hands, this will help with the stickiness.)Bake 17-20 minutes, or until edges become lightly golden. Set aside to cool completely. 

Sugar Cookie Frosting

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup half and half
1 tsp. vanilla
Pinch of salt
Several drops of food coloring (optional)

Directions:

In a medium bowl, cream together butter, powdered sugar, and half and half until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla and salt, combine well. Add food coloring until desired color. Frost your cooled cookie bars evenly. Cut into squares and serve. 

Sweet Surprise Cupcakes

I got this recipe from the Foods I cookbook that the other Foods teacher at Westlake uses. We worked out a system where were were on the same schedule. Valentines Day was one of my favorite cooking days, because each lab did a different recipe and then we all shared for a fun Valentine party. This was a delicious recipe. I made it again the other day for a football game treat - which is what this picture is of. Yellow cake mix and blue filling. However, i've posted the recipe as it is found in Mrs. Wilson's Foods I recipe book.

Sweet Surprise Cupcakes 

Ingredients:
Devils Cake Mix
Cream Cheese Surprise Filling
Chocolate Frosting

For Cream Cheese Surprise Filling:
1 (8 oz.) block cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
6 drops red food coloring
24 cupcake liners

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Mike Devils Cake mix according to package directions in
kitchen aid mixer bowl. Remove better attachment and scrape
bottom and sides of bowl to blend all ingredients.
3. While two students are doing step one two students will do the
following in another kitchen aid bowl.
4. Blend together cream cheese, egg, sugar, food coloring until
smooth and creamy set aside. Place liners in muffin tins
5. Fill each muffin cup ½ full of cake batter. Place dollop of cream
cheese mixture in center of each cupcake.
6. Fill with remaining cake batter scrapping down the sides of
mixer bowl with rubber scraper.
7. Bake for 23-26 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center
comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan 5 minutes then remove
to cooling rack to cool completely for the next class to frost.

To decorate cupcakes:

While your cupcakes are baking you will decorate 24 cups for your
class to eat.
1. Frost each cupcake with prepared chocolate frosting. Sprinkle
white, pink or red candies on top. Place on serving trays for
the buffet line.

Chip Bars

This is one of David's favorite treats. A super easy, yet crowd pleasing recipe. I swear these chip bars disappear like nobody's business around here.

Chip Bars

Ingredients:
1 sleeve (plus a couple) Graham Crackers
1/2 cup melted butter
Chocolate Chips
Butterscotch Chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Directions:
Crush graham crackers into small crumbs and spread evenly over bottom of a baking sheet. Drizzle melted butter overtop crumbs. Place chocolate and butterscotch chips over graham cracker crust covering completely. Pour sweetened condensed milk overtop as evenly as possible. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes or until chips and milk starts to brown. Let cool before cutting.

Cake-Mix Cookie Bars

These may be the easiest cookies i've ever made. I saw them on Pinterest earlier in the day and thought to myself "Self, you need to make those for David tomorrow." Then after dinner during a rousing game of Chicken Food, David said something to the effect of: "You know what sounds really good right now? Some butterscotch cookies!" And so, because our little one was already in bed - we quietly and excitedly decided to give these a try. I had to search Pinterest a little bit, because apparently I hadn't actually pinned it... but we found it and were so glad that we did! These were SO so easy to make and super yummy as well.

Source: I'm a Lazy Mom (slightly adapted)

Ingredients: 

1 box yellow or white cake mix
2 eggs, beaten
5 Tablespoons melted butter
1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup butterscotch chips

Directions
Mix together in medium sized bowl. (We didn't use a mixer, and just used a fork - which was awesome because there were hardly any dirty dishes!) Pat down in a greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Sugar Cookies

If you want a delicious, melt in your mouth sugar cookie - then this is the recipe for you!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup sour cream

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Frosting, sprinkles, colored sugar, decorations

Beat together butter and sugar. Add sour cream, eggs, and vanilla; beat well. Stir
in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate at
least one hour.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F

Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness. Dip cookie
cutters in flour then cut dough into desired shapes. Place cookies 1-inch apart
on un-greased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes (cookie will be a very light
tan on bottom - tops will still be pale). Remove to wire cooling rack. Frost when cooled.



---------
Butter Cream Frosting

1 cup butter, room temperature

5 cups powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract

4-6 tablespoons cream or milk

gel or paste food coloring (optional)

Method:
Beat together butter, sugar, salt, vanilla and 1/4 cup cream or milk. Add
additional cream, 1-2 teaspoons at a time and continue to beat until frosting is
smooth, creamy and is desired spreading consistency. Beat in food color, one
drop at a time, as desired.