Speckled Egg Cake

It's become our tradition to have friends over for Easter Brunch.  This was our fourth year of hosting Easter Brunch, and we love spending it with other friends who don't have family in town.  I'm always in charge of the dessert, and this year I decided to try something really fun!  I had seen this cake on Pinterest and had been saving it for Easter.  I'm really pleased with the way it turned out! 

This is a picture of my cake.  It's a little distorted in this picture - but you get the general idea.  For purposes of pride, I'm not going to post a picture of the original cake I was trying to imitate... just take my word for it - mine's REALLY close!)

SPECKLED EGG CAKE
a DIY by Carrie Sellman
From: thecakeblog.com
Supplies

• cake of choice, assembled and crumb-coated (I made the Southern Living Almond Wedding Cake - so good!)
• buttercream icing (I also used the Southern Living icing)
• food coloring
• 1 T cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 T vanilla extract
• clean paintbrush
• wax paper
• paper towels, for clean up
• speckled eggs

STEP 1: Color your buttercream frosting with a few drops of food coloring. I used 2-3 drops of Americolor Sky Blue gel. When tinting buttercream, I like to add one drop of color at a time until I reach the right shade. If you’ve ever ruined a batch of icing before, you already know the benefit of adding color gradually. And when in doubt, I like to error on the light side. Buttercream naturally darkens slightly as it sets.
STEP 2: Frost your assembled and crumb-coated cake with your pretty blue buttercream. Smooth and shape to your liking. It does not have to be perfect. We’re about to splatter it up!
STEP 3: In a small bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder with 1 1/2 tablespoons of vanilla extract. Stir well until cocoa is completely dissolved and you have a thin, chocolate paint.
STEP 4: Cover your work area with wax paper. Lightly dip your new (or totally clean, never used for paint) paintbrush into the chocolate. Holding the paint brush with one hand, gently flick the bristles with your other index finger to splatter the chocolate paint. Practice first onto your wax paper until you get the hang of it. No need to move on to the cake until you master the flick. When you’re ready to start speckling, hold the paintbrush fairly close to the cake and start splattering.
NOTE: A little chocolate paint goes a long way. So dip your brush lightly. If your paintbrush becomes ‘clogged’ with paint and is no longer splattering nicely, rinse it with water. Dry with a paper towel. And start again.
STEP 5: Keep splattering away! Move up, down and all around to completely cover the cake.
NOTE: As you work, you will undoubtedly get a splatter that is bigger than you would prefer. Or accidentally get carried away and bump the cake with your paintbrush. (Don’t ask me how I know this!) You have two options here. Either embrace the imperfections and let it go. Or wipe it off quickly with a light dab of water and paper towel. Then go back to speckling. If you look closely, you can see where I wiped one of my oh-no-it’s-too-big splatters. Left-middle. Not too bad of a correction and I think it adds to the speckled egg charm.
STEP 6: Now that you have the hang of splattering, you’ll also speckle the eggs you previously made. While you wait for the cake and the eggs to dry, now is a good time to wipe off any stray splatters on your cake pedestal. Once both the eggs and the cake are completely dry, arrange eggs on top of cake. Use a dab of buttercream to hold them exactly where you want them.
STEP 7: Cut, eat and enjoy!

Blackberry Crunch

I got this recipe from my family's recipe book.  It was submitted by my aunt, Marilyn, who is a fantastic cook!  I was looking for a dessert to make one night for some friends from church who were coming over for a meeting.  I knew I would be getting home from work a little late and wouldn't have tons of time, but I wanted to serve something homemade.  This was super fast and perfect for a cold winter night!

Blackberry Crunch
Ingredients:
1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple, undrained (in its own juice)
3 cups blackberries (Marilyn's recipe calls for blueberries, but nearly any berry will do!)
1 package yellow cake mix
1 stick margarine, melted
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Directions:
Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan.  Spread undrained pineapple in pan.  Layer berries over pineapple.  Sprinkle dry cake mix over the berries.  Then pour the melted margarine over all.  Sprinkle top with chopped nuts.  Do not stir.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.  Serve warm with ice cream.

Blackberry Cobbler - from Sally

Sally sent me this recipe last week from Ree Drummond (see her recipes on foodnetwork.com or at her blog, The Pioneer Woman) and said it was great!  She used half blackberries and half raspberries.  I love cobblers in the summer and can't wait to try this one!

Blackberry Cobbler
Ingredients:
1/2 stick butter, melted, plus more for greasing pan
1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup whole milk
2 cups fresh (or frozen) blackberries
Whipped cream and/or ice cream, for serving

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 3-quart baking dish with butter.

In a medium bowl, whisk 1 cup sugar with the flour and milk. Whisk in the melted butter.

Rinse the blackberries and pat them dry. Pour the batter into the baking dish. Sprinkle the blackberries evenly over the top of the batter. Sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar over the blackberries. Bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 1 hour. When 10 minutes of the cooking time remains, sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over the top. Top with whipped cream or ice cream . . . or both!

Iced Sugar Cookies

Kent and I decided to have a big Spring Break party this year.  So we invited lots of friends over and got busy making a plan.  We had been looking for an excuse to have a crawfish party like ones we used to go to in Oxford, and we thought this would be the perfect time.  So, Kent built a double crawfish table that worked wonderfully for the party, and we stocked up with beer, raw oysters, Gretchen's crab dip, and Texas caviar to give everyone a few more options for food.  I wanted to make something sweet and remembered that Sally had given me a crawfish cookie cutter last summer.  And, when I went to look for it, I found a dolphin cookie cutter from my Tri Delt days (I bought it because Jen and I always joked about collecting dolphin memorabilia) that I thought would go well with our funny airbrushed Spring Break Party invites.  I had planned on making a very super secret cookie recipe (it's so secret that I can't even reveal who gave it to me!), but I was missing part of an ingredient.  So, on a whim, I ended up making the cookie recipe that had come with the cookie cutter that Sally had given me published by Ann Clark.  They turned out wonderfully, even though some of the claws fell off of my crawfish! 

Sugar Cookies
1 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 cups sifted flour.

Directions:

Cream together the butter and sugar.  Beat the egg in a separate dish then add it to the butter/sugar mixture.  Add in the vanilla, salt, and flour.  Mix until all ingredients are well blended.  Chill dough 3 - 4 hours before rolling.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Roll out dough 1/4 inch thick and cut.  Bake about 8 - 10 minutes or until barely colored.  Remove from cookie sheets and cool on wire racks. 

Icing:

3/4 cup powdered sugar (sifted)

1 Tb. butter

1 Tb. milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. lemon juice

Directions:

Melt butter.  Combine all ingredients and beat until smooth.  Add food coloring.

*For the icing, I always add way more powdered sugar than the directions indicate so it's not as runny and sticks a little thicker to the cookies.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad - from Lacey J.

A friend from work, Lacey, made this recipe for a party we had a few weeks ago, and it was a big hit!  So, I asked her for the recipe and made it for our clothing swap.  It's a recipe that's been around for years, but it's one that nearly everyone loves!  For those of you who like recipes that involve minimal cooking, this one is great.  Make sure to save enough time to let everything rest before moving onto the next step.  I was worried that my jello mixture was too watery to pour over the top, so I put it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to give it time to congeal first.  I used unsalted pretzels because I'm not a huge fan of salty/sweet mixes, but you could definitely use either.  Lacey and I also both used one package of regular cream cheese and one package of fat free or reduced fat cream cheese (just to make ourselves feel a little better!).

Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups crushed pretzels
4 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted1 cup white sugar
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (6 ounce) package strawberry flavored gelatin
2 cups boiling water
1 (16 ounce) package frozen strawberries

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Mix together the pretzels, 4 1/2 tablespoons sugar and melted butter. Press into the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan. Bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Set aside to cool completely.
2.In a medium bowl, beat the sugar and cream cheese until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spread evenly over the cooled crust. Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.
3.In a medium bowl, stir together the gelatin mix and boiling water. Mix in frozen strawberries, and stir until thawed. Pour over cream cheese mixture in pan. Refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 1 hour.

Chocolate Eclair Cake

This dessert is one of Kent's favorite recipes that his grandmother made while he was growing up.  His sister made it around Christmas and added peanut butter.  We found a copy of the recipe recently while looking through one of her cookbooks, and Kent thought we definitely needed to share it!

Chocolate Eclair Cake
Ingredients:
1 box plain graham crackers
2 boxes vanilla instant pudding
3 1/2 cups milk
1 (12 oz) container of cool whip

Glaze ingredients:
2 squares semi-sweet chocolate
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons milk
1 cup confectioners sugar

Directions:
Butter at 13x9 inch pyrex dish.  Mix the pudding with the milk as if you were making the pudding, then add the cool whip.  Let stand for just a minute to get firm.  Line the bottom of the dish with a layer of graham crackers.Then add 1/2 of the pudding mixture on top of this.  Put another layer of graham crackers, then the rest of the pudding.  End with a layer of graham crackers.

Glaze directions:
Melt chocolate squares and butter.  Stir in confectioners sugar until smooth, then add milk.  Pour this on top of graham crackers  This is best if done two days before it is to be served.

Baked Brie Bites

Photo from: Plain Chicken

I finally had some time to try some new recipes recently!  This is one of my favorites - not only is it really tasty, but it's also REALLY easy!!  I found it on pinterest, and it was originally posted on Plain Chicken.  It's easy to throw together right before you have people over because it doesn't take much prep work.  This is a great way to serve cheese because you don't need a knife or crackers.  And, since it's sweet, you could definitely serve it as a mini-dessert!

Baked Brie Bites (from Plain Chicken)
Ingredients:
mini phyllo tarts (from the freezer section)
Ile de France brie, cubed
brown sugar
chopped pecans
honey

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Place a cube of brie in each phyllo tart. Sprinkle each tart with approximately 1/2 tsp brown sugar. Top with approximately 1/2 tsp chopped pecans and a dollop of honey. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until brie is melted. (use more or less of each ingredient according to your preference)

Angel Wing Cupcakes - from Mavis

My grandmother's sweet cousin, Mavis, baked these cupcakes this summer.  They make a great presentation and are easy to put together.  Of course, they taste great, too!

Angel Wing Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 box white or yellow cake mix

3 eggs

1 cup water

⅓ cup vegetable oil

Powdered sugar for dusting

Vanilla (or cream cheese) icing

Directions:

Put all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix at a low speed for 4 minutes. Mix on medium speed for 5-6 minutes.  Put mixture 2/3 full in cupcake pan - line the cups with paper fillers. Cook for 12-15 minutes at 350 degrees.  When the cupcakes are done, allow them to cool for a few minutes.  Cut the tops off gently.  Then, cut them in half (to make "wings").  Spread icing over the flat tops of the cup cakes.  Turn the wings on their sides and place them on top of the icing (see picture).  Then dust the cupcakes with powdered sugar.

Rocky Road Brownies - from Plain Chicken

Kent's sister made these brownies for Father's Day, and I have to say that these are the most amazing brownies I have ever had!  She got the recipe from Plain Chicken, a recipe blog whose author also lives in Birmingham.  She has really amazing recipes - I have several I've been wanting to try!  I will definitely be making these brownies soon!

Picture from: PlainChicken.com

Rocky Road Brownies
from Plain Chicken and 
adapted from The Fat Witch Bakery
Ingredients:
6 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup unbleached flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1 1/4 cup miniature marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease and flour a 9x9-inch pan.

Melt the butter, unsweetened chocolate and 2 Tbsp semisweet chocolate chips in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently.  Remove from the heat and let cool for about 15 minutes.

Beat the sugar and eggs together until frothy.  Add the cooled chocolate mixture and mix until incorporated.  Measure the flour and salt and sift together directly into the batter.  Mix gently until well combined and no trace of the dry ingredients remain.

Using a spatula, spread half of the batter evenly in the prepared baking pan.  Bake for 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir the butterscotch chips, pecans, marshmallows and remaining 2 Tbsp chocolate chips into the remaining half of the batter by hand.

Spread the marshmallow mixture evenly over partially baked layer.  You may have to use your hands to spread it evenly.  Bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool on rack for 1 hour.  Cut just before serving.

Mardi Gras King Cake

I started this post several days ago!  But, it's been a long week, and I haven't had much extra time.  It's good to be back to blogging!

Since the Academy Awards were last weekend, my friend, BLC, tagged me in her blog in her "Film Festival" post about her five favorite movies.  (BLC has the greatest blog with tons of fun posts!!)  So, since I've been tagged, I now get to post my five favorite movies!
1. Childhood Must:  Home Alone
2. Chick Flick:  Pride and Prejudice
3. Husband Approved:  Sherlock Holmes
4. True Story:  The Blind Side
5. Holiday:  The Family Stone

Now I'm tagging The Baggetts, Bookworm to Bombshell, Katie Bird Calling, and The Richardsons to share their five favorites!! 

The King's Speech seemed to come out on top at the Academy Awards this year.  Kent and I are going to see it tonight, and I can't wait!  So, in honor of The King's Speech, I decided to post the king cake recipe that I used recently.  We had our Supper Club over for dessert after dinner at La Paz the other night.  I'd seen a lot of Mardi Gras decorations lately and decided it was time for a king cake.  I couldn't find a baby to put in it, but it still tasted good!

Mardi Gras King Cake - makes 2 cakes
(Preparation time: 5 1/2 hours)
Ingredients:
1 stick butter plus 1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup warm water (103-110 degrees)
4 eggs
2/3 cup 99% fat-free skim evaporated milk
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons grated orange rind
2 teaspoon salt
2 pkg. dry yeast
6 cups flour

Directions:
In a saucepan, melt 1 stick butter, milk, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt.  Cool to lukewarm.  In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 tablespoon sugar, yeast, and water.  Let stand until foaming, about 5 - 10 minutes.  Beat eggs into yeast; then milk mixture and rinds.   Stir in flour, 1/2 cup at a time, reserving 1 cup of flour for kneading surface.  Knead dough until smooth, about 5 -10 minutes.  Place in large mixing bowl greased with 1 tablespoon butter, turning dough once to grease top.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

Filling:
Mix sugars and cinnamon and set aside:
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 stick butter, melted
2 plastic babies

When dough has doubled, punch down and divide in half.  On a floured surface, roll half of the dough into a thin log and bring the ends together to make an oval.  Push down the dough to make it flat (about 3 inches wide).  Brush with melted butter, leaving the edges dry.  Sprinkle the buttered part of the batter with the sugar mixture.  Then bring the edges of the cake together so that the sugar mixture is enclosed in the center.  Repeat with the other half of the dough for form the second cake.

Place each cake on a 10x15 baking sheet, cover with a damp cloth, and let rise until doubled - about one hour.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove from pan.  While warm, place one plastic baby in each from underneath.

Topping:
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon of milk
1 cup sugar, colored (1/3 cup each of yellow, purple, and green)

Tint sugar by mixing a few drops food coloring into the sugar until desired color is reached.  Mix the powdered sugar and the milk together - you may need to add more powdered sugar or more milk to reach the right consistency.  You're going to drizzle this on the cake, so you want the mixture to be thin enough to drip down the sides a little, but thick enough to stay mostly on the cake.  Then sprinkle with the sugars alternating between colors.

Big Soft Ginger Cookies - from Sally and Dory

Sally used to make these cookies in college, and my friend, Dory, in Birmingham makes some that are very similar.  Kent loves when I make these cookies because the whole house smells good!  Cooking these is definitely a good way to get your house smelling like Christmas!

Big Soft Ginger Cookies
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup margarine, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons white sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.  Set aside.  In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses.  Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture.  Shape dough into walnut-sized balls, and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar.  Place the cookies two inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly.  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.

Oreo Balls - from Julie B.

I saw this recipe on Julie's blog and had to share it!  Kent and I are definitely planning to try these soon.  Julie says, "Be warned you cannot eat just one!"


Picture from Julie's blog - don't these look AMAZING?!

 Oreo Balls
Ingredients:
1 package of Oreos
1 (8 oz.) package of cream cheese (softened)
1 package of white chocolate chips
1 small package of milk chocolate chips

Directions:
Crush the Oreos until they are finely powdered. I put mine in the chopper or food processor.

Mix the cookie crumbs with the softened cream cheese. Form into the desired size balls. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes to allow for hardening.

Melt the white chocolate in the microwave just until it gets melted.

Dip the Oreo balls into the white chocolate to cover. Place on a sheet of waxed paper on a cookie sheet.

Melt small amount of milk chocolate chips and drizzle on top. I use a ziploc bag and cut a tiny hole in the corner to drizzle.

Refrigerate. Once they harden you can package them into containers, but it is best to keep them refrigerated.

Praline Pecans - from Dory

I have always LOVED praline pecans.  Dory gave us this recipe last year at Covenant's Christmas Countdown.  She says to use a candy thermometer to make sure the candy reaches the right temperature or it won't turn out right.

Praline Pecans
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon rum extract
3 cups pecan halves

Directions:
In a heavy saucepan, combine the sugars, water, honey, and cinnamon.  Bring to a boil over medium heat; do not stir.  Cook over medium heat until a candy thermometer reads 240 degrees (soft-ball stage).  Remove from heat; add extracts.  Cool to lukewarm without stirring.

Beat with a mixer for 2-3 minutes or until creamy.  Stir in pecans until coated.  Turn onto waxed paper (mixture will be sticky); separate large clumps.  Cool for several hours or until dry and sugary.  Store in an airtight container. 

Yield: 3 cups

German Chocolate Cupcakes

This is the Martha Stewart recipe for German Chocolate Cupcakes that I used for the Oktoberfest Party.  I actually made them into minicupcakes and didn't split them like it shows in the picture here.  This recipe makes 24 large cupcakes or about 48 mini cupcakes.  The cupcakes were very moist and the icing was amazing!  This would be a great recipe for the fall and winter.  Enjoy!

Photo from MarthStewart.com

German Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for tins
2 cups cake flour (not self-rising), sifted, plus more for tins
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
5 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush standard muffin tins with butter; dust with cake flour, tapping out excess. Whisk together cake flour, baking soda, and salt.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and beating until combined after each. Beat in chocolate until combined.

Divide batter evenly among prepared cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 10 minutes. Run a small offset spatula or knife around the edges to loosen; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored up to 3 days at room temperature in airtight containers.

To finish, use a serrated knife (and a gentle sawing motion) to split cupcakes in half horizontally. Spread a heaping tablespoon of frosting on top of each bottom half; replace top halves. Spread more frosting on top of each cupcake. Serve immediately.

Coconut-Pecan Frosting
Ingredients:
3 large egg yolks
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
1 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and brought to room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 2/3 cups (7 ounces) sweetened flaked coconut
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

Directions:
Combine egg yolks, evaporated milk, and brown sugar in a saucepan. Add butter, and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick, about 10 minutes. Pour through a fine sieve into a bowl.

Stir in vanilla, salt, coconut, and pecans. Let cool completely. Frosting can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 day; bring to room temperature before using.

Kentucky Derby Pie

Sally put this recipe in a Shutterfly cookbook that she made for me for my birthday a few years ago.  I love the cookbook because it has pictures in it that she took of all of our friends throughout college, and it contains a lot of great recipes!  I made this one for supper club last week.  After going to La Paz for dinner, everyone headed to our house for dessert.  I was nervous about making something new when we were having people over, but it turned out really well (though a little runny since I didn't let it cool enough).  With these ingredients, you know it has to be good...

 

At City Grocery with great friends senior year - one of my favorite pictures from the cookbook

Kentucky Derby Pie
Ingredients:
1 9" pie frozen pie shell

1 stick butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup flour

pinch of salt

2 Tbsp Kentucky bourbon

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Allow the pie crust to defrost - this will take about an hour.  Put the shell into a dish making sure to pinch the edges on top of the dish so that the shell does not sink back into the dish during cooking.  Place the pie crust into the oven and allow it to cook partially, for about 10-15 minutes.  The pie crust should begin to harden but not turn golden yet. 

Cream the butter and sugar.  Add beaten eggs, flour, salt, and bourbon.  Then add chocolate chips and pecans.  Stir well and pour into the partially cooked pie shell.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Allow it to set up about 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Thelma's Cake - from Melissa

This is a recipe for a wonderful chocolate chip bundt cake. It is so yummy and really easy to make! The hardest part is definitely grating the chocolate - but it's worth it! Melissa and Ryan have brought it to several family functions (it's one of his family's recipes). But, I finally got the chance to make it for get-together with friends a few weeks ago. It's super moist and great for any time of the year!

Thelma's Cake
Ingredients:
1 box yellow cake mix
1 box vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
1 cup oil
1 cup milk
1 German Chocolate bar (grated)
1/2 bag chocolate chips

Directions:
Mix the first 5 ingredients well. Then fold in chocolate (grated and chips). Cook in a well greased bundt pan at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until well done. Sprinkle with powdered sugar after cooking, if desired.

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball - from BLC

My friend, BLC, mentioned this wonderful appetizer several times. I finally got the chance to taste it... and oh my goodness!!! It is amazing! I'm so glad she shared the recipe!



Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball
Ingredients:
1 pkg. (8oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbs. brown sugar
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
Graham Crackers or Teddy Grahams

Directions:
Combine cream cheese, butter, & vanilla until creamy. Add in sugars and mix until blended. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips. But the mixture into the fridge to cool for a little bit. Then form it into a ball. Serve with Graham Crackers or Teddy Grahams.

*BLC is such a sweet friend and so much fun! Click on the link if you'd like to see her super stylish blog, The Company She Keeps. She originally got this recipe from her friend, Hopsy. Visit Hopsy's fun blog at Monograms and Manicures.*

Cheesecake - from Kate W. B.

Kate brought this wonderful cheesecake to our graduation cookout last weekend. This is a great recipe because you don't have to bake the cheesecake in a waterbath like some cheesecake recipes - and it still has the great cheesecake texture! She brought cut strawberries to top off her cake - yum!
*If you want to hear more from Kate, check out her fun blog, "Bookworm to Bombshell.*

Cheesecake
You need two 9-inch graham cracker crusts(Keebler).

Filling:
3 packages (8oz.) cream cheese
1 cup of sugar
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Whip cream cheese(softened), adding sugar. Beat until smooth. Add eggs one at a time while beating. Add vanilla. Pour into pie shells. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

Topping:
1 pint sour cream (16oz.)
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Whip sour cream. Mix in sugar and vanilla. Pour over baked pies. Bake for 5 minutes at 500 degrees. Cool and enjoy! Refrigerate.

Triple Chocolate Layer Cake

This is one of the first layer cakes that I ever made. It's a great one to start with if you've never made a layer cake before because the frosting isn't too difficult to make. Some chocolate cakes use a boiled icing (I once almost set my kitchen on fire making boiled icing!). This recipe comes from Easy Cakes and is really yummy!

Triple Chocolate Layer Cake

Cake Ingredients:

3 cups self-rising flour

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

a good pinch of salt

2 cups sugar

1 cup sunflower oil

2 extra-large eggs, beaten

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus extra to decorate (or you can use shaved chocolate for a more elegant look)

Frosting Ingredients:

1 stick plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

1/4 cup milk (whole milk works best for baking but 2% will work if you have it!)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

To make the cake, sift the flour, cocoa, salt, and sugar into a large bowl, and make a hollow in the center. Pour the oil, beaten eggs, milk, and vanilla into the hollow in the dry ingredients - mix gradually with a wooden spoon. Add the chocolate chips and stir well. Divide the mixture between the 3 prepared pans (use 3 pans that are each 8 or 9 inches in diameter - grease the bottoms and line with parchment paper).

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, the carefully invert onto a wire rack and let cook completely.

Meanwhile, to make the frosting, put the soft butter in a bowl and use a wooden spoon or electric mixer to beat until creamy. Gradually beat in the confections' sugar, cocoa, milk, and vanilla to make a thick, smooth frosting.

When the cakes are completely cold, use the frosting to layer them. Spread about one-sixth of the frosting on the top of one cake. Gently set a second cake on top and spread with another one-sixth of the frosting. Top with the last cake, then coat the top and sides with the rest of the frosting. Decorate with extra chocolate chips.

Store in an airtight container and eat within 4 days.

(Image from MarthaStewart.com)

Berry Trifle

This is great summer-time dessert! The fresh berries and lemon curd give the dish a refreshing taste. Next time I might even try adding some mint leaves. It calls for a store-bought poundcake, but if you have time you can make your own. I used this pound cake recipe in my trifle. If you prefer, you could certainly use lady fingers or angel food cake in place of the pound cake.

Berry Trifle
by: Tyler Florence
Ingredients:
Berries -
1 pint blueberries
1 pint strawberries, hulled and cut into thick slices
2 pint raspberries
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

Lemon Cream -
1 pint whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (11-ounce) jar lemon curd
1 cup store bought pound cake, slices 1/2-inch thick

Directions:
Place the berries into a large bowl and sprinkle with half of the lemon juice. Lightly toss.
Combine the berries, sugar, cornstarch and remaining lemon juice in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer and cook just until the berries begin to break down and give up their juices, about 3 minutes. Take the berries off the heat and let cool; the mixture should thicken up as is cools.
In a clean bowl, whip the cream with the powdered sugar and the vanilla to soft peaks. Put the lemon curd into a second bowl and stir in a little of the whipped cream to loosen it. Then fold in the rest of the cream.
To assemble the trifle, spoon a layer of the lemon cream into a large glass bowl. Add a layer of pound cake, breaking the slices into pieces that fit. Then soak the cake with a layer of berries and their juices. Keep going to make 3 or 4 more layers, depending on the size of the bowl, finishing with a layer of lemon cream. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.