Caramel Apple Cheesecake

1 can apple pie filling

1 graham cracker pie shell (I crush graham crackers, mix with melted butter and pat it down in the bottom of a springform on). 

2 8oz cream cheese (softened) 

1/2 C sugar 

1/4 tsp vanilla 

2 eggs 

1/4 C caramel ice-cream topping

Spread 3/4 can Apple pie filling in crust (reserve the rest). 

Mix cream cheese and sugar till smooth. Add eggs, 1 at a time till well blended. Mix in vanilla. Pour over apples in crust. 

Bake at 325 for 35 min or until firm. Cool. 

In saucepn warm reserved pie filling and caramel. Pour over top of cheesecake. Arrange apples how you like them and drizzle with more caramel sauce if desired. 

Pineapple Coconut Cake

Cake:

2 C. sugar

2 C. flour

2 eggs

1/2 C butter

1 tsp vanilla 

1 20oz. can crushed pineapple w/ juice

Mix and bake in greased 9x13 pan, 350 degrees, 35-40 min. 

Frosting:

1 8oz pkg cream cheese

2 Tbsp melted butter

powdered sugar to desired sweetness

Whip smooth. Frost the cake while it's warm. 

Cover the top with a layer of shredded coconut. 

Sunshine Cake

1 18.25 oz. box yellow cake mix

1 small box coconut cream or vanilla instant pudding mix

1 11 oz. can of mandarin oranges, undrained

1/2 of a 20 oz. can of crushed pineapple, undrained (you will use the other half for the frosting. If you want, you can drain the pineapple into a bowl, measure out half of the pineapple and half of the liquid, but I usually just approximate right from the can)

2 large eggs

3/4 c. shredded coconut (optional)

Pineapple frosting:  

1/2 of an 8 oz. tub of Cool Whip (French Vanilla variety is great for this, but it's a seasonal flavor)

1/2 of a 20 oz. can of crushed pineapple, as mentioned above

1 small box of coconut cream instant pudding mix

Extra mandarin oranges and coconut (if using in cake) for garnish.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly grease and flour a 9x13x2 pan or line 24 muffin tins with cupcake liners.  In a large bowl, combine cake mix and pudding mix.  Add oranges, pineapple and eggs.  Beat at medium speed until combined (you don't have to mix it for longer than about 2 mins. -- no need to overbeat).  Pour into prepared pan(s) and bake for about 40 mins for 9 x 13 pan for or about 20 mins for cupcakes or until cake tests done.  Let cool completely. Stir ingredients together

 for pineapple topping (no need to use a mixer).  Frost cake or cupcakes with topping and garnish with mandarin oranges and coconut.

From: Karen Lane 

Coconut Cake

• 3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pans
• 2 cups sugar
• 5 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pans
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup milk
• 4 ounces sweetened shredded coconut

For the frosting:

• 1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 6 ounces sweetened shredded coconut

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 (9-inch) round cake pans, then line them parchment paper. Grease them again and dust lightly with flour.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light yellow and fluffy. Crack the eggs into a small bowl. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl once during mixing. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well. The mixture might look curdled; don't be concerned.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk to the batter in 3 parts, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Fold in the 4 ounces of coconut with a rubber spatula.

Pour the batter evenly into the 2 pans and smooth the top with a knife. Bake in the center of the oven for 45 to 55 minutes, until the tops are browned and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool on a baking rack for 30 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto a baking rack to finish cooling.
For the frosting, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and almond extract on low speed. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until just smooth (don't whip!).

To assemble, place 1 layer on a flat serving plate, top side down, and spread with frosting. Place the second layer on top, top side up, and frost the top and sides. To decorate the cake, sprinkle the top with coconut and lightly press more coconut onto the sides. Serve at room temperature.

Mascarpone Cheesecake

For crust 70 vanilla wafers (8 1/2 oz), finely ground in a food processor (2 1/3 cups) 1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled For filling 20 oz cream cheese (2 1/2 eight-ounce packages), softened 8 oz mascarpone cheese at room temperature (about 1 cup) 3/4 cup sugar 3 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice 1/4 teaspoon salt For topping 1 cup sour cream 1/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice 1/8 teaspoon salt Make crust: Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter bottom and side of a 9-inch springform pan. Stir together cookie crumbs and butter in a bowl. Reserve 1/4 cup crumb mixture for sprinkling over cheesecake, then pat remainder onto bottom and 1 1/2 inches up side of springform pan (about 1 inch thick). Put pan in a shallow baking pan and bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Cool completely on a rack, about 25 minutes. Leave oven on. Make filling while crust bakes: Beat cream cheese, mascarpone, and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium high speed until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla, lemon juice, and salt and mix at low speed until combined. Pour into cooled crust and bake until cake is set and puffed around edge but still trembles slightly when pan is shaken gently, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool slightly in springform pan on rack, about 20 minutes. (Cheesecake will continue to set as it cools.) Leave oven on. Make topping: Stir together sour cream, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, and salt in a small bowl and spoon over cheesecake, spreading gently and evenly, leaving a 1/4-inch border around edge. Bake cheesecake until topping is set, about 10 minutes. Run a thin knife around edge to help prevent cracking. Sprinkle top with reserved crumbs and cool completely in pan on rack, then chill, loosely covered, at least 8 hours. Cooks' notes: Cheesecake can be chilled, loosely covered, up to 3 days. Cut cake with a long, thin sharp knife dipped in a tall glass of hot water.

Lemon Pudding Cake

Source: Adapted from Luscious Lemon Desserts by Lori Longbotham

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick/60g) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup (200g) sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated meyer (or regular) lemon zest
3 large eggs, at room temperature, separated
1/3 cup (80ml) meyer lemon juice (or 1/4 cup/60ml regular lemon juice)
1/3 cup (45g) all-purpose flour
8 oz (250g) sour cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
Powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350F/180C. Butter a 1-qt. (1-ltr) souffle dish. Have ready a large baking pan which will accommodate your souffle dish.

Beat the butter at medium speed until light. Add the sugar and zest and beat until combined. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce speed to low and add half the lemon juice, half the flour and half the sour cream and beat until smooth; repeat with remaining lemon juice, flour and sour cream.

Beat the egg whites at medium speed until foamy. Increase speed to medium-high, add the salt, and beat to stiff peaks. Add one-quarter of the whites to the lemon mixture and gently fold in. Continue to fold in whites one-quarter at a time. Transfer it to the prepared souffle dish. Place the dish in the larger pan and carefully pour boiling water around it to a depth of 1 inch (2.5cm).

Bake for 50 minutes to an hour, until the top is golden brown, the center is just set, and the top springs back when lightly touched. Remove from the water bath and cool on a rack for 10-15 minutes.

Lightly dust with powdered sugar before serving (I didn't bother) and serve warm, scooping up some of the pudding at the bottom of the dish along with the cake.

Boston Cream Cake

This is what I just made for Isaac's 27th birthday and it's really easy (exactly what I needed this year).

Make 1 or 2 circular yellow cakes following the yellow cake recipe from the Better Holmes and Gardens cookbook or if you're going for really easy, I suppose you could use a yellow box cake. 

Whip up a box of vanilla pudding.

Make homemade whipped cream (whip a pint of cream, mixing in sugar and vanilla extract to taste, so easy and infinitely better than store bought whipped topping).

Lightly combine the pudding and the whipped cream with a spatula.

After cooling the cake slice them in half through the middle. 

Smooth the whipped mixture onto the layers and place the layers on top. 

Frosting (sorry I don't have any exact measurements):

Mix butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and a little bit of milk in the kitchenaid. 

Melt semi-sweet chocolate chips on your double boiler being so careful not to burn. Pour the mixer contents into the double boiler and stir in. Should be a slightly thick frosting. When it tastes how you like, frost the top of your cake. I've made it before frosting all the way down the sides, but then I saw that Wegmans stole my idea and had the frosting just on top exactly how you see here, so apparently I did it right this way with the frosting only on top, not the sides.

Lemon Raspberry Birthday Cake

2 boxes lemon cake mix or lemon cake recipe from Better Homes and Gardens cookbook
1 Jar of Raspberry Jam
1- 8 oz pkg cream cheese
confectioners sugar
milk

Bake lemon cake in 2 circle pans, let cool. Melt jam in medium saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently. Combine cream cheese, confectioners sugar and milk to make frosting. Place one cake, top down, and spread jam on top. Place second cake, bottom down, on top of jam. Spread cream cheese frosting over top and sides. Very easy!

I made this for Kaitlyn's 1st birthday party.

Berry Berry Cake

This is the first (and second) birthday cake that I made for Isaac.

1/3 C cream cheese
3/4 C sugar
2 egg whites
1 C. + flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp lemon grind
1/3 C sour cream
3 C mixed berries: blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, lemons, etc.
1 1/2 C whipped cream (mix whipping cream, vanilla extract and sugar)

-Preheat oven to 350. Beat cream cheese and 1/2 C sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add egg whites and lemon peel; mix well. Mix 1 C of the flour and the baking soda. Add to cream cheese mixture, alternately with the sour cream, beating well after each addition ( do not overmix).
-Spray 9 in. pan with cooking spray. Spread cream cheese mixture onto bottom and 1 in. up side of pan. Toss 2 C of the berries with remaining 1/4 C sugar and remaining 2 tsp flour. Spoon over cream cheese mixture in pan to within 1/2 in of edge.
-Bake 40-45 min or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 min before removing rim of pan. Top with the remaining berries. Top each serving with 2 Tbsp of whipped cream.

*Use whatever fresh berries are available.

Turtle Pecan Cheesecake

Ingredients

2 C crushed chocolate cookies (ex. chocolate teddy grahams, chocolate graham crackers, wafers)
1/4 C butter, melted
2 1/2 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1 C sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 Tbsp heavy cream
Caramel and Chocolate toppings (recipes below)
1 C chopped, toasted pecans

Directions

Preheat oven to 450. Combine cookie crumbs and butter; press onto bottom of 9' spring form pna. Beat cream cheese in large bowl until creamy. Add sugar, flour, vanilla and salt; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in the cream. Pour over the crust.

Bake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 200; continue baking 35 to 40 minutes or until set. Loosen cake from the rim of the pan; cool before removing rim. Drizzle with caramel and chocolate toppings. Refrigerate. Sprinkle with toasted pecans right before serving.

Caramel topping: Combine 7 oz caramels and 1/3 C heavy whipping cream in a small saucepan; stir over low heat until melted and smooth.

Chocolate topping: Combine 4 oz. chopped quality German sweet chocolate, 2 Tbsp cream and 1 tsp butter in a saucepan; stir over low heat until melted and smooth.

Strawberry Shortcake

1 C milk, divided
1/4 C sour cream
3 Tbsp sugar
2 1/4 C all purpose baking mix for biscuits
1 pkg vanilla flavored pudding
Whipped Cream
4 C sliced strawberries
1/3 C sugar


Preheat oven to 425. Mix 1/2 C of the milk, sour cream and 3 Tbsp. sugar in large bowl with wire whisk. Stir in baking mix until just blended. Spread evenly into greased 9 inch round cake pan. Bake 12-15 min or until golden brown. Remove from pan; cool completely on wire rack.


Meanwhile, combine dry pudding mix and remaining 1/2 C milk; blend well. Gently stir in half of whipped cream until well blended. Mix strawberries and 1/3 C sugar in large bowl; set aside. Slice cake in half horizontally to make 2 layers.


Place bottom cake layer on serving plate; top evely with half of strawberry mixture. Spread with pudding mixture; top with top cake layer. Spread with remaining whipped cream and top with remaining strawberry mixture. Serve immediately. Store leftover shortcake in refrigerator.


Makes 8 servings.

Chocolate Cake

Cake

2 c. flour

2/3 c. unsweetened cocoa
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
3 eggs
1 2/3 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. mayonnaise
1 1/3 c. water

In separate bowl, sift dry ingredients together. In mixer, combine wet, add dry. Grease and flour bottoms of two 9' round pans. Bake 30-35 minutes at 350.

Frosting

1/4 cup butter (or ½ cube)
1/3 c. milk
3 T. cocoa
1 tsp. vanilla
Bring to a boil, then add one tsp vanilla. Whisk until all lumps of chocolate are smooth. Add powdered sugar until desired consistency (about 2 ½ cups)