Pioneer Woman Strawberry Shortcake Cake

Ingredients:

Cake

1-1/2 cup Flour

3 Tablespoons Cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

9 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Softened

1-1/2 cup Sugar

3 whole Large Eggs

1/2 cup Sour Cream, Room Temperature

1 teaspoon Vanilla

Icing

1/2 pound Cream Cheese, Room Temperature

2 sticks Unsalted Butter

1-1/2 pound Powdered Sugar, Sifted

1 teaspoon Vanilla

1 pound Strawberries

Directions:

IMPORTANT: Be sure to use a cake pan that’s at least 2 inches deep! Before baking, the batter should not fill the pan more than halfway.

Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, and corn starch.  Cream 9 tablespoons butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well each time. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until combined. Add sifted dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just barely combined.

Pour into greased and floured 8-inch cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes, or until no longer jiggly like my bottom. Remove from cake pan as soon as you pull it out of the oven, and place on a cooling rack and allow it to cool completely.

Stem strawberries and slice them in half from bottom to top. Place into a bowl and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons sugar. Stir together and let sit for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, mash the strawberries in two batches. Sprinkle each half with 1 tablespoons sugar and allow to sit for another 30 minutes.

Make icing: combine cream cheese, 2 sticks butter, sifted powdered sugar, vanilla, and dash of salt in a mixing bowl. Mix until very light and fluffy.

Slice cake in half through the middle. Spread strawberries evenly over each half (cut side up), pouring on all the juices. Place cake halves into the freezer for five minutes, just to make icing easier.

Remove from freezer. Use a little less than 1/3 of the icing to spread over the top of the strawberries on the bottom layer. Place the second layer on top. Add half of the remaining icing to the top spreading evenly, then spread the remaining 1/3 cup around the sides.

Leave plain OR garnish with strawberry halves.

IMPORTANT: Cake is best when served slightly cool. The butter content in the icing will cause it to soften at room temperature. For best results, store in the fridge!

This cake was amazing! No ifs, ands or buts about it.  A must try summer dessert! 

Banana Cake

Ingredients:

Cake:

1.5 cups very ripe bananas (3 fresh bananas or 4 thawed, previously frozen bananas)

2 tsp lemon juice

3 cups all-purpose flour

1.5 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

¾ cup soft butter

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1.5 cups buttermilk (OR milk soured with one tbsp vinegar or lemon juice)

Icing:

½ cup softened butter

8 oz cream cheese, room temp.

1 tsp vanilla

3.5 cups icing sugar (also known as powdered sugar or confectioner's sugar)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 275 F, and grease and flour (or spray), a 9x13 cake pan.

Mash banana and mix with lemon juice and set aside.  In a med bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.  If you're making your own buttermilk, combine milk and vinegar (or lemon juice) in a small bowl, and set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar.  Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in vanilla.  Beat in flour mixture alternately with buttermilk.  Stir in bananas.

Pour into cake pan and bake 1 hour and 10 mins (or until knife comes out clean). *if need be, cook longer, checking every 10 minutes until cake is fully cooked.

Immediately place in freezer for 45 minutes. (if not completely cool upon removal from freezer, let cool further before icing).

Cream butter and cream cheese.  Beat in vanilla and icing sugar on low until combined, then high until smooth.

Frost cake and enjoy!

This is one of my favorite recipes I’ve made to date…and I’m not even a fan of bananas.  The banana flavor is mild, just adding a touch of sweetness.  The frosting is amazing.  The cake is super moist.  If you have some bananas that you need to use up, I would definitely recommend this! 

Margarita cake

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil spray, for misting the pan

Flour, for dusting the pan

1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow or lemon cake mix

Half a package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix (4 tablespoons)

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup water

½ cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup fresh lime or Key lime juice

¼ cup tequila

2 tablespoons triple sec

1 teaspoon grated lime zest

4 large eggs

For the glaze and garnish:

1 ¼ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

1 tablespoon tequila

1 tablespoon triple sec

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice or Key lime juice

1 lime, cut into thin slices

1 to 2 teaspoons coarse sugar

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly mist a 12­cup Bundt pan with vegetable oil spray, then dust it with flour. Shake out the excess flour and set the pan aside.

Place the cake mix, pudding mix, sugar, water, oil, 1/3 cup lime juice, ¼ cup tequila, 2 tablespoons triple sec, and the lime zest and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are combined, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 1½ minutes longer, scraping down the side of the bowl again if needed. The batter should look smooth and thick. Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan, smoothing the top with the rubber spatula, and place the pan in the oven.

Bake the cake until the top springs back when lightly pressed with a finger, 42 to 47 minutes. Transfer the Bundt pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Run a long, sharp knife around the edges of the cake, shake the pan gently, and invert the cake onto a wire rack. Let the cake cool completely, about 25 minutes longer.

Meanwhile, make the glaze: Place the confectioners’ sugar, 1 tablespoon tequila, 1 tablespoon triple sec, and 1 tablespoon lime juice in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Slide the cake onto a serving plate. Using a long wooden skewer poke 12 to 16 holes in the top of the cake. Spoon the glaze over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Garnish the cake with the lime slices and a sprinkling of coarse sugar. Let the glaze set for 10 minutes, then slice and serve the cake.

Oatmeal Cake

This is one of my favorite family recipes EVER. It reminds me of family reunions, loved ones and sunshine.  My mom makes this for me on special occasions.

Ingredients:

1 C. raw oatmeal                                                                             

2 eggs

1 1/2 C. boiling water                                                                     

1 1/2 C. flour

1 C. white sugar                                                                                               

1 tsp. baking soda

1 C. brown sugar                                                                             

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 C. shortening                                                                            

1 tsp. cinnamon

Mix the oatmeal and water.  Let stand 20 minutes.  Beat the two sugars and shortening together.  Add the eggs, one at a time.  Sift flour, soda, salt and cinnamon together and add to sugar and egg mixture.  Add oatmeal mixture last.  Bake at 325 degrees in 9 x 13 pan for 35-40 minutes.  While cake is still warm, spread with the frosting below:

Frosting for oatmeal cake:

6 Tbsp. butter                                                                                   

1 C. coconut

1/4 C. half & half or cream                                                           

1/2 C. brown sugar                                                                         

1 tsp. vanilla

Melt the butter, add other ingredients.  Spread on the cake and put under the broiler until brown.

For more of my family recipes, our cookbook is available on Amazon.  

Rolo bars

Review by Lyndee:

Ingredients:

1 box (18.25 oz) yellow, vanilla or white cake mix, dry

5 oz evaporated milk

1/4 cup butter, melted

40 Rolo Candies, unwrapped and cut in half

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°.  Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray.  With your mixer, beat cake mix, evaporated milk and butter until combined. Mixture will be thick and sticky. Divide batter in half and press 1 half into the bottom of the pan. Bake until just set, approximately 8-9 minutes. Remove base from oven and place Rolo candies, caramel-side down on top. Drop remaining batter on top of Rolos in teaspoon sized amounts. Bake for 24-26 minutes longer until top begins to golden. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

These were easy to make.  Cutting up the Rolo’s is a little annoying but was definitely worth it. Do not overcook your first bake when you are trying to set the crust! It’s going to continue baking after you put on your Rolo’s and the rest of the batter.  These went over well at the fundraiser and were a nice sweet treat.  

Gram’s Fat Free Pineapple Cake

Review by Jami:

This recipe was my grandmother’s and I don't know how she came across it, but she made it frequently, especially after she no longer cooked much. My mother can still hear her chuckle about all the rave reviews from her card club friends.  She shared it freely and now at least half of Iowa has her secret fabulous recipe...guaranteed to get the same rave reviews.

1 box of angel food cake mix

1 can of crushed pineapple

Heat oven to 350 before mixing. Do not butter or flour the pans you are using. Place pineapple in the bowl and fold in the cake mix. Bake as directed.

Fat free frosting: 1 fat free Cool Whip mixed with 1 or 2 fat free flavor yogurt containers (I like raspberry but feel free to experiment). Top with fresh fruit if desired.

Jello cake

Review by Lyndee:

1 white cake mix

1 box strawberry jello (or flavor of your choice)

1 tub cool whip

Make cake according to directions on box.  Let cool.  Prepare jello as directed.  Once the cake is cooled, poke random holes in the cake with a straw, chopstick or knife.  Set in fridge for at least three hours.  Once ready to serve, spread cool whip across the top for your frosting. 

It doesn’t get much easier than this cake.  And it’s so yummy! I love having jello cake in the summer because it seems so light and fruity.  I’ve yet to meet anyone that doesn’t love jello cake.  We had this at my birthday party last weekend and I only got one tiny piece because the party-goers devoured it in a flash.  

Apple Dump Cake

Review by Lyndee

I had never had apple dump cake but it looked easy enough. With the freak winter storm that hit Iowa last night, I was in the mood to bake.  I wish I could find the person that invented this cake and shake their hand.  They are brilliant and my hero.  This is amazing!

Ingredients:

2 can apple pie filling

1 yellow cake mix

2 sticks butter melted

Cinnamon

Nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9x13 pan.  Dump in the cans of apple pie filling.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg.  Cover with the cake mix.  Pour on the melted butter.  Bake for 45 minutes or until the top turns golden brown.  Mine only took about 40 minutes to bake.  Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Warning, your eyes may roll into the back of your head when you take your first bite.  It is so dang good.  And it makes the house smell awesome.  Winner, winner!