Applesauce Cider Cake

                                                                           

This Cake is a winner! Spectacular to see & to taste! 

So soft, moist, sweet & yet spicy! The Apple Cider Glaze is the perfect touch! 

CAKE: 

1/2 Cup Shortening

1&3/4 Cup Sugar

1 Egg

1/2 Cup Apple Cider heated to boiling

1 TSP Vanilla

2 Cups Applesauce

2&1/2 Cups Flour

1/2 TSP Salt

1/2 TSP Cloves

1/2 TSP Allspice

Dash or 2 of Nutmeg

2 TSP Cinnamon

2 TSP Baking Soda

Prepare a Bundt pan with baking spray & flour or grease with shortening & flour. Preheat oven to 350 Degrees. 

Mix all the dry ingredients together. Beat the shortening, Beat in the sugar, Beat until fluffy. Now beat in the egg, vanilla  & the applesauce. Brig cider to a boil remove from heat. Now beat in 1/3 of the dry ingredients to your creamed mixture, beat until combined. Now pour in 1/3 of the hot cider & beat well. Next add 1/3 flour bat then remaining cider, now beat in the rest of the flour mixture. OPTIONAL AT THIS POINT fold in 1 Cup Chopped Walnuts or Pecans & or 1 Cup Raisins or Dates. I left mine plain this time! Now pour batter into your prepared pan. Place cake in oven & beside the cake sit a 9 inch cake pan that is 3/4 full of water. This will make your cake moist! Bake for 1 hour. Once cake test done remove from oven & let cool 10 minutes before you dump it out onto your serving plate, let cool. Then Glaze with the following glaze or frost with vanilla frosting or just powder with powdered sugar!

CIDER GLAZE:

2 Cups Apple Cider

4 TBS Butter

Dash of Salt

1 TSP Vanilla 

3 Cups Powdered Sugar

Bring cider to a boil, add butter & vanilla & bring back up to the boil. Now whisk in the powdered sugar. Boil on a rolling boil for about 10 minutes whisking the entire time. Bring to soft ball stage on your candy thermometer  or just cook on rolling boil until color changes & it his some thickness to it. Take off the heat & let cool until just warm. Spoon generously over your cooled cake! YUM!

Chocolatey Snack Cake

                                                                   

Oh yum, heavenly snacking cake for those times you just one a hunk of cake! 

Did I mention yummy chocolate frosting? Yes, there is yummy chocolate frosting too!

CAKE: 

1&1/2 Cup Shortening

1 Cup Sugar

3 Eggs,

1 TSP Vanilla

1 Cup Sour Milk

2 Cups Flour

1 Cup Cocoa

1 TSP Salt

1 TSP Baking Soda

1 TSP Baking Powder

1 Cup Mini Chocolate Chips ( I used Semi Sweet)

1 Cup Cocoa Pebbles Cereal! Yes I know right? YUM! 

Spray & flour a 9x13 pan Preheat oven to 350 Degrees!

Beat shortening until fluffy. Add sugar & beat again. Now add vanilla & eggs & beat again. Stir the flour, baking sods, baking powder, cocoa, & salt all together. Now add 1/3 of the dry to your beaten mixture & beat. Now beat in 1/3 of the sour milk, repeat with flour then milk until all is beaten into a nice fluffy batter. Now stir in the cereal & the mini chocolate chips.  Spoon into your prepared pan & bake 40 to 45 minutes until cake test done! Let cool & ice with the chocolate frosting!

CHOCOLATE FROSTING:

6 TBS soft butter

1 TSP Vanilla

3 Cups Confectioners Sugar

Milk enough to get a nice spreading consistency probably 4 TBS, give or take

1 Cup Milk Chocolate for melting.

Beat butter add sugar a DASH of salt & vanilla & some of the sugar, add enough milk to get a nice frosting. Add more sugar & or milk until you have frosting . Now melt chocolate & fold it into the frosting stirring nil it is all combined! Frost on your cooled cake! YUMMY!

S'more Cupcakes

                                                                       

                                                                     

Oh yeah, S'more Cupcake is one HECK of a great cupcake!
I made a dozen of these beauties!

CUPCAKE BATTER:

1/8 Cup Butter Softened

1/8 Cup Shortening

3/4 Cup Sugar

1 TSP Vanilla

2 Eggs

1&1/4 Cup Flour

1/4 Cup Cocoa

1/2 TSP Baking Soda

1/2 TSP Baking Powder

Dash of Salt

1, 7 Ounce Bag of Hershey's S'more Pieces, if you cannot find those, break up 1/2 cup of Golden Grahams, add 1/3 Cup Miniature Marshmallows & 1/2 Cup Chocolate Chips.

1/2 Cup Heavy Cream, or Sour Cream, or Plain Yogurt, I used Heavy Cream

Beat butter & shortening together, add sugar & beat again. Add eggs & vanilla & beat again. Now stir all your dry ingredients together & mix well. First add 1/3 of your flour mixture to your creamed mixture, beat well. Now add 1/3 of your cream & beat, add another 3rd of your dry & follow with your cream, repeat until everything is incorporated & beaten well. Now stir in your S'more pieces! Line a 12 well cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Preheat oven to 350 Degrees. Bake cupcakes 20 to 25 minutes. Let them cool slightly. Loosen edges with a sharp knife & remove from the pan to finish cooling. 

                                                                       

MARSHMALLOW TOPPING:

1 & 1/2 Cups Marshmallow Fluff

2 TBS Butter Softened

2 Cups Powdered Sugar or enough to get the spreading consistency you like.

Couple TBS Milk

2 TSP Vanilla

Dash of Salt

Beat Butter & Fluff together, add sugar & milk & vanilla. Beat well add more sugar or milk as desired. Once Cupcakes are cooled put about 1 HEAPING TBS in the center of each cupcake . Now I crushed 2 graham crackers into coarse crumbs & dipped the top f each cupcake into the crumbs. Then I melted 1 Cup melting chocolate & dolloped each cupcake with the chocolate! HEAVENLY GOODNESS!