Its My Cake & I'll Cry if I Want To...

Some things I learned today...

a)  arthritic hands SUX for decorating a cake with a squeeze type icing bag  

b)  when using gel coloring, start with the smallest dot, not a spoonful or else your sky blue goes neon navy

c)  if you nearly choke to death coughing on dry crumbs, that's not a good sign

d)  if your mouth feels greasy after you eat the icing, its prolly not a keeper recipe (gross)

e)  I really, really need to take a Wilton decorating class in immediate future

and finally...

f)  it sucks to make your own birthday cake but if I left it to my hubby, I'd be eating a Twinkie or Ho Ho with a candle in it.

Double Bonus Monday!

Oh what a Monday!  I bought Linkin' Park's new album last week and I have had the song "Waiting for the End" replaying in my head like a skipped record.  I am just so enamored with the lyrics to this song as its dead on accurate to how I've been feeling lately in dealing with a broken friendship.  Instead of pouting and puttering about the house miserable (even though I want to do so), I've been plunging forward in projects that have been laying about in my head.  So to kick off this wonderful transition phase for me, you get to reap the rewards with a bonus Monday with TWO recipes.  Who doesn't need a kick of motivation on a Monday?

There is a cake out there that has like 1,000 names.  Wacky cake, Garnet's cake, War cake...whatever you want to call it, its the recipe that has no eggs in it and was developed war time when supplies were in great shortage.  War time kitchen engineering/finagling has paid off big time in this time tested recipe that is so good, so gooey and so chocolately rich, you'll never miss the eggs.  And BONUS!  It's made IN the cake pan.  No bowls to mess with at all!  No greasing, no flouring...serve this cake right from the pan warm with a glass of milk.  Its so quick and easy, it'll be your kids favorite after school snack.  Hey, its cholesterol free too, so its good for them too!  (well, as good as a chocolate cake can get!)  Mine is shown with two mini scoops of my homemade triple chocolate ice cream and a drizzle of dark chocolate syrup.  (yum and totally not healthy)

This recipe is from King Arthur Flour's website which I *so* encourage you all to visit.  A treasure trove of baking recipes await and some of the coolest things are in their shop.  Stop by!  You can view this recipe there with variations to make it mocha cake or a rum type cake.  This however, is the true blue original.

KAF Original Cake-Pan Cake

1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa (not dutch processed, just regular)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 cup cold water 


Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Measure all the dry ingredients into an 8" or 9" round or square cake pan; if you use an 8" pan, make sure it's at least 2" deep. Blend the ingredients together thoroughly with a fork or whisk and scoop out three holes, or indentations.

Pour the vanilla into the first hole, the vinegar into the second, and the oil into the third. Take the cup of cold water and pour it directly over everything in the pan.  Stir all the ingredients together with your fork until they are well blended making sure to get the corners if using a square pan.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Serve right from the pan; warm from the oven.


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This is the BEST potato salad I've ever had in my life.  I've never been a potato salad fan because I hate mustard and undoubtedly, like me, you grew up on your mom's yellow potato salad.  Every holiday or family gathering someone brought this mustard laden concoction to the party and I shuddered just even smelling it.  I really loathe mustard, can you tell?  This recipe however, has no mustard and the cooked potatoes marinate overnight in this vinegar/herby blend before adding the mayonnaise right before serving.  Its tangy, its creamy and cool.  Perfect with burgers or with pigs-in-a-blanket!  Its a bit of work and takes some planning (its not a simple throw together on the fly type of thing)...but so is every other homeade potato salad out there really.  This makes a HUGE amount that we ate off of all weekend long with light sammies.  We ran all weekend long so I wanted something easy to pull out and snack off of.  Its just perfect.  I hope you really give it a go. 

Marinated Potato Salad

4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
12 fist sized Idaho potatoes
 ⅓ cups cold water
⅓ cups white vinegar
1-½ tablespoon kosher salt
½ teaspoons black pepper
2 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
½ large yellow onion (not sweet Vidalia ones, just regular)
5 stalks celery, chopped
1 cup mayonnaise (no Miracle Whip, please)

Place potatoes WITH skins on in a large pot and cover with water.  Place on stove and turn on high.  Once they start to boil, boil for 45 minutes or until a fork inserted, comes out easily and gives no resistance.  Drain and cool for about an hour.  (will likely still be warm)  Peel cooled potatoes with a spoon.  Chop peeled potatoes into chunks, place in a large bowl and set aside.

In a smaller bowl, mix together the water, vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar, parsley flakes, onion and celery.  Pour over the warm potatoes and stir to coat all the potato chunks.  Cover well with plastic and place in fridge overnight or at least 12 hours to marinate.

Before serving, add mayo to potatoes and stir well to coat all pieces.  (can add more mayo if you need to but do so a little at a time)  Add chopped, boiled eggs and stir again.  Keep cool until serving.  Refrigerate leftovers in a tightly sealed container.  Stir leftovers before serving.  (may separate some as is normal)

Ooey Gooey Chocolate Cake ala Siggy Spice

Its 900 degrees outside but when you want chocolate cake, you want chocolate cake!  I had asked Siggy Spice awhile ago if she could give me a recipe for the most ooeiest, gooiest, chocolatey cake she had.  Mine was not sufficing and I wanted something new.  So Sig sent me this recipe and its been waiting in my in-box forever since its been so dang hot.  Today I came across it and my belly went "ME WANT THAT!"  So it drug me down to the kitchen and forced me to make a homemade chocolate cake complete with homemade icing in 900 degrees of hellish heat and humidity.  Thankfully, this cake is a *snap* to throw together and it wasn't long before I was lounging back in my air conditioned bedroom (aka the isolation chamber) just waiting for the timer to go off.  I have to say, having made this and tasted it - even if it took 2 hours to make this cake vs. a box mix, I would make this cake.  Its just that dang good.

Oh, and if you've never seen a grown man prance around the kitchen begging to lick a spoon, try making this cake.  My husband came in when I was making the icing and begged for the spoon.  So I handed it to him and he promptly stuck it in his mouth and went "Dang that's hot!"  Um, yah!  It was in near boiling chocolate if you hadn't noticed.  And he hadn't b/c he was too busy like I said prancing around the kitchen chanting "cake, cake, cake".  Seriously.  Prancing.

This cake is sooo moist and soft and just mmm mmm good I can't even describe it.  It made me nervous seeing this super thin hot chocolate consistency batter go into the oven but within 10 minutes, it was already baking up and solidifying like a normal cake would.  When it came out, think "chocolate sponge cake" b/c that's how springy and moist this was.  And then there is the icing.  The glorious fudgey pour over top because it's just that easy frosting.  YUM!  Better than box.  Better than bakery from the store.  Just make the cake!  :)

click to enlarge

Siggy Spice's Ooey Gooey Chocolate Cake

• 2 cups sugar
• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup Hershey's Cocoa Powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water

Heat oven to 350°F.

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin and look like hot chocolate - don't be scared). Pour batter into prepared 9"x13" pan.

Bake 33-38 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool completely before frosting.

Gooey, Sticky, Fudgy Chocolate Frosting

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
6 TBSP powdered cocoa
2 TBSP oil (canola or vegetable) or shortening
2 TBSP butter
1/4 cup powdered sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp vanilla

Over medium heat, combine all ingredients EXCEPT vanilla, constantly stirring for about 7 minutes. Don't let the bottom scorch. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Let sit for about 5 minutes before pouring over cake.  Allow to cool completely before serving.

Bob Marley and Cake For Breakfast...

This morning, I am haunted by Bob Marley's wisdom.  "The truth is, everyone is going to hurt you.  You just have to find the ones worth suffering for."  Thank you Bob.  Where were you years ago in my life to pass on that sage knowledge?  I would have just stayed home, had cake and went on with my merry life but no - I had to go and make a friend who would stomp on me instead.  Thanks Bob.  Having a particularly hard day already this morning and so what better to cheer me up than making a whopper chocolate cake at 3:30 am?  Perfectly normal given the circumstances I'm in.

I'm all about the Secret's philosophy of "what you send out, you receive".  Ever heard of that theory?  Law of Attraction?  So in light of my whole horrific ordeal last night, and this past week really, I think today is about sending out some good in hopes that maybe I can somehow turn this funk I'm in around.  I could use a moment of niceness to wash over me and renew my faith in mankind.  (and when I say 'man', I mean the one who stomped on me in particular)  What better than cake as a prayer to the Universe to send you something nice in return?  lol

My neighbors have just moved in and today I'm preparing them a home cooked meal.  I've seen too many pizza boxes going through that door this past week.  Tonight, I am making them a spicy, tangy brisket, glazed ginger carrots, a super cheesy potato casserole, yeast rolls and this cake I'm going to share with you all below.  I was going to make my friend Siggy's chocolate cake recipe but I had all this stuff in my pantry and the commissary isn't open at 3:30 am anyways.  :P

This cake is now infamous at my husband's work.  The Army lab team happily gobbled it up and I got swamped with requests on how to make it.  I always  remember it by heart from helping my mom make it so many times.  Come to find out, this is that same sour cream cake that's been floating around for years.  Anyways, in case you DON'T have the recipe, you do now.  It really is the most chocolatey, fudgey, moist even days later, need a gallon of milk with it cake you will ever get.  You can use icing if you dare but I'm afraid of the sugar buzz off that one - and it really doesn't need it.  A light dusting of powdered sugar is perfect!

Psst - see my antiquey Army Medical Corps platter?  Part of our new collection.  So cool and a steal!  Gotta love Etsy.

click to enlarge

Hang It On The Wall Cake

1 box of the most chocolatey, fudgey cake mix you can find
1 small box of the most chocolately, fudgey instant pudding mix you can find
4 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup warm water
1 cup of sour cream
6 ounces of dark chocolate chips (or semi-sweet if you prefer)
1 tbsp flour

Preheat your oven to 350. Spray your Bundt cake pan with cooking spray or grease/flour.  Set aside.

Mix all the ingredients (except the eggs, flour and chocolate chips) together till moistened.  Add eggs one at a time to the batter, ensuring they get mixed in well before adding the next.  Toss your chocolate chips in a bowl with the flour, coating them all.  Fish them out and fold by hand into the batter.  Pour into pans and cook for approximately 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into middle comes out clean.  (this may take a few minutes extra, just watch to avoid burning the top)

Springtime Cake!

This is my very cherished lemon sparkle cake.  This cake recipe never fails, never lets me down and is so easily adaptable, it will soon become your spring/summer dessert favorite. 

I decide this weekend that for the two new permanent party soliders that just got stationed here at West Point in the lab that I would make them a good, homecooked meal.  They are both single and young and have no family nearby.  So to treat them, I made bbq shredded pork sammies, a super cheesy hashbrown casserole and this cake.  I hope they (and you!) enjoy the cake. 

Let me say too...that you can use the strawberry or orange flavored cake mixes too if you choose.  Just switch out the pudding flavors as well to match.  And leave the zest in or out but I think it's pretty to see flecks of color. 

Lemme know how you all enjoy it!

Lemon Sparkle Cake

•1 box Lemon Flavored Cake Mix
•1 box Lemon Instant Pudding (small Box)
•¾ cups Canola Or Vegetable Oil
•4 whole Large Eggs
•1 cup Sprite, 7 Up Or Any Lemon-lime Flavored Soda
•½ teaspoons Orange Extract
•1 whole Lemon Or 2 Limes Zest (optional)

Preheat oven to 325. Spray a 10 inch bundt cake pan with non-stick cooking spray – set aside. Feel free to flour your pan if needed but I usually don’t.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix and pudding mix then stir in oil. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in soda. Add orange extract and zest, if using and mix well.

Pour into prepared cake pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted into middle. I start checking about 30 minutes to be sure.

Allow to cool before frosting or glazing. I use lemon juice and confectioner’s sugar to glaze mine but feel free to use milk in place of juice.