Mrs. Baker's Spice Cake

A little stroll down Memory Lane today!

I've had this recipe since Grade 8. Mrs. Baker, mother of my best friend at school that year, passed it along. I loved it, especially when it was warm from the oven.

It's a simple cake, no special ingredients, no complicated directions, no icing required... a nice treat if people drop by for coffee kind of cake!

Mrs. Baker's Spice Cake

Mrs. Baker's Spice Cake

2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup butter

1 cup white sugar

Rub together until you have light crumbs.

Set aside 1 cup for topping.

1 egg

1 cup sour milk (add 1 tablespoon of vinegar to milk)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup raisins

Add ingredients to bowl and mix.

Pour into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan.

Sprinkle on the 1 cup of topping you set aside.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Have a great weekend!

Maggie

More Cake, Please! : )

Chocolate Crazy Cake in a Mug
from Sweet Little Bluebird

There was a tasty moment at lunchtime today!

Sweet Little Bluebird is a great website that I check out from time to time.

Earlier this month in a quest to find eggless and milk-free desserts, I came across all of Mary's different versions of Crazy Cake or Wacky Cake. 

I'm familiar with this recipe. In fact, I shared the same chocolate cake recipe in the summer of 2010. My copy came from a book I acquired in the mid-seventies.

Mary has taken that recipe and tweaked it to come up with multiple variations and flavours. (Click here to find links to all the recipes.) We've tried the Spice Cake and Vanilla versions and today, I made Chocolate Crazy Cake in a Mug.

My first try (to see if it worked) was in one mug. It overflowed and allowed no room for ice cream. It also seemed like a huge serving, so today I split the batter into two mugs and that was (for us) just the right size for a little sweet treat without too much guilt.

Take care and have a great weekend!

Maggie

PS In addition to the flavours listed above there's also Lemon Cake, Coffee & Kahlua Cake, S'mores Mug Cake and Coffee & Kahlua Mug Cake.

Maggie's Lemon Loaf

Maggie's Lemon Loaf

Today's baking was good motivation...

... I cleaned six pantry shelves while it baked!  ; )

After making Cranberry Orange Loaf this week, I had a "What if... " moment and decided to try using lemon juice...  

Hmmmm.... not bad!

Lemon Loaf

1/4 cup softened margarine

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

juice of two lemons plus water to make 3/4 cup liquid

Grate lemon rind and set aside.

In mixer, beat margarine, sugar and eggs.

Continue mixing as you slowly add liquid.

2 cups all purpose flour

1  1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

grated rind of two lemons

Sprinkle dry ingredients evenly over liquid mixture.

Mix slowly until just blended.

Bake in a greased loaf pan at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

NOTES: 

Yes, this loaf has two eggs.  The Cranberry Orange Loaf has one.

Can be baked in two small (half size) loaf tins about 45 minutes.

OPTIONAL:  Make a lemon glaze and spoon over cake before removing from tin.

Lemon Glaze

1/4 cup sugar

juice of one lemon

Heat and stir until dissolved.

Cranberry Orange Loaf

My goodness!  It's been ages!  Sit down and enjoy a slice of Cranberry Orange Loaf while we catch up.

Not only is this a tasty bit of sweetness, it's NOT made with milk, so a perfect solution if you're expecting a visitor who is lactose intolerant.

Credit for this recipe goes to Company's Coming cookbook author, Jean Pare, who published a great little book Muffins and More in 1983. You can tell my copy is well used!

I have simplified the directions (I'm a bit of a Lazy Daisy...) as I'm not into washing a lot of bowls after I bake.

Cranberry Orange Loaf
Muffins & More by Jean Pare

Cranberry Orange Loaf

1/4 cup margarine

1 cup sugar

1 egg

3/4 cup liquid (juice of 1 orange plus water)

Grate rind of orange and reserve.

In mixer, thoroughly beat softened margarine, sugar and egg.

Slowly add and beat in juice/water mixture.

2 cups all purpose flour

1  1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

grated orange rind

Evenly sprinkle dry ingredients into bowl.

Beat on low speed until just mixed.

1  1/2 cups whole cranberries

Fold in cranberries.

Bake in a greased loaf pan (350 degrees for 1 hour).

NOTES:

Normally, dry ingredients are mixed first in a separate bowl, however, if you evenly sprinkle each ingredient over the liquid ingredients, you can make the whole loaf in one bowl.

Also, Muffins and More suggests adding 1/2 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts with the cranberries.  

If you decide, like me, to bake your loaf in two smaller 1/2 size pans, allow about 45 - 47 minutes baking time.

TTYL,

Maggie

Chocolate Cake

It just occurred to me that today is Thursday.  The weekend is just around the corner.  : )

This little recipe might be what you're looking for if you need to bake a dessert this weekend.  Epicurious credits Leigh McLean and Sweet Dreams Bakery in Memphis.  It was in the September, 1995 issue of Bon Appetit and, since then, you can find it online on multiple blogs. 

Chocolate cake - simple, quick, easy and good.  This recipe doesn't use milk or eggs which is great if your friends are vegan or lactose intolerant.  It's also a very versatile recipe and can be baked multiple ways.  I've baked this cake twice in the past month - once as cupcakes for picnic birthday and last weekend for Father's Day.  

Chocolate Cake

3 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix together in mixing bowl.

2 cups cold water

1 cup corn oil

1 tablespoon vanilla

Add wet ingredients and mix.

Grease and flour pans.

(I also use parchment paper.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 - 35 minutes.

NOTES:

*** cupcakes - 22 minutes / 28 large cupcakes

*** two 9-inch round pans - 35 minutes

You can also try:

- three 8-inch round pans

- 9x13 rectangle pan plus one 8-inch round

- two 8-inch square pans or 7x11 rectangle pans

- 10x15 jelly roll pan

If you'd like to reduce this recipe, the University of Nebraska - Lincoln has a great one-page PDF you can print out that tells you what measurements to use if you want to make just 1/3 or 1/2 of a recipe.

# 91 Happy Birthday Cupcakes

A little girl I know has a birthday coming up...

I'd like to make a cupcake "birthday cake" for our family party.

Here are two ideas I'm considering. 

This cupcake flowerpot idea is so pretty.  A styrofoam ball sits inside the flowerpot and the cupcakes are each attached with two toothpicks.  

Here's the other idea with the directions below.

To create easy to decorate pull-apart cupcake cakes, place the liners into shaped pans. Then, pour the cupcake batter in and bake. The cupcakes will conform to the pan and create different shaped cupcakes that are still easy to separate.

# 63 Poppy Seed Bundt Cake - a "retro" one-bowl recipe from 1979!!

Colonial Seed Cake

(Family Circle Magazine; August, 1979)

1/2 cup poppy seeds

3/4 cup milk

3/4 cup butter

3 eggs

1 - 1/4 cups sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. baking powder

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

Combine poppy seeds and milk; leave at room temperature for 1-2 hours.  Let butter and eggs warm to room temperature.  Butter should be very soft.

Grease/flour bundt pan.

Put all ingredients in large bowl.  

Scraping sides, beat at medium speed one minute.  

Bake 60 minutes at 350 degrees.

Cool in pan for 5 minutes before turning out.

Visit Weekend Potluck # 42 at The Country Cook
to see this recipe and many more!

And while the kids are in the kitchen...

...here's another recipe they can try. It's an "oldie"! My version dates back to a book from the mid-seventies. I dug it up to pass along to a friend who had to plan a vegan meal this weekend. With no eggs and no milk, this recipe fit the bill.

Before the kids whip up the recipe, let them experiment first by adding a liquid (vinegar) to a solid (baking soda). All those bubbles are what make this recipe turn into a cake!

1 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. cocoa

Mix thoroughly in an 8 x 8 or a 7 x 11 cake pan.

1 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Add and stir in well.

5 Tbsp. oil
1 Tbsp. vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla

Make three holes in mixture. Pour oil in one, vinegar in another and vanilla in the third hole.

1 cup cold water

Pour over all ingredients in cake pan. Beat until smooth. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes. Enjoy!