Tractor Birthday Cake

My little nephew loves tractors.  And he just turned two.  In honor of him, I made a tractor cake.  And he loved it!

Side view

It was my brother-in-law's idea to put the candles in the cookies.

I didn't follow Jodi's instructions to a T.  Knowing how much my family loves chocolate, I used M&M candies for the head and tail lights, and stick cookies for the exhaust pipe.  The only wax-covered donuts I found at the store were miniature, so I had to send my sister on an emergency bakery run for regular donuts for the rear tires.  And, I used the extra cake to crumble for mud around the tractor.  It's sinking in the mud because of all the rain we've had recently.  ☺

The cake was a hit!

Mostly gone. There is a difference between mostly gone and all gone.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Unsure what to do with all the zucchini from your garden/your neighbors' gardens/your friends' gardens/your enemies' gardens?  Try this moist and delicious cake! 

½ c. butter
½ c. oil
1¾ c. sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
½ c. buttermilk or sour milk
2½ c. flour
¼ c. cocoa powder
½ t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
½ t. cinnamon
½ t. cloves
2 c. grated zucchini
½ c. chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 325°. Cream butter, oil, and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla, and milk and beat well. Sift dry ingredients; beat into butter mixture. Stir in zucchini. Pour into 9”x13” pan and sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over the top. Bake for 40-45 minutes. (This makes a tender, moist cake that needs no frosting because of the chocolate chips.)

Pre-baking

Post-baking

Cake Decorating Idea

Almond-Cherry Cake

1 c. softened butter
1 3/4 c. sugar
4 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1/2 t. almond extract (I think; I sort of forgot how much I actually put.)
2 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. almond meal/flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 can cherry pie filling

Chocolate chips (optional, but recommended)

Preheat oven to 350° F. In a bowl, cream butter and sugar; add eggs and beat well. Sift dry ingredients, except almond flour, in a separate bowl. Stir in almond flour. (The almond flour will get stuck in your sifter. Most of it will go through, but there will be larger pieces that do not. You can still try it if you wish--but consider yourself warned.) Add to egg mixture and beat until well-blended. (Dough is thick.) Spread half of the dough in a greased 9"x13" pan. Top with pie filling (and a sprinkling of chocolate chips); spread remaining dough over filling. (This step is difficult; I had to use two spoons and kind of stretch it over the filling.) Bake 45 minutes or until done. While cake is warm, spread with powdered sugar icing to form a glaze. (I mixed a drop or two of almond extract into my glaze.)

This cake was originally called "Cherry Slices." Adding almond flour and flavoring was my idea. If you don't like almond, but do like cherry, the original recipe calls for 3 c. flour and nothing almond at all. Also, the chocolate chips were my own addition--because, as we all know, everything is better with chocolate. =)

Deep, Dark, Chocolate Cake

This is traditionally our family's birthday cake, every time someone turns a year older. It is dark, rich, and moist--and decidedly better than any store-bought or box-mix cake! The first picture is this cake this year, and the second is the cake with no decoration. The third picture is this cake a few years ago, decorated with whole almonds, slivered almonds, and chocolate stars.

1 3/4 c. flour
2 c. sugar
3/4 c. cocoa
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1 1/2 t. baking powder
2 eggs
1 c. milk
1/2 c. shortening
2 t. vanilla
1 c. boiling water

Combine dry ingredients in mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients except water; beat at medium speed 2 minutes. Remove from mixer; stir in boiling water. (Batter will be thin.) Pour into two greased and floured 9x9" layer pans, one greased and floured 9x13" cake pan, or papered cupcake pans. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes for layers; 35-40 minutes for sheet cake and 12-15 minutes at 400° for cupcakes. Cool completely; frost with Chocolate Fudge Frosting.

Delicious Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Thanks to my cousin, M, and her mother, Aunt S, for this recipe.

1 1/4 c. sugar
1 c. oil
1 t. vanilla
2 beaten eggs
1 c. buttermilk*
2 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
4 T. sugar
2 t. cinnamon

*If you have no buttermilk, place 1 T. vinegar or lemon juice in a measuring cup. Add sweet milk to the 1 c. line. Set aside for 5 minutes to allow the milk to sour.

Preheat oven to 325°. Mix 1 1/4 c. sugar, oil, vanilla, eggs, and buttermilk. Sift and add flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix 4 T. sugar and 2 t. cinnamon. Set aside. Spread half of batter in a greased and floured 9"x13" pan. Sprinkle half of cinnamon mixture over batter. Spread with remaining batter and then the rest of the cinnamon mixture. Bake for 20-30 minutes. (Do not overbake.)
When cake is done, if desired, use a fork to poke holes at intervals. Pour icing over the top.

Icing:
1 c. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla
hot water

Add hot water to make a thin icing. Pour over the cake while hot.

Note: icing makes this coffee cake very sweet. With icing it would make a better dessert than breakfast!

Chocolate Upside-Down Cake

It has been too long since anything chocolate appeared on this blog. And while we're making upside-down cakes, what could be better than a chocolate variety?

2 T. melted butter
3/4 c. sugar
1 c. flour
2 t. baking powder
1 1/2 T. cocoa powder
1 egg
1/2 c. milk
1 t. vanilla
1/2 c. nuts

Preheat oven to 350°. Mix all ingredients; spread in a greased 6"x 9" or 8"x 8" pan. Mix and pour the following over batter:

1 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
3 T. cocoa powder
1 T. cornstarch
1 c. hot water

Bake for 45 minutes. Serve upside down. (This upside-down cake should not be inverted onto a plate as a whole.)

Apple Upside-Down Cake

1/4 c. butter or other fat
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
1 1/2 c. sifted flour
2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. milk
2-4 firm-fleshed apples
2 t. cinnamon, mixed with 1/4 c. sugar
Hard sauce* or whipped cream

Cream the fat while adding sugar, well-beaten egg, and vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt; add alternately with milk to the first mixture. Spread a thick coating of fat on the bottom and sides of a glass baking dish or a very heavy pan (8-inch). Pare, quarter, and slice the apples thin. Spread in an overlapping layer on the bottom of the baking dish and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar. Pour cake batter over the apples. The batter is very thick and may need to be smoothed on top with a knife. Bake in a very moderate oven (300°-325°) for 45 minutes. Loosen sides of the cake; turn it out carefully, upside-down; and the top will be covered with a neat layer of transparent apples. (Apparently you're not supposed to use Jonathans. I did and my "transparent" apples were pinkish.) Serve hot with hard sauce* or whipped cream.

*What is hard sauce? Really, does anyone know? Because there was no recipe for it in this cookbook, and I have never heard of it. =)

Lazy Woman's Cake

This cake is super easy! Aside from being almost mess-free, it is also egg-free and dairy-free. =)

Lazy Woman's Cake
2 c. sugar
3 c. flour
1 t. salt
1 c. cocoa
2 heaping t. soda
Mix all dry ingredients in a 9" x 13" cake pan.
Add:
1 c. oil
1 T. vanilla
2 T. vinegar
2 c. cold water.
Mix with a fork or whisk. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Notes:
-I mix this in a bowl, because in a shallow pan it is easy to spill while mixing.
-The original recipe calls for 5 tablespoons of cocoa, but as a dark chocolate lover, I increased the amount considerably.
-Since this is not chocolate chip cookies, it is okay to use all vegetable oil. ;)
-If desired, add a dash of cinnamon to the dry ingredients.