[Polydor]

I'm a big baker and pretty much do a cake or dessert once a week for co-worker/friends. So i do try a do something different and try out different recipes on them

My new favourite is a Sticky Date Pudding. Oh my!!! Sooo yummy.

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/7828...y+date+pudding

Also do a killer rhubarb cake , mom's award winning on at that which is my go to quick and easy providing I have rhubarb in the freezer.

Will be writing a few of these recipes down to try!

P.

[SweetMutt]

I love baking and go on some serious kicks myself. This weekend I happened to use my tried and true vanilla cake/decorator buttercream recipe (though with a hint of lemon added to the icing) to make myself a birthday cake:

Happy birthday to me!

I'm partial to the decorating part of baking too. This one wasn't the best as far as decorating goes, but it was for myself so I didn't put as much time into it as I would for someone else.

The vanilla cake isn't the most interesting, but it's a good one to have. You can jazz it up with some more interesting frostings and maybe some fruit filling (though I haven't tried the fruit yet). It makes a nice rich cake and the light batter color make it good for food coloring fun.

3 cups (345 grams) sifted all purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 3/4 cups (350 grams) granulated white sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup (240 ml) room temperature milk


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) with rack in center of oven. Grease and flour 2 9" cake pans (I've made this as a rectangle cake too, I think in a 9x13 pan. Baking times about the same. I recommend not using a nonstick pan.)

In a bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Beat the butter until soft and creamy (about 1-2 minutes). Gradually add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 3-5 minutes). Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture (in three additions) and milk (in two additions), beginning and ending with the flour.

Evenly divide the batter between the two prepared pans, smoothing the tops with the back of a spoon or a spatula. Bake 27 to 35 minutes.

[ChocoMare]

The title says it all

Better Than Sex Cake

Cake
1 Box Duncan Hines Butter Cake Mix (Yellow)
1 8 oz. Package Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 8 oz package Pecans, Chopped
1 Box Instant French Vanilla Pudding
½ Box (4 Squares) Baker’s Unsweetened Chocolate, Grated Fine
1 8 oz. Container Sour Cream (Don’t Use Lite Or Fat Free)
½ Cup Vegetable Oil
½ Cup Milk
4 Eggs, Room Temperature
1 Stick Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature

Icing
2 8 oz. Packages Cream Cheese-room temperature/softened
1 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
1 ½ tsp. Pure Coffee Extract

Cake
Preheat oven to 350.

Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl. Mix until well blended. Pour into greased and floured tube or bundt pan.

Bake for one (1) hour or until a toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean.

Let cool in pan for 30 minutes. Turn out and cool completely.

Icing (use food processor if available)

Blend all ingredients until smooth and creamy. Once cake is totally cooled, spread evenly over cake. Top with whole pecans if desired.

[west5]

Does anybody have a great flour-less chocolate cake recipe?

I had a great one and can't find it

[SarahandSam]

I like cooking with booze. Some of my faves:

Irish car bomb cupcakes (chocolate stout cake, whiskey dark chocolate ganache filling, Bailey's buttercream frosting)
Octoberfest cupcakes or pumpkin spice ale cupcakes (easiest version in the world is to just take a vanilla or spice cake box mix, and mix the contents with one bottle of beer... that's all you need!), usually with white chocolate Bailey's cream cheese frosting
Red velvet cupcakes (I used a Belgian ale to make them) with dark chocolate cream cheese filling and Bailey's cream cheese frosting

Also, I made the most delicious dark chocolate vegan cupcakes once--used maple syrup instead of eggs. I am normally leery of anything vegan but they were amazing.

[GotGait]

I make pineapple upside down cake with bourbon caramel and red velvet with cream cheese frosting.

[thatmoody]

Does anyone have a great red velvet cake recipe? I would love to have one for my birthday and DD is a great cake baker!

[sophie]

West5, this one was recommended to me but I haven't tried it yet:

• 4 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened)
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder plus additional for sprinkling
Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375°F and butter an 8-inch round baking pan. Line bottom with a round of wax paper and butter paper.
Chop chocolate into small pieces. In a double boiler or metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water melt chocolate with butter, stirring, until smooth. Remove top of double boiler or bowl from heat and whisk sugar into chocolate mixture. Add eggs and whisk well. Sift 1/2 cup cocoa powder over chocolate mixture and whisk until just combined. Pour batter into pan and bake in middle of oven 25 minutes, or until top has formed a thin crust. Thoroughly cool cake in pan on a rack, then invert onto a serving plate.
Dust cake with additional cocoa powder and serve with fresh raspberries, fruit coulis, or sorbet if desired. (Cake keeps, after being cooled completely, in an airtight container, 1 week.)

 For a 10” cake, double the ingredients and bake at 350 for 35 to 40 mn. Serves 10 to 12 people.
 Optional: add vanilla and/or almond extract,

I don't bake a lot, but I get a lot of compliments on my fruit cheesecake (very light and fruity as I don't like classic cheesecake), my almond/pear/apricot pie, and my Alsatian apple tart. I also have a classic génoise chocolate cake (my grandma's recipe, my own Bday cake from when I was a kid), and chocolate bûche. I'm a chocolate addict (as long as it is GOOD chocolate!)

[west5]

Thanks Sophie!

[Renn/aissance]

Smitten Kitchen's red wine chocolate cake with a thin layer of vanilla icing. It's a little heavy for summer but makes a great winter dessert, particularly if you make two layers. Spread a thin layer of the icing atop the bottom layer and then top with raspberries. Place the top layer over it, slowly pour icing into the center so that it drips down the sides, and top with more berries. Yum.

[GotGait]

Does anyone have a great red velvet cake recipe? I would love to have one for my birthday and DD is a great cake baker!

I have been trying to find the recipe for the red velvet cupcakes that Nordstrom sells in their cafe. They are ridiculously awesome. I'm just going to ask them for it next time I'm there, but they may get them from somewhere else.
I haven't tried these cupcakes yet but will soon:

http://www.grouprecipes.com/37947/ma...-cupcakes.html

[Rubyfree]

I've been using texas sheet cake as a "base" recipe a lot lately. Simple, reliable and super easy to modify. With caramel frosting & bacon bits on top, I got three proposals.

[SarahandSam]

Smitten Kitchen's red wine chocolate cake with a thin layer of vanilla icing. It's a little heavy for summer but makes a great winter dessert, particularly if you make two layers. Spread a thin layer of the icing atop the bottom layer and then top with raspberries. Place the top layer over it, slowly pour icing into the center so that it drips down the sides, and top with more berries. Yum.

Ooh, I made their recipe as red wine chocolate cupcakes before. I can't remember which frosting I did--I think it was a ganache of some sort. But it was fabulous; the cake is so dense and rich, like a flourless cake.

I cheated with the red velvet cupcakes I made this weekend, but they were amazing. I used a box mix, but used 4 eggs instead of 3; doubled the amount of melted butter instead of oil; and substituted half beer/half milk instead of water, and added a little vanilla. I think next time I'll throw in some sour cream as well.

[caffeinated]

This has become a family favorite:

http://dozenflours.com/2009/11/tummy...date-cake.html

I've made it the last few thanksgivings, and it's fabulous

And easy.

[sk_pacer]

We have a local recipe called mahogany cake that is heavenly. The icing has broken, toasted pecans, coffee and a bit of orange juice and orange peel. The cake itself has cocoa instead of chocolate.
Cake:
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flour
3 Tablespoons cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 eggs, separated

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add well beaten egg yolks and vanilla. Slow mixer to lowest speed; add sifted dry ingredients, in parts, alternately with the buttermilk. Beat egg whites well and fold them into the other mixture. Bake at 325 for 25 minutes in two well greased and floured cake pans (9 or 10 inch).

Icing:
1 stick butter
1 box confectioner's sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon instant coffee
2 squares melted chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped and toasted pecans, with more for outside decoration.
2 tablespoons orange juice
grated rind of one small orange
cream

Place butter, sugar, egg and coffee in mixing bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Add melted chocolate, vanilla, nuts, orange juice and grated rind. Thin to spreading consistency with cream. Put the nuts on the top and sides of the cake after icing.

This is one of the very best cakes I've ever eaten. Light, moist, and the icing is worth the price of admission. It also keeps well and is better the second day.

Believe it or not, my mother used to make this one. It is a lovely cake.

[SweetMutt]

Does anyone have a great red velvet cake recipe? I would love to have one for my birthday and DD is a great cake baker!

This one is super easy and delicious:

1 box German chocolate cake mix (or a batter made from another recipe)
1/4 cup Kahlua (1/3 cup if you really like the taste)
1 cup sour cream

If making with a box mix, mix batter and add in Kahlua and sour cream at end, plus 1 oz red food coloring. If making from another recipe, add the sour cream, Kahula, and food coloring to the wet ingredients before mixing with the flour. Bake according to cake directions (from box or recipe.)

[Tobias]

A simple, yet amazingly delicious chocolate cake ever! It is so moist and flavor full. Hershey's perfectly chocolate chocolate cake, the recipe is on the back of the Hershey's cocoa container. It comes out beautifully perfect every time!

[LauraKY]

My go-to cake is a wacky cake-- chocolate, made without eggs. It's super-easy and virtually fail-proof (provided you don't mix the hell out of it before it goes into the pan)...

Everyone loves that cake! My daughter was allergic to milk and my foster son was allergic to eggs. That cake made everyone happy.

[Neighland]

I cannot wait to try some of these, perhaps the mahogany cake is at the top of the list!!

[Kim]

My brother is a (professional) gourmet chef. Among his fabulous desserts is a flourless chocolate cake called "Chocolate Sin." West, I am not sure this is the one you mentioned. The only issue that I remember (other than the taste!) is that it is very time-consuming to make - it needs to be baked at various temperatures, in a springboard pan, and covered with a towel. If anyone would like the recipe, I can certainly get it.