Gluten Free Apple Cake

This is a fairly easy recipe that comes together pretty fast once you have the apples peeled and cored. Preparing the apples is a kind of therapy for me, kind of like any other mundane food prep. Turn on your favorite music, sing a little and sneak a couple of dance moves in while no one is watching. Life doesn't get much better than that, until you see the finished product, give it a taste and share it with others. This cake turns out beautifully, with a nice crunchy top and not overly sweet flavor. Like most gluten free baked goods, it's best eaten in the first couple of days and I recommend placing the uneaten portion in the refrigerator.

Gluten Free Apple Cake

1½ pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into 8 wedges, and sliced ⅛ inch thick crosswise
1 tablespoon Orange liqueur
1 teaspoon lemon juice
¾ cup, plus 2 tablespoons 1 to 1 gluten-free baking flour
¼ cup almond flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 large egg plus 2 large yolks
1 cup canola oil
1 cup  buttermilk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons vanilla sugar

Place the oven rack in the lower third of the oven and set the temperature to 325 degrees. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with gluten-free cooking spray and place on a foil lined, rimmed baking sheet. (If you don't, you'll end up with a bit of a mess on the oven bottom)

Place apple slices on a microwave safe plate or pie dish, cover and microwave on high for 3 minutes, or until apples are slightly tender and pliable. Drizzle with orange liqueur and lemon juice and let cool for 15 minutes.

Place ¾ cup of gluten-free flour blend, almond flour, 1 cup of sugar, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Add one egg, oil, milk and vanilla extract and whisk until smooth. Scoop out one cup of the batter and place in another medium bowl.

Add egg yolks to the larger portion of the batter and whisk to combine. Fold in the cooled apple slices and pour mixture into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a rubber spatula.

Whisk remaining 2 tablespoons of gluten-free flour blend into the remaining batter and smooth batter as evenly over the apple mixture in the pan as possible, taking care to spread it all the way to the edges.

Sprinkle the top with the 2 tablespoons of vanilla sugar and bake until the center of the cake is set, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Transfer pan to a wire rack and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Run a  plastic knife around the edge of the cake along the sides of the pan and let cool completely, about 2 hours more. Cut into wedges and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Gluten-Free Ricotta Cake

I came across this recipe in the May 2017 edition of ITALIA! magazine. It's simple to make and and tastes great too. I prefer to eat it at room temperature, but it can be served cold. I ended up beating my egg whites by hand because I used my Kitchenaid stand mixer for the cheese mixture, so keep that in mind if you do not want to bring egg whites to stiff peaks by hand. The cake had

a nice spongy texture that is not overly sweet with a light citrus taste. It also converted to gluten-free by substituting All Purpose Gluten Free Flour. #italia #italy #baking

Gluten- Free Ricotta Cake

24 oz Ricotta Cheese
6 large Eggs, separated
1/3 cup Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour
1 cup Super-Fine Sugar
Grated zest of  2 Oranges
Grated zest of 1 lemon
Pinch of Salt
Powdered Sugar, to dust

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place ricotta in a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, blend until smooth. Add egg yolks, flour, 6 Tbsp. sugar, orange and lime zest and salt. Whisk to combine.
In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites on low speed until foamy. Increase speed to high and gradually add remaining sugar, whisking until stiff, glossy peaks form: this may take up to 3-4 minutes.
Gently fold one-third of the whites into the ricotta mixture using a spatula until just combined. Gently fold in the remaining whites until just combined.
Pour the mixture into a springform cake pan greased with butter and sprinkled with sugar, bake 45-50 minutes, or until the center is firm and the top is golden brown. The mixture will rise and then drop slightly during cooking.
Allow pan to cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the cake to release from the pan, then turn out and allow to cool completely before serving dusted with plenty of powdered sugar.

Matt's Sherry Cake

 

This incredibly easy and tasty cake comes from Delicious Magazine's November 2013 edition. Of course, I do not have any of the proper tools in this flat for baking, but I have been trying. This one was done by hand since there is no mixer. If I can do it by hand as easily as I did with such great results, anyone can do it. The flavor is so rich and the sherry gives it an incredible taste. I could not find any proper vanilla extract so I used vanilla paste instead. It's a lovely little goo filled with hundreds of vanilla seeds, no more extract for me. My favorite ingredient was the bicarbonate of soda for bubbly batters. Enjoy this recipe, it's a good company cake!

Matt's Sherry Cake

125g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing cake tin
225g self-rising flour, plus extra for dusting cake tin
125g caster sugar
2 medium free-range eggs
1 tsp. bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp. vanilla paste
200ml sweet sherry

Preheat oven to 180 Celsius. Grease 23cm cake tin with butter, then dust with flour.
Beat together butter and sugar in a stand mixer or by hand until fluffy and pale. Beat in the eggs, one by one, then, using a metal spoon, gently fold in half of flour, the bicarbonate and vanilla. Add the sherry and fold in along with remaining flour.
Pour into cake tin and bake 35-45 minutes until risen and cooked through. Allow cake to cool in tin, then turn out onto wire rack to cool fully.

Eggnog Spice Bundt Cake

Sorry about the picture, it's not that good, but this cake is. I came across this recipe in a Sun Times magazine called Relish. Very simple cake to make, but a little too nutty for me. If you want, you can omit the nuts or go with a smaller amount. It actually might taste great with a caramel-pecan type sauce over the top, just a thought for next time. This cake would make a nice addition to a Thanksgiving table.


Eggnog Spice Bundt Cake


1 (181/4 oz.) box spice cake mix
1 (4-serving) box instant vanilla pudding mix
1 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup lite eggnog
1 egg
3 egg whites
1 1/3 cups toasted chopped pecans
Powdered sugar


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a nonstick Bundt pan with cooking spray.

Combine cake mix, pudding mix, yogurt, oil, eggnog, egg and egg whites in a large bowl. Mix until creamy.

Stir in pecans. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, until a wooden toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. When cool, dust with powdered sugar.

Olive Oil Cake

This recipe is simple and delicious, just the way I like them. I came across this recipe in the September 2009 Bon Appetit and thought it looked like a winner. The cake is better the next day, so once it has cooled completely, wrap in foil and store at room temperature.

Olive Oil Cake

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

2 large eggs

3/4 cup whole milk

1/2 cup mild flavored olive oil

2 tsp. finely grated orange peel

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Oil and flour 9x5x3 inch metal loaf pan. Whisk first 5 ingredients in large bowl. Whisk eggs, milk, olive oil and orange peel in medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk egg mixture into dry ingredients. Transfer to prepared pan.

Bake until tester inserted in center comes out clean, 60 to 65 minutes. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Invert pan to remove cake. Cool completely, top side up.

7UP Pound Cake

I am a huge lemon cake fan and am always looking for new recipes to try. I was intrigued with this one from Cook's Country June/July 2009 issue and decided to give it a try. Although not my favorite, a little on the dense side for me, it was good and had a mild lemon flavor to it.

7UP Pound Cake

Cake:

2 1/2 cups granulated sugar

5 large eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup 7UP, room temperature

1 Tbsp. grated zest plus 2 Tbsp. juice from 1 lemon

1 Tbsp. grated zest and 2 Tbsp. juice from 2 limes

1/2 tsp. salt

20 Tbsp. (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

3 1/4 cups cake flour

Glaze:

1 cup confectioners sugar

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 Tbsp. lime juice

Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Grease and flour 12-cup non-stick tube pan. Process sugar, eggs, 7UP, zests, juices and salt in food processor until smooth. With machine running, slowly pour in butter and process until incorporated. Transfer to large bowl. Add flour in 3 batches, whisking with each addition.

Spread batter in prepared pan. Gently tap on counter. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 75 to 90 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet to cool completely, about 2 hours.

Whisk confectioners sugar with juices in bowl until smooth. Pour over cooled cake. Let sit for ten minutes before serving.

Torta Cioccolata con Crema y Fragole

As you know, baking is not one of my strong suits, but I am trying to be better. I found this nice cook book called Cakes From Scratch in Half the Time by Linda West Eckhardt and I just had to buy it. The pictures are great, but the recipes are what won me over. This chocolate torte is incredible and easy. The picture does not do it justice, it's very dark, almost black, but I had to use a flash on the camera, it was just too dark. The cake is dense, but not heavy and not overly sweet. I think that it would be just as good sprinkled with powdered sugar as opposed to using the whipped cream. Either way, the cake is delicious.

Torta Cioccolata con Crema y Fragole

1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp. Dutch process cocoa powder, divided
1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup brewed espresso
5 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Arrange the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Spritz a 9-inch shiny round aluminum cake pan with Baker's Joy, then dust with 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder.
Whisk the flour, the remaining 1/3 cup of cocoa powder, baking soda, sugar and salt together in a large bowl. Stir together coffee, oil, vanilla, and vinegar in a 2- cup glass measuring cup. Whisk into the dry ingredients, blending until just lump free.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until top springs back at the touch and a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
Cool cake in the pan on a rack. Turn out onto a cake plate.

Perfect Whipped Cream

1 cup whipping cream
2 Tbsp, sour cream or creme fraiche
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine ingredients and whip until soft peaks form. Refrigerate, covered, until time to serve.

Blackberry Wine Cake

This recipe comes from my friend Jan. She served this for dessert once and I thought it would be the perfect cake for Christmas dinner. The recipe calls for the cake to be made in a bundt pan, but my sister gave me this snowflake cake pan for Christmas and I thought it would look nice. As it was, the cake turned out very nice in the pan and the flavor is amazing. Since the cake uses Jell-o and wine, you can use any flavor combo, like peach Jell-O and peach wine if you so desire.

Blackberry Wine Cake

1 box white cake mix

1 3 oz. box blackberry Jell-O

4 eggs

1/2 cup cooking oil

1 cup blackberry wine

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Grease bundt pan and sprinkle nuts on the bottom. Mix the rest of the ingredients, beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Pour batter over nuts. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes at 350 degrees.

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup blackberry wine

Combine in a small saucepan and bring to a hard boil. When cake is done, remove from oven and pour 2/3 of glaze over the bottom of warm cake while still in the pan. Let it cool for 30 minutes and turn out of pan. Add more powdered sugar to thicken glaze (approx. 1/4 cup) and drizzle over cake.

Doug's Pumpkin Spice Cake

This recipe comes from a friend of mine at work, who decided to bake a pumpkin spice cake after I told him of my easy recipe. Doug's recipe is much more challenging, but sounds incredible. I have not spoken with him yet to see how it turned out, but the maple syrup in the icing sounds wonderful.

Pumpkin Spice Cake:



1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups (270 grams) light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup fresh or canned pure pumpkin (about 1/2 of a 15 ounce can)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups (200 grams) sifted cake flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup (120 ml) buttermilk, room temperature)


Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 ounces (228 grams) cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup (56 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup (preferably Grade A dark amber)
2 cups (230 grams) confectioners' (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted

For Garnish:

1/2 cup (50 grams) toasted and chopped walnuts or pecans


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter and flour (or spray with Baker's Joy) two - 8 inch (20 cm) cake pans. Cake: In the bowl of your electric mixer(or with a hand mixer), cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the pumpkin puree and vanilla and beat until incorporated.In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices. Add the flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to the pumpkin batter, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Divide the batter in half and then pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for approximately 25 - 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes and then invert and remove the cakes from their pans. Cool completely before frosting.



Frosting: Place the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of your food processor (or use a hand mixer) and pulse until smooth. Add the maple syrup and confectioners' sugar and process to combine. Adjust syrup or sugar until you have the right consistency.Assemble:Place one of the cake layers, top side down, on a serving plate. Frost with a layer of icing. Place the second cake, top side down, onto the first layer and frost the top and sides of the cake. Garnish with chopped nuts, if desired. Refrigerate but bring to room temperature before serving.



This recipe is adapted from Cindy Mushet's excellent baking newsletter "Baking with the American Harvest". (Unfortunately, it is no longer in publication.)

Pumpkin Spice Cake

I came across this recipe in the Northland Sun Tribune last week and was intrigued with the frosting. It's a simple recipe and perfect for the upcoming holidays. The cake tastes like pumpkin pie, so it would be a great alternative for a Thanksgiving dessert. It would make a great layer cake that could be decorated with those little candy pumpkins.

Pumpkin Spice Cake

1 box spice cake mix

1 can pumpkin

Mix cake following box directions with the addition of the pumpkin. Box according to directions.

Can't get any easier than that!

Pistachio Heaven

My Mom makes this great pistachio pudding dessert that is so addictive and has become one of my favorites. I finally got the recipe from her and prepared it for dinner with friends. Needless too say, it was a huge hit and is so very easy to make. I guess you could use any pudding flavor in this recipe, but I love the flavor of the pistachio and Heath bars together.

Pistachio Heaven

1 pre-baked angel food cake
2 (3.4 oz.) boxes instant pistachio flavored pudding
1 (12 oz.) container Cool-Whip, thawed ( I used lite)
4 Heath Bars, crushed

Cut or tear the angel food cake into bite size pieces and place in bottom of 9x13 cake pan. Make pudding according to box directions and pour over cake. Cover and place in refrigerator until pudding is set. Spread with Cool-Whip and sprinkle with crushed candy bars. Serve.

Mocha Angel Cake

This recipe was given to me by someone at my old job. I was told that the cake was wonderful and would be a favorite. It did not go over to well at my house. My icing did not turn out right, although the flavor was good, it just kind of slid of the cake. The cake itself was okay, but I prefer a plain angel food.

Mocha Angel Cake

1 package (16 0z) white angel food cake mix

1 Tbsp. cocoa

1 1/2 cups cold coffee

1 package (2.8 oz) whipped topping mix

4 Tbsp. powdered sugar

4 tsp. cocoa

Prepare cake mix as directed on package, except stir cocoa into dry cake mix and substitute cold coffee for water. Bake and cool as directed.

prepare topping mix as directed on package, except use skim milk and stir in sugar and cocoa during last minute of beating. Spread onto cool cake, serve.

Lemon-Lime Layer Cake

I found this recipe in the Sept. '07 Cooking Light and tried it out this past week. I'm not the worlds greatest baker, but I followed the instructions just as written and came out with a really good cake. It was surprisingly moist and the lemon-lime flavor was very nice. I used two square 8x8 cake pans instead of round to be a little different.

Lemon-Lime Layer Cake

Cake:
Cooking spray
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup egg substitute
1 Tbsp. grated lemon rind
1 Tbsp. grated lime rind
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 1/24 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/3 cups low-fat buttermilk
Icing:
1 tsp. grated lemon rind
1 tsp. grated lime rind
1 tsp. fresh lime juice
1 (8 oz) package 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
To prepare the cake, coat two 9 inch round cake pans with cooking spray; line bottoms of pans with wax paper. Coat was paper with cooking spay.
Place sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add egg substitute and next 3 ingredients ( through 1 tbsp. juice); beat well. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, stirring well with a whisk. Add flour and buttermilk alternately with sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Spoon into cake pans; tap pans once on counter to release air bubbles.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool pans on wire rack for 10 minutes; remove cakes from pans. Carefully peel off wax paper. Cool completely on wire racks sprayed with cooking spray.
To prepare icing, place 1 tsp. of lemon rind and next 3 three ingredients in a medium bowl; beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until just blended, do not over beat. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.
Place 1 layer in a plate; spread with 1/2 of icing. Top with remaining layer and spread icing over top and sides. Chill 1 hour.

Grandpa's Favorite Ozark Apple Cake

My maternal grandfather was from a family of Ozark hillbilly's. Everyday he ate an apple and I can still see him sitting there slicing one with his pocket knife. My Granny was an excellent cook and this is one of her recipes.

Grandpa's Favorite Ozark Apple Cake

2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. nutmeg
4 cups apples, peeled and chopped
1 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup shortening
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon

Cream together sugar and shortening; add eggs and vanilla. Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg and cinnamon. Add to creamed mixture. Add apples and nuts, mix. Place in a greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Pineapple Skillet Uside-Down Cake

This is another recipe from my cooking class in San Miguel at Sazon. I typically don't like pineapple upside down cake(although I love pineapple), but this cake was wonderful. It almost had a pudding consistency to it. The fact that you use chunks of fresh pineapple as opposed to canned pineapple rings makes it all the better. This recipe was attributed to Rick Bayless, who is one of my favorite cookbook authors.
When Monserrat added the brown sugar to the pan, she let it melt before adding the pineapple. After it was melted she added the pineapple and let it cook for another 5 to 6 minutes.



Pineapple Skillet Upside-Down Cake



6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 cups 1/2" cubed, cleaned pineapple (about 3/4 of a medium pineapple)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 cup white sugar
1 large egg
3/4 buttermilk or plain yogurt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and place rack in middle. Melt butter in a large(10") skillet, with ovenproof handle, preferably non-stick, over medium heat. Swirl the butter in skillet until it turns nut-brown then pour into a medium bowl. Without wiping out the skillet, sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the bottom. Top with the fruit in an even layer.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, salt , soda and baking powder. Add the white sugar to the browned butter and whisk until thoroughly combined. Whisk in the egg, then the buttermilk. Pour the wet ingredients in the the bowl with dry mixture. Whisk to thoroughly combine.
Pour batter evenly over the fruit in the skillet. Slide the skillet into the oven and bake for 35 minutes, until cake is golden and springy to the touch. Remove and let cool 10 minutes.
Invert a plate over skillet, then holding plate and skillet firmly together with the towels or pot holders, invert the two in one swift movement. Remove the skillet and the cake is ready to serve.

Ricotta Cheesecake

This recipe is from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook. It's a very simple cheesecake to put together and the flavor is very nice. It tastes a lot like a lemon custard or even a lemon meringue, but either way it is good and simple. My cake turned out just like the picture in the Martha's book. Pureeing the ricotta gives it a very silky and smooth texture, the batter turns out very nice. Instead of using regular sugar for the pan, I used raw sugar to give it a little crunch and it worked nicely.

Ricotta Cheesecake

Unsalted butter, room temperature, for pan
3/4 cup sugar, plus more for pan
1 1/2 lbs. fresh whole milk ricotta cheese, pureed in food processor until smooth
6 large eggs, separated
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
finely grated zest of 2 lemons
1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 375. Generously butter and sugar a 9-inch springform pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the ricotta, egg yolks, flour, 6 tablespoons sugar, zest and salt until combined, set aside.
Place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; beat on low speed until foamy. With the mixer on high, gradually add the remaining 6 tablespoons of sugar, beating until stiff and glossy, 3 to 4 minutes.
Using a rubber spatula, fold a third of the egg-white mixture into the ricotta mixture until combined. Gently fold the remaining egg white mixture until just combined. Pour into pan and bake until center is firm and the top a deep golden brown, about 1 hour.
Transfer to a wire rack and cool ten minutes. Place another wire rack on top and invert cake to rack to remove from pan. Reinvert cake and cool completely, top side up. The cheesecake is best eaten the day it is baked but can be refrigerated, covered loosely with plastic wrap, for up to 3 days. Let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes prior to serving.

Carrot Cake

This is one of my favorite cake recipes. My old boss, Judy, used to make this and I got the recipe from her. It's very moist and it does not have raisins!! I hate raisins. At one time in my life I liked them, but then the government gave them to the schools for free back in the sixties and everything had raisins in them. I think they even tried to put them in fish sticks, which are gross in their own pathetic way. But back to the cake, this is a really good one and it's easy to make.

Carrot Cake

1 1/2 cups corn oil
2 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
4 eggs
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 small can crushed pineapple, drained
3 cups grated carrots

Mix sugar and oil, beat until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time. Beat until each is mixed in and batter is creamy. Combine flour, salt, soda and cinnamon. Add to creamy mixture. Add carrots and pineapple. Bake in 15 x 18 pan at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or until tests done. Cake can be made in 3 9-inch round pans, baked for 30 minutes. When cool ice with Cream Cheese Pecan Icing .

Beef Brownies

Okay, I am getting nauseous just thinking about this recipe. I came across it in one of those plastic bound cookbooks that you see from churches or PTA's and thought I had to share it with all of you. As a child, I remember my Great Grandmother, Nanny, bringing a mincemeat pie. I always thought they sounded disgusting. The fact that her mean husband George actually prepared them, made the thought of tasting them even more horrifying. Anyway, these brownies call for mincemeat, Yucko!!

Beef Brownies

1/2 cup margarine
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup mincemeat
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 squares chocolate, melted
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt

Cream together margarine and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each. Add the rest of the ingredients. Pour into a 9x12 greased baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Lemon Cake w/Citrus Glaze

Lemon cake has always been my favorite of all the cakes. Well, maybe not my all time favorite, that would be an Italian cream cake. But lemon cake is the cake I always asked for on my birthday as a child. This recipe is simple and the glaze that goes on top is excellent! One of these days, I will get around to posting my recipe for an Italian Cream Cake.

Lemon Cake w/Citrus Glaze

1 box lemon cake mix
2 (10 oz) boxes lemon instant pudding
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 cup water

Mix all the ingredients and beat for 3 minutes. Pour into greased and floured bundt pan and bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes.

Citrus Glaze

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp. fresh orange juice

Mix together and pour over hot cake.

Trader Joe's Matcha Green Tea Cake Mix

When we were in Chicago last time, much to my delight, there was a Trader Joe's right by our hotel. Ever since our friend Alicia turned us on to them in Phoenix, I always look for them where ever we go. I could not walk in without picking something up , so I got this cake mix and some treats for Gabby. I made the Matcha Green Tea Cake, this past week and really enjoyed it. I was sceptical of it at first , but with some fat- free vanilla ice cream it was a great treat. You can either bake it as an 8 inch square cake or muffins. I prepared it as a cake and followed the instructions to a tee. The cake came out perfect and if you like green tea you will like this cake. It is not overly sweet and simple to make. It requires 2 eggs, 1/2 stick of melted butter and 2/3 cup of water. I would buy this again and try out some of the other flavors they offered. Gabby loved her Peanut Butter filled dog treats, too!