Apple Cake with Brown Buttered Frosting

The Cake

:

Total: 2 hours
Yield: Makes 12 to 15 servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 pounds Granny Smith apples (about 4 large), peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick wedges

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 5 to 7 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through.

2. Stir together butter and next 3 ingredients in a large bowl until blended.

3. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; add to butter mixture, stirring until blended. Stir in apples and 1 cup pecans. (Batter will be very thick, similar to a cookie dough.) Spread batter into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch pan.

4. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack (about 45 minutes). Spread your choice of frosting over top of cake; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup pecans.

Frosting:

Total: 1 hour, 16 minutes
Yield: Makes about 3 1/2 cups

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 1 (16-oz.) package powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Cook butter in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, 6 to 8 minutes or until butter begins to turn golden brown. Remove pan from heat immediately, and pour butter into a small bowl. Cover and chill 1 hour or until butter is cool and begins to solidify.

2. Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy; gradually add powdered sugar alternately with milk, beginning and ending with powdered sugar. Beat mixture at low speed until well blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla.

Banana Chocolate Walnut Cake

SERVES8

• ACTIVE TIME:30 MIN
• START TO FINISH:2 1/2 HR

FEBRUARY 2008

A great way to use very ripe bananas, this easy-to-make cake incorporates everything you love about banana bread and adds a few more favorites—chocolate, walnuts, and cinnamon—for good measure. (It's also much more tender, with a light, moist crumb.)

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened, plus 2 tablespoons, melted and cooled
• 1 cup sugar, divided
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups mashed very ripe bananas (about 3 medium)
• 2/3 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 (3 1/2- to 4-oz) bar 70%-cacao bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup walnuts (3 oz), toasted, cooled, and coarsely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle. Butter a 9-inch square cake pan.
• Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt.
• Beat together softened butter (1 stick) and 3/4 cup sugar in a medium bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, then beat in eggs 1 at a time until blended. Beat in bananas, yogurt, and vanilla (mixture will look curdled).
• With mixer at low speed, add flour mixture and mix until just incorporated.
• Toss together chocolate, nuts, cinnamon, melted butter, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl. Spread half of banana batter in cake pan and sprinkle with half of chocolate mixture. Spread remaining batter evenly over filling and sprinkle remaining chocolate mixture on top.
• Bake until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 30 minutes, then turn out onto rack and cool completely, right side up.

COOKS' NOTES: Cake can be made 2 days ahead and kept in a airtight container at room temperature.

Lemon-Cream Cheese Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS:

1 pkg. (2-layer size) white cake mix 1 pkg.
3.4 oz. JELL-O Lemon Flavor Instant Pudding
1 cup water
4 egg whites
2 Tbsp. oil
1 pkg. (16 oz.) powdered sugar
1 pkg. (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 stick butter, softened 2 Tbsp. lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:
HEAT oven to 350ºF. Beat cake mix, pudding mix, water, egg whites and oil in large bowl with mixer on low speed until moistened. (Batter will be thick.) Beat on medium speed 2 min. Spoon batter evenly into 24 paper-lined 2-1/2-inch muffin cups.

BAKE 21 to 24 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 min.; remove to wire racks. Cool completely.

MEANWHILE, beat sugar, cream cheese, butter and juice with mixer on low speed until well blended. Frost cupcakes.

Thanks to KraftFoods.com for this receipe.

Chocolate Bonbon Pops

Prep: 30 Minutes | Freeze: 30 Minutes | Chill: 1 Hour

INGREDIENTS:

18 Oreos

1 1/2 cups pecans, toasted

2 Tbsp. orange liqueur or OJ

1 Tbsp. light-color corn syrup

2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

20 lollipop sticks

1 12 oz. pkg. milk chocolate or semisweet chocolate pieces

1 Tbsp. shortening

DIRECTIONS:

1. In large food processor bowl combine cookies and 3/4 cup of teh nuts; pulse until cookies are crushed. Add orange liqueur, corn syrup, and cocoa powder; process until combined. Add remaining nuts; pulse until coarsely chopped.

2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Shape cookie mixture in 1-inch balls. Place on baking sheet, insert a lollipop stick, and freeze for 30 minutes.

3. In a small saucepan combine chocolate pieces adn shortening. Cook and stir over medium-low heat. Dip pops in chocolate. Return to making sheet. Loosely cover and refrigerate 1 hour or until chocolate is set. If using liqueur, flavor will mellow after a day or two.

Makes 20 Pops.

To Store: Place in covered container; refrigerate up to 1 week.

Cake Balls

Ingredients

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package chocolate cake mix
• 1 (16 ounce) container prepared chocolate frosting
• 1 (3 ounce) bar chocolate flavored confectioners coating

Directions

1. Prepare the cake mix according to package directions using any of the recommended pan sizes. When cake is done, crumble while warm into a large bowl, and stir in the frosting until well blended.
2. Melt chocolate coating in a glass bowl in the microwave, or in a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth.
3. Use a melon baller or small scoop to form balls of the chocolate cake mixture. Dip the balls in chocolate using a toothpick or fork to hold them. Place on waxed paper to set.

Too Much Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix
• 1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs and water. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour batter into a well greased 12 cup bundt pan.
3. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until top is springy to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cake thoroughly in pan at least an hour and a half before inverting onto a plate If desired, dust the cake with powdered sugar.