pumpkin maple gooey cake

i found a pumpkin cake that was similar to my gooey cakes that i swoon over.  i'll eat an entire gooey cake myself if left to my own devices.  thankfully that's never happened though, because everyone else seems to be just as crazy about these amazingly gooey and delicious desserts.  want to check out the other gooey cakes - try here, here, or here.  yeah, variations of the gooey cake are endless.  i have to say this is one of the best yet.  i've had four pieces so far (writing this is making me hungry for number five).     you need: 1 box yellow cake mix 1 can pumpkin 1 can sweetened condensed milk 1 tub cool whip 1/2 bag heath bits maple agave nectar (or maple syrup) pumpkin pie spice  

preheat oven to 350.  mix the cake mix with the pumpkin & 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (nothing else).  place in greased 9x13 baking dish.  bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  use the end of a chopstick or wooden spoon and poke holes all over the cake.  pour the sweetened condensed milk over the cake and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  once it's cool top with cool whip and heath bits.  sprinkle with more pumpkin pie spice and drizzle with maple agave nectar.  if you can wait, the longer this sits the better.  but don't worry, if you can't wait, it's still to die for.  (and for the record, i did not wait.)

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

The only good thing about an over ripe banana?  You get to make banana treats with it.  Typically I make banana bread so I can schmear(yes, that's a word..) cream cheese all over it.  So today I decided to switch it up and make a banana cake with cream cheese frosting.  Stepping it up I am.

You Need:

Cake --

6 oz plain greek yogurt

2/3 c sugar

2 tbsp light butter

2 ripe, smashed bananas

1 egg

1 c flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

Frosting --

1 stick light butter, softened

1 bar cream cheese, softened

2 tsp vanilla

5-6 tbsp confectioner's sugar

Preheat your oven to 375.  Cream together your yogurt, sugar and butter until smooth.  Add in your banana, egg and vanilla and combine.  Add your dry ingredients and beat until well incorporated.  Pour your batter into a lightly greased baking dish(I used 13x9).  Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes, or once a toothpick in the center comes out clean.  While your cake cools, make your frosting.  Combine butter, cream cheese and vanilla until smooth.  Add confectioner's sugar and beat until creamy(taste at this point, and if it needs more add it).  I like my cream cheese frosting very cream cheese-y, so 5 tbsp was good for me.  Once your cake has cooled and has been frosted place in refrigerator for at least and hour, preferably overnight.  The last step I added in because when this cake was first out and iced, I ate it and while it was good, it wasn't that good(yet I ate two pieces..).  But today when I had a piece after it was in the fridge overnight - perfect.  Loved it sooosososo much more!  So just do it, or have some then, and then some later like me!

Mmmmmmmmmmmm!

Raspberry Upside Down Cake

Raspberry upside down cake.  With homemade whipped cream.

To die.

My Grandpa's 70th Birthday was over the weekend and I decided to make this yummy delight.  

It was better than I even anticipated, I could have easily housed half the cake myself.  

But I didn't.

You Need:

(recipe adapted from Thibeaults Table)

1/2 c butter, melted

1 c brown sugar

2 c raspberries

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 c butter

1  1/2 c sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 2/3 c flour

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 c milk

I hate recipes with a zillion ingredients - this list kinda made me sad that's is so long.  But baking is a different beast than cooking, and this cake is WORTH EVERY INGREDIENT.  So just make it and quit complaining about all the ingredients.

Melt 1/4 butter and add 1/2 brown sugar and mix it together.  Put this mixture in a round cake pan and spread it out evenly.  Add 1 c raspberries and drizzle with 1 tbsp lemon juice.  Now do this again in another round cake pan so you have two identical cakes.  Then lick the spoon you were using and realize how amazing brown sugar and butter is.  

Cream together 1 c butter and 1 1/2 c sugar, add eggs one at a time beating after each addition.  Add your vanilla and mix until it's creamy and smooth.  In another bowl combine your dry ingredients and mix.  Add half of your flour mixture, half of your milk, then repeat again mixing completely after each addition.

fresh out of the oven and honestly it would probably be amazing just like this - but why stop there?

Pour your cake batter in your cake pans evenly and bake your cakes at 350 for 45-50 mins or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Around the 30 minute mark your house will smell so unbelievably amazing.  It's at this point that you'll forget about all those ingredients and all that mixing.  Once your cakes are done let them cool for 10 minutes then turn them out onto a plate, stacking one on top of the other.  Dust with powdered sugar and serve.  

Alternate ending - dollop with fresh, homemade whipped cream and really wow your crowd!

You Need:

1 pint heaving whipping cream

2-4 tbsp confectioners sugar(depending on how sweet you want it)

2 tsp vanilla

Whip, whip, whip, whip some more until stiff peaks form.  

This is Sunday's post, you're getting it early because I am running in a 10k tomorrow at 7am and then will be busy busy busy all day long.  Happy Sunday(a day early!)

Ooey Gooey Berry Butter Cake

I'm not taking a stitch of credit for this amazingly pretty and delicious cake I made.  I got it from Pinterest, but it originates from HERE...  Don't let the recipe intimidate you.  Here is why.  It intimidated me...  Most recipes don't, unless the ingredient list is a bazillion ingredients long, or it involves half a day, or something crazy like that.  This did, and for one reason only - it involves a spring form pan.  Why is that so scary to me?!  I've never used one, never made a cheesecake or anything else that involves a spring form pan.  The weird thing?  I have a spring form pan, that I've never used, stashed in my basement storage room in a box that is still not unpacked from when we moved to this house(ummm, 4 years ago.).  I knew I had this pan, and it's a good thing I did because I didn't start baking until about 8pm, and I wasn't going to go out and buy one at that hour.  So I went to the basement and rooted through a bunch of important boxes junk until I found the dreaded spring form pan.  Digging through my junk was the scariest part about this whole entire cake, let me tell you that.  There were also cobwebs down there too, eek.  Anywho -- DON'T let the recipe scare you, for any reason at all.  It was easy, that is if you know how to use measuring cups and a mixer.  Which I do, phew.  This cake travelled with us to an early Easter dinner on Saturday with my in-laws and it seemed to be a huge hit.  It's oeey gooey, how could it not be a hit? You all know how much I love the ooey gooey stuff.  Here ya have it..............

no scary ingredients here!  had everything on hand with the exception of the fresh berries.

is this the world's biggest blackberry or WHAT?!  the picture doesn't do it justice, it was a monster.  i didn't even put it in the cake, i ate it, i thought it had to taste better than any other blackberry being that big and all.  to my disappointment it didn't.

Two things - I made this the day before it was served, and while it was good, I think it would have been amazing right after it's been baked & sugared.  Second, I would do it without the parchment next time and just serve it with the spring form flat sheet under it, the parchment paper got kinda weird and icky when I cut the cake.  All in all, this was delicious and I'll definitely make it again soon!

Strawberry Gooey Cake

I have a love of things gooey. 

 If you do too, not only is this post for you but make sure to check out Gooey Cake Part 1 and Gooey Cake Part 2. 

So technically this would be Gooey Cake Part 3.  Another delicious version of the Gooey Cake that has changed my world of desserts.  This one might be one of my favorites.

You Need:

1 box vanilla cake mix

ingredients to make the cake

1 1/2 lb fresh strawberries

1 tbsp sugar

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 tub cool whip

Step One:  Bake cake according to the box.  Very complicated, I know.

 While that's baking, trim 1 lb of your strawberries and  pretty much pulverize them any way you can.  In a blender, food processor or if you have some aggression just mash 'em until you feel better about life.  I chose to use my manual food processor and it worked like a charm.  Add the strawberries to a saucepan with 1 tbsp sugar and cook it on low until it gets syrupy.

 Like this!

 Once your cake is done let it cool for about 5 minutes, then poke it with holes, the more the better.

 Pour your sweetened condensed milk and strawberry syrup over the cake.

 Let it cool in the fridge completely then top with the cool whip and some more diced, fresh strawberries.  

Mmmmm it was SO darn good.  Perfect for a springtime dessert, fresh and yummy!

*I sprinkled mine with white chocolate chips to add another element, but they really couldn't even be tasted so I'd omit those next time.*

Coconut Tres Leches Cake

Before I get onto the cake part of this post, I have two things to say:

1.  Google Friend Connect is leaving, or so I hear, so go ahead and follow me on Linky or Bloglovin' - please & thanks!

2.  I'm leaving Saturday for a weeklong vacation in Sanibel, Florida(helloooooooooo SUNshine and warm weather!), and I have three AMAZING ladies lined up for guest posts.  I am so excited about them coming over to post I can't even tell you - more on that later!


Another SIMPLE cake that is totally to die for.  Well, if you love coconut it is.  And I looooove coconut!

I made this for my Mom for her birthday because I knew she'd love it, and I was right!

You Need:

1 box yellow cake mix

1 can evaporated milk

1 can cream of coconut(NOT coconut milk)

2 tsp vanilla, divided

2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided

2 c flaked coconut

1/4 c confectioners sugar

Again, start with making a BOXED cake.  I love saying that because it makes the recipe sound easy from the start.  I don't think it's cheating either.  There are definitely certain things that are way better made from scratch, cake isn't one of them(my opinion, don't shoot!!)  Back to the cake...  Bake the cake according to the directions and let it cool completely.  Once cooled poke LOTS of holes with a fork in the cake.  All over, even at the ends, the more holes the more milk that is going to soak in.  

Next, onto the sweet, amazing, coconut-y milk mixture.

In a mixing bowl combine the evaporated milk, cream of coconut, 1 tsp vanilla and 1 c of heavy cream.  

Whisk  whisk whisk!

 Now pour the mixture over the cake, let it soak in, then pour on a little more.  Then pour on some more, let it soak in, do that over and over until your milk mixture is all used up.  

 This is what it looked like in the end.  If you have lots of liquid pooled on the cake, don't worry it will soak in overnight.  Oh, and this doesn't HAVE to soak overnight, but I'd go for it, everything that sits overnight ends up better in my book!

 This is the next day.  What looks like liquid around the edges is not.  It's coconut bits and just like a creamy, foamy layer.  It tastes good, so just don't worry about that.

 Okay, now for the whipped cream.  This is the first time in my life I made my own, and it was SO worth it.  Ya know how I mentioned that using boxed cake doesn't make much difference to me?  Well making homemade whipped cream makes ALL the difference.  Unless I'm on a time crunch, I will forever be making my own whipped cream.  Pour 1 c heavy cream into a large mixing bowl and beat on high speed until the cream starts to thicken up.  Then add in 1 tsp vanilla and the confectioners sugar and beat on high again.  Beat until it gets super thick, just like whipped cream!  Then stick your finger in it and take a taste - at this point you will understand why homemade whipped cream is better!

 Top your cake with the whipped cream and coconut flakes.  

 DIG IN... :)

Just a bit of info about this cake, other than the fact that I could have easily eaten the entire thing in one sitting.  My husband thought it was "too wet", but my Mom & I loved it just the way it was.  I mean it IS milk cake people.  SO, if you aren't into things being super wet, then maybe cut back on the liquid you pour on it.  If you like 'em nice and gooey, add it all like I did.  I actually think the milk part was the best.  I actually(like a total piggy!!) took a spoon and ate all the leftover milk/cake crumb stuff from the bottom, and boy, was that ever DE-lish!

Easy Valentine's Day Treat, Part 2

Okay - Part 2!  Another easy one, and again, can be adapted to any single holiday or occasion.  I actually prefer my rice krispie treats naked.  No chocolate dipped treats for this little lady.  But it does add a certain cuteness and of course some extra sweetness.

White chocolate dipped rice krispie treats:

5 c rice krispies

4 c mini marshmallows

1/4 butter

1/2 bag white chocolate chips

pink food dye

 In a large saucepan melt your butter, then add your marshmallows.  I love little marshmallows, they're so cute :)  Mix, mix and mix a little more.  Then once they're all melted, keep mixing.  Once it's super smooth add in your rice krispies!

 Then mix, mix, mix some more.  Make sure all those little babies are covered!

 Put your mixture into a greased 13x9 baking pan and cover with wax paper.  Press down firmly to spread it into the pan.  

 Use every ounce of willpower you have and don't dig in now.  I didn't do that step.  I ate some, because when mixture is warm it is SO dang good.  But that's just me, no willpower here!  Cut them into whatever shape and size you want.  You could stop here and these would be one of these most heavenly sweet treats on earth

  But I didn't stop here.  I sprinkled them with Valentine's Day inspired sprinkles.  You could stop here and these would not only be delicious, but festive.  But I didn't stop.

 I melted down my white chocolate chips over low heat until smooth, then added a few drops of pink food dye.  Then I dipped half of each treat in the chocolate.  Now PLEASE, stop here!

Aren't they beautiful???  Even though I said I liked mine nakey, these ARE delicious.  I'm just a sucker for a plain jane rice krispie treat I suppose!

Happy Valentine's Day Eve!

Nutella Gooey Butter Cake

Happy Sunday folks!  I have the perfect Sunday dinner dessert for you today.  It's sure to please.  It's chocolate-y and gooey, and who is crazy enough to not like that combo?  I made this for our Sunday dinner today at my parent's and it was a hit!  Also, it's super easy.  I got the recipe from this blog, so let's all thank Let's Dish for this awesome recipe! 

You need:

1 box devils food cake mix

2 sticks of butter, melted & divided

4 eggs, divided

1 c nutella

8oz cream cheese, softened

1 tsp vanilla

16 oz confectioners sugar

 Okay, here we go peeps, time to bake...

 This all you need for the cake/brownie layer.  Melt one stick of butter, then add the cake mix and egg and beat with an electric mixer until combined.

 Then press this buttery, chocolate-y concoction into the bottom of a lightly greased 9x13 baking pan.

 Now for the filling, better known as the goo(hereee we go again with the goo!).  In a bowl mix together cream cheese and nutella.  Add in your eggs, vanilla & melted butter and mix until combined.  Lastly, add in your confectioners sugar and beat until smooth.

 Pour the goo batter over your first layer and bake at 375 for 40-50 minutes.  DO NOT OVERCOOK.  This will come out seeming jiggly and under cooked.  It isn't.  You want this to be gooey, remember!

After baking, top with whipped cream or ice cream and dig in!!!

 Heaven.On.Earth.

Now THAT is some serious goo.  Mmm Mmm Mmmm!