Of Course I Will Share!

sorry, no pics of the first two, but these are some AWESOME recipes i have tried...only one since my "diet" and i didnt even eat but two bites! :) hope you enjoy these for me!!!

here Jenny:
Homemade Hostess Cupcakes
1 pkg. plain yellow or vanilla cake mix
1 pkg (3.9 oz) chocolate instant pudding
1/2 c. undweetened cocoa powder
1 c. chocolate syrup*
1/3 c. vegetable oil
3 large eggs
*i did not have enough chocolate syrup so i added sour cream to make up the difference, maybe 1/4 cup.
~preheat oven to 350 degrees. mix all cake ingredients until well blended. pour batter into prepared cupcake liners...i did about 1/2 full to make a very level cupcake. bake for approx. 15 min. make filling while cupcakes cool.
6 tables. butter, softened
1 1/2 c. confectioners sugar
3/4 c. marshmallow fluff
1 1/2 tables. plus 1 teas. heavy cream*
*i used half and half, thats what i had
~mix together well, add to prepared pastry bag. using a piping tip, fill cooled cupcakes from the top until a small amount comes out of top. reserve extra cream for decorations. frost using below recipe.
Chocolate Ganache frosting
8 oz (1 1/3c) semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 c heavy (whipping) cream
1 tables. liqueur of choice or 1 teas. vanilla extract (optional)
~place the chips in a large stainless steel mixing bowl. pour cream into a heavy saucepan, place over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring. remove the cream from the heat and pour over chocolate. using a wooden spoon, stir until chocolate is melted. stir in vanilla is using. let cool at room temp until spreadable, 45 min. to an hour. frost and decorate with extra cream if desired, may need to add more sugar to thicken for decoration.
*i didnt feel like frosting these cupcakes, so i just place two more dots on top of cake with the cream...very good without...enjoy!!! :)

this next cake was sooooo good!!! i made this while in atlanta for some friends...it didnt last long! :)
Toffee Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
for cake:
1 pkg. white cake mix with pudding (i use Pillsbury)
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. sour cream
1 c. warm water
1 tables. pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs
~preheat oven to 350. mix all ingredients until smooth. pour batter into 2 prepared 9" pans. bake for 25-28 min. cool completely. make frosting while cooling.
for frosting:
4 tables. (1/2 stick) butter
1 pkg. (8oz) cream cheese, chilled
1 teas. pure vanilla extract
4 c. confectioners' sugar
~place butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts and then browns, about 4 min. place cream cheese in a large mixing bowl. pour hot butter over the cream cheese and add vanilla. beat with an electric mixer on low until butter and cream cheese are smooth. add sugar, a little at a time, beating on low until sugar in incorporated. make topping ingredients
for topping:
1 c. toffee bits
1/2 c. finely chopped toasted pecans (optional)
~transfer one layer, right side up, to a serving plate and top generously with frosting, smoothing with a metal spatula. add a generous, even coating of topping mix. place the second layer on top of first. frost top and sides. sprinkle with remaining topping. to make slicing easier, place uncovered in the refrigerator until frosting sets, 20 min.

last but, certainly not least...a lighter (well, kinda) cake. easy to change for desired needs, let me know if you need ideas!
Fresh Orange Cake
1 large orange
1 c. orange juice from carton (approx.)
1 pkg. plain yellow cake mix
1 pkg. (3.4 oz) vanilla instant pudding mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teas. pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1c. coconut (optional)
~preheat oven to 350. rinse orange and pat dry. grate enough zest to measure 2 to 3 teas. cut orange and squeeze the juice into small bowl, you will have about 1/2 c. of juice. add enough oj from carton to fresh juice to measure 1 1/3c. place zest and juice along with all the other above ingredients until you have a smooth batter. pour into prepared pan. i used a creative shaped bundt pan. bake for approx. 48-50 min. let cool completely. make glaze while cooling.
Glaze
2 c. confectioners' sugar
1/4 c. orange juice
1 teas. fresh zest
~combine all ingredients until smooth, no sugar lumps. pour over cake.
*i toasted some coconut and garnished the glazed cake...really pretty and so tasty! this is optional too!


i made this last night for my mother-in-law. she is visiting for the weekend and LOVES coconut. grant, however, doesnt LOVE it, so i only put the toasted coconut on half. sorry i didnt get any pics before we dug in...it sure was good, and still warm when we ate it! :)

enjoy some treats!!

blessings, ALo