Best Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups white sugar
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water

 

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting: 

• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
• 5 1/3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans.
2. In a medium-size bowl, mix together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Mix well. Stir in the boiling water by hand. Pour evenly into the two prepared pans.
3. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow cake to cool completely before frosting.
4. Frosting: Cream butter until light and fluffy. Stir in the cocoa and confectioners' sugar alternately with the milk and vanilla. Beat to a spreading consistency.
5. Cover the top of each layer with frosting and stack onto a serving plate. Frost the outside of the cake and decorate as desired.

Simple Coffee Cake

Ingredients:

Cake

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping

• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease a 9 inch square pan. 
2. In a large bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Add in the shortening and mix well.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the egg, then stir in the milk and vanilla. Add the egg-milk mixture to the flour mixture all at once. Stir carefully until blended. 
4. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. 
5. In a small bowl mix together melted butter, brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Spread evenly on top of cake and use a knife to drag some of the topping into the cake. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Key Lime Pie

Ingredients:

Pie Filling

•  3 cups sweetened condensed milk (about 2 cans)
•  ½ cup sour cream
•  ¾ cup key lime juice
•  1 tablespoon grated lime zest + extra for garnish (if desired)

Crust

•  1½ cups crushed graham crackers
•  ¼ cup sugar
•  1/3 cup butter, melted

In a small bowl, combine the crust ingredients and blend well. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of a non-greased 9-in. pie plate. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Cool before filling.

Turn oven down to 350̊. In a medium bowl, combine condensed milk, sour cream, key lime juice and lime zest. Mix well and pour into graham cracker crust.

Bake in preheated oven for 5 to 8 minutes, until tiny pinhole bubbles burst on the surface of pie. Do not brown. Chill pie thoroughly before serving. Garnish with whipped cream and grated lime zest as desired.

This recipe won me first place in a pie contest at work!

Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies

To start off this blog, I'm posting a Ryan-Oliver favorite (as in a Rachel Ryan and James Oliver dating fav!)


Preheat over to 350 degrees.


Ingrediants:

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs

Cream together first four ingredients, then add:

• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups flour
• 3 cups oatmeal
• 2 cups butterscotch chips

Mix all ingrediants together. Shape into balls on pan, then flatten with hand. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for  10-15 minutes.