pioneer woman's carrot cake.

I made this cake for Easter.  It was very easy to make and turned out really well.  Next time I wouldn't use as many pecans in the frosting.  I put a few chocolate chips around the top to make it look better, but I don't think they added much to the looks.  Here is the recipe!

Aloha Cake

We had a luau over the weekend and I made Aloha Cake.  It was a piece of cake to make ;) and it turned out delicious. I love cold cake and this one is kept in the fridge.  It's very tropical tasting and I will definitely make this in the summertime.  I had a piece the second day and I think it was better than it tasted on the first.  I love when that happens!  You should definitely make this as a little escape to paradise.

Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Cake

Of all the many things I've baked and cooked, this surpasses all.  

This is THE.BEST.THING.I'VE.EVER.MADE.

I made it for my husband's birthday & he said he wants it every year for his birthday for the rest of our lives.

Not only did it taste amazing but it looked pretty good too, I think.  I almost cried at how it turned out.

I'm in love.

The brilliant person who thought this one up is my hero.  HERE is her original recipe.  I almost don't want to share it in hopes that I'm the only one who will ever make it and get credit for doing so.

Red Velvet Cake Pops with Vanilla Candy Coating

I used my new Babycakes Cake Pop Maker to make from-scratch red velvet cake pops with vanilla candy coating for Valentine's Day.  This was my first try with the cake pop maker and I think it went splendidly well for how awful I am decorating treats.  They turned out delicious & adorable.

Pioneer Woman's Strawberry Shortcake Cake

Pioneer Woman's Strawberry Shortcake Cake is to die for!  It was easy to make but takes some time.  I recommend only baking it for 45 minutes rather than 50 -- maybe even 40.  It was pretty crispy on the outside edges.  But some people said they liked it that way.  I can't wait to make this again in the summertime!  It was a hit.  SO delish.  Find out how to make it here.

Pioneer Woman's Best Chocolate Sheet Cake

This weekend was my mom's birthday & I made her Pioneer Woman's Chocolate Sheet Cake.  It was simple to make & didn't take much time at all.  The first night we ate it I thought it was "good" but not "great".  My sister told me it was better the next day & so I tried it & she was right.  It was "great" the next day - more chocolaty and rich.  If you're looking for an easy way to get a rich chocolate cake - this is the way to go.

I did one half with pecans and one without just in case someone didn't want pecans.  I like it better without, but most everyone else wanted the pecans in.  Yum!

Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Okay... this may be my favorite pumpkin baked good recipe EVER.  My sister-in-law sent me this recipe and I wish I could kiss her from a 1,000 miles away for it!  Delicious, amazing, wonderful!


Pumpkin Cake


4 eggs
1 2/3 c. sugar
1 c. oil
16 oz. pumpkin
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. nutmeg


Mix eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin together until well blended. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Pour into a sheet pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Do not frost until cool.

Frosting

6 oz. cream cheese
1 stick butter
2 tsp. vanilla
3-4 c. powdered sugar

Let the cream cheese and butter soften to room temp. Then mix cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add vanilla and powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and mix until smooth and you have reached desired consistency.


I am keeping it in the fridge and it tastes really great cold.  I definitely recommend keeping it cool before you eat it.  


I will be making this every fall forever.

Banana Cake With Brown Sugar Buttercream Frosting

Yesterday we went to a movie night with friends and I was in charge of dessert.  I made a Banana Cake with Brown Sugar Buttercream.  I found this recipe via a photo on Pinterest (which I'm obsessed with) and thought it looked a little challenging because of the layering and the frosting is slightly different from anything I've made before.

Here is the CAKE recipe and the FROSTING recipe from www.cooklikeyourgrandmother.com.

The cake tasted a lot like banana bread, but was more moist (ew, I hate that word).  The frosting tastes really good but is a somewhat odd texture and I never could get the graininess to completely go away.  Making layered cakes is so rewarding because they end up looking so large, like masterpieces (although mine are pretty messy masterpieces).

I would make this recipe again if someone really loved banana and wanted it in a cake instead of bread - the frosting really does add something to it.  But I don't think I would go through the trouble of making it again otherwise.  If you love banana though - give it a try at least once.  It got good reviews from the tasters.

I would definitely make the frosting again for other recipes.  Despite a strange-ish texture it is really, really tasty.