MANDARIN-ORANGE PINEAPPLE CAKE

A friend from Kentucky sent me this cake recipe. Some call it Pig Cake or Pig Pickin' Cake.

1 box Duncan Hines Butter Cake mix
1/2 cup Wesson oil
1 11- ounce can mandarin oranges
1/2 cup sugar
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cake mix, oil, oranges with juice, sugar and eggs. Mix at medium speed for 2 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees in 3 greased, floured and lined with wax paper pans for about 20 minutes or until center of the cake bounces back when touched. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on cooling racks.

Icing
1 12 ounce tub of Cool Whip
small instant vanilla pudding mix
1 16 oz. can crushed pineapple

Icing
Drain juice from pineapple and set aside (If the icing seems to be too thick you can use it to thin it out a bit).

Mix pineapple with the instant vanilla pudding. Stir in Cool Whip. Frost the cake according to these directions. Store the cake in the refrigerator. I think it is better the next day.

 — with Dianna Emmert Gillia

HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

HAPPY FLAG DAY

ELVIS PRESLEY'S FAVORITE WHIPPING CREAM POUND CAKE

This recipe is going around as Elvis Presley's Favorite Whipping Cream Pound Cake. I have no idea if that is true. I have his longtime cook's cookbook and this cake is not in it. Whether it was his favorite or not, it does sound good and all you non-diabetics out there might want to try it.

3 cups sugar
1/2 lb butter, softened
7 eggs, room temperature
3 cups cake flour, sifted twice
1 cup whipping cream (heavy cream)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Butter and flour a 10 inch tube or bundt pan.
Thoroughly cream together sugar and butter. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in half the flour, then the whipping cream, then the other half of the flour. Add Vanilla.
Pour into prepared pan. Set in COLD oven and turn heat to 350ºF. Bake 1 hour to 70 minutes, until a sharp knife inserted in cake turns out clean.
Cool in pan 5 minutes. Remove from pan and cool thoroughly. Wrapped well, this cake will keep for several days.

ICING
1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons milk- Mix and Drizzle Over Cake.

STRAWBERRY BROWNIES

A friend gave me this recipe and she had gotten it elsewhere. I disagree with the title because I think brownies have chocolate in them. To me this is more strawberry bars. But whatever you call them they are good. My 11-year-old granddaughter made these for a bake sale. They sold very well.

1 box strawberry cake mix (I use Duncan Hines)
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
1 cup powdered sugar
½ -2 TB water or milk
Mix strawberry cake mix, eggs, and oil until well combined.

Spread in 9 X 13 pan lined with parchment paper (lining makes it easy to lift entire contents from pan for glazing and cutting).

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until done in center. Be careful to remove before edges brown; these taste best when "just done" rather than too done.

Mix powdered sugar and water or milk until smooth. Pour glaze over brownies while hot. Spread glaze to edges, allowing it to drip down sides. Allow brownies to cool and glaze to set before cutting into squares.

Yield: 10 to 12 servings.

FLOURLESS FUDGE COOKIES

This is a recipe from King Arthur Flour.

• 2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder, optional but good
• 1 cup cocoa powder, Dutch-process (European-style) preferred*
• 3 large egg whites
• 2 teaspoons gluten-free vanilla extract
• *For darker, richer-looking cookies, substitute 1/4 cup black cocoa for 1/4 cup of the Dutch-process cocoa

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two baking sheets. Or line with parchment, and grease the parchment.

2) Stir together all of the ingredients till smooth. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, and stir again till smooth.

3) Drop the soft, batter-like dough onto the prepared baking sheets in 1 1/2" circles; a tablespoon cookie scoop works well here.

4) Bake the cookies for 8 minutes; they should spread, become somewhat shiny, and develop faintly crackly tops.

5) Remove the cookies from the oven, and allow them to cool right on the pan.

6) Yield: 16 large (3") cookies.

tips from our bakers

• Want to make more, smaller cookies? Drop the dough in 1 1/8" balls (about 2 measuring teaspoonfuls) onto the baking sheets; a level teaspoon cookie scoop works well here. You'll make about forty 2 1/4" cookies.
• Add up to 2 cups of chocolate chips or diced walnuts to the batter. You'll lose the cookies' "no added fat" attribute, but make some very tasty cookies. With 2 cups of add-ins, you'll make about 24 large cookies, or 48 smaller cookies. Note: For larger cookies with add-ins, increase the baking time by 2 minutes, to a total of 10 minutes.
  

DING DONG CAKE

1 box (2-layer size) chocolate cake mix
1 brick (8-oz) cream cheese, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1 stick butter, softened
1 carton frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 can chocolate frosting
2 tbsp milk

Prepare and bake cake mix according to the package directions. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes. Turn cake out onto a wire rack.

When cake is cooled, cut in half lengthwise; return bottom half to the pan.

To make the filling, combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and butter using an electric mixer until blended and smooth. Fold in the whipped topping. Spread the mixture over the bottom layer in the pan; top with the top half of the cake.

Stir the milk into the chocolate frosting for easier spreading. Spread over the top of the cake.

Keep cake in the refrigerator.

PEANUT BUTTER SNOWBALLS

Another great recipe from Taste of Home.

1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 pound white candy coating, coarsely chopped

Instructions
In a bowl, combine the sugar, peanut butter and butter. Shape into 1-in. balls and place on waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Chill for 30 minutes or until firm.
Meanwhile, melt the candy coating in a microwave-safe bowl. Dip balls and place on waxed paper to harden. Yield: 2 dozen.

PATTI'S PERSIMMON PUDDING

My longtime friend Patti Crane in Indiana is known for her great baking. This is her persimmon pudding recipe that many friends have requested. She is allowing me to share it here for you.

Persimmon pudding recipe...almost like my Aunt Margaret's
1 1/2 c. Sugar
1/2 c.margarine melted ( I use butter)
3 eggs
1-2 cups persimmons
1 c. Milk
2t baking powder
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t vanilla
2 c.flour

Mix and put in 9x13 pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or until done

Topping
3T flour
1 1/2c. Water
1 c. Brown sugar
1 t. Margarine ....or butter
1 t. Vanilla
Mix flour and water...cook until it forms a smooth mixture...stirring constantly
Add...sugar,margarine and vanilla
Cook until very thick
Pour over pudding and cool

Eat and enjoy!!

MARVIN WILLIAMS' PECAN PIE POUND CAKE

NOTE: All words and comments are Mr. Williams'.
My famous Pecan Pie Pound Cake! Many have asked me to make this for them. So, here is the recipe. The top does taste like pecan pie on top of pound cake! 

4 stick butter 
4 cups sugar 
4 cups flour (cake or all purpose) 
8 large eggs 
8 oz cream cheese (note amount not given)
vanilla flavoring (note amount not given)
I leave my cream cheese, butter and eggs out to reach room temp. Cream butter, cream cheese and sugar until smooth, add eggs one or two at a time, then add flour one cup at a time. Last, add your vanilla flavoring. Grease and flour your tube pan and pour in batter. Sprinkle liberally with pecans and brown sugar on top. Bake on 300 degree for 1 hour and 15 minutes, increase heat to 325 and bake another 30 minutes. You can test for doneness with a wooden skewer. If you insert and cake is not done (still wet), allow to bake a little longer until skewer can be inserted and comes out dry. Remove from oven and allow to cool a few minutes before removing from pan. Then, drizzle with a jar of caramel. As always, my recipes are a guide. Be creative...make it your own!