Chocolate Pound Cake

This is an old-fashioned Southern recipe with a few twists. Can be iced or glazed or left plain. I prefer it iced with chocolate frosting or chocolate-hazelnut frosting.

Ingredients:
3 cups name-brand sugar (due to the crystal size, name brands are recommended by Southern Living magazine for the best pound cake texture)
3 sticks butter, softened (I use salted sweet cream butter - others prefer unsalted)
6 large eggs, room temperature
3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 cup cocoa, sifted
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking POWDER
1 1/4 cups whole milk or whole chocolate milk
1 tsp vanilla


Instructions:
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter on medium to high for 3-5 minutes, until very fluffy and almost white in color. Add sugar one cup at a time and beat on medium to high for several more minutes, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Add eggs with mixer off one at a time and mix on low only long enough to incorporate the yolk, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Continue until all eggs have been added.
In another bowl sift together flour, cocoa, salt and baking powder.
With mixer on low, alternate adding flour mixture and milk to batter until all flour mixture and milk have been added, stopping frequently to scrape down sides of bowl. If you milk is cold, it will cause the batter to look curdled after each addition. This will correct itself when you finish incorporating all the flour. Fold in vanilla.
Pour into a greased & floured 10-12 cup bundt or tube pan.
Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour 15 minutes or until pick inserted in middle of cake comes out clean. Cool in pan for about 10 minutes. Shake gently to loosen cake from sides of pan then turn out cake onto cooling rack. Cool completely before icing or putting in a covered container.

Coconut Cream Cake

This is another one my mother-in-law shared with me. Again, this is one of my husband's favorite desserts. It's very rich and creamy.

Ingredients:
1 box of butter recipe yellow cake mix
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 can cream of coconut
12 oz container whipped topping (such as Cool Whip)
6-7 oz sweetened grated coconut (such as Bakers)

Instructions:
Bake cake mix according to directions in a 9x13 pan. While cake is baking, mix sweetened condensed milk and cream of coconut and heat until very warm.
As soon as cake comes out of oven, poke holes all over the top with a fork. Pour milk/cream of coconut mix evenly over hot cake. Let cake totally cool. Spread large container of whipped topping over top of cake. Cover whipped topping with grated coconut. Cover tightly with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. Keep unused cake stored in refrigerator.

My Famous Cream Cheese Pound Cake

This is the cake recipe that I have used for all my birthday and wedding cakes, including my own. It is moist, rich and absolutely delicious!

Ingredients:
3 sticks salted sweet cream butter, at room temperature
3 cups sugar
8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
6 large eggs, at room temperature
3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1-2 tsp of your favorite flavor extract (vanilla, almond, rum, lemon, coconut, etc.)

Instructions:
Cream together cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add sugar and cream until almost white in color and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until just combined. Stop frequently to scrape down sides of your mixing bowl. Sift flour in a medium bowl. Add flour gradually to batter until just combined. After all flour is incorporated, fold in extract by hand.

Pour into floured and greased bundt pan. Bake at 325 degrees F for about 1 hour 15 minutes or until pick inserted in center comes out clean. One recipe also makes approx. 2 loaf cakes, 1 sheet cake (9x13), round layer cakes (3 8-inch or 2 9-inch) and cupcakes (not sure exactly how many, but at least 24). Just adjust baking time according to the type of pan you are using.
Also, you should know that this cake forms a very crusty top and doesn't always look beautiful as a loaf cake uniced, but it always tastes fabulous.

New York Cheesecake

Ingredients:
15 graham crackers, crushed
2 tablespoons butter, melted

4 (8 oz) packages cream cheese
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup milk
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 TBS vanilla extract
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan.
In a medium bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter. Press onto bottom of springform pan.
In a large bowl, blend cream cheese with sugar until smooth. Blend in milk, and then mix in the eggs one at a time, mixing just enough to incorporate. Mix or fold in sour cream, vanilla and flour until smooth. Pour filling into prepared crust. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour. Turn the oven off, and let cake cool in oven with the door closed for 5 to 6 hours to prevent cracking. Chill in refrigerator until serving.

Guilt-Free Chocolate Cheesecake

Ingredients:
8 oz fat-free cream cheese
16 oz light cream cheese
8 oz fat-free or low-fat sour cream
3 large eggs
8 oz Splenda (1 1/2 cups)
6 oz semi-sweet baking chocolate, melted and cooled

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
Beat the cream cheeses and Splenda until light and fluffy.
Add cooled chocolate. Add 1 egg at a time, beating until just combined. Fold in sour cream. Spray spring form pan with cooking spray like Pam. Pour mixture into pan. Bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes then reduce heat to 200 degrees F and bake an additional 40 minutes. Cool completely before refrigerating.

Heavenly Carrot Cake

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
3 cups grated/shredded carrots
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add eggs and vegetable oil and mix well; add carrots and pecans. Pour into three 8-inch or 9-inch round well-greased, floured pans. Bake for approximately 30 - 35 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes. Remove from pans, place on cooling rack sprayed with non-stick spray and allow to cool completely before icing.

Icing:
8 oz. package cream cheese
1 stick of butter, softened
1 box (16 oz.) powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
Combine all ingredients except nuts and beat until fluffy. Stir in nuts. Frost cakes.

Quick note: Do not skimp on greasing and flouring the pans because these cakes WILL stick!
If you like carrot cake, you will be in heaven when you try this cake!