KatieF

I forgot to post my fave cake recipes earlier. But since I'm home alone, making pumpking cookies, boozin' it up and watching Top Chef, here they are:

Sheet Cake (My mom's chocolate sheet cake, which is not super fancy looking, but is honestly the best cake I've ever had in my life.  You know it's good when there are equal parts sugar and flour:

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

4 tablespoons cocoa

1 cup water

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

Grease and flour a 13x9 pan, and heat oven to 400F (204C).  Mix sugar and flour together.  Bring 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, shortening, cocoa, and water to a boil.  Pour boiled mixture into flour/sugar mixture.  Add remaining ingredients.  Bake for 25 minutes. (Test with toothpick for doneness.)

For the icing: bring 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, 4 tablespoons cocoa, and 6 tablespoons of milk to a boil.  Mix with 1 pound powder sugar, and add 1 teaspoons vanilla.  Stir in 1 cup chopped pecans or other nuts, if desired.  Spread warm frosting on cooled cake.

We serve it straight from the pan, and you can decorate it with colored frosting.  The taste definitely makes up for any lack of elegance in presentation.

Toasted Butter Pecan Cake

1/4 cup butter (do not substitute margarine), melted

2 cups chopped pecans

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups sugar

1 cup butter, softened

4 eggs

1 cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350F.  Grease and flour 3 8- or 9-inch round cake pans.  Combine 1/4 cup butter and the pecans in shallow pans.  Bake 20-25 minutes, or until toasted, stirring occasionally.  Cool slightly.

In small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.  In large bowl, beat sugar, and 1 cup butter until light and fluffy.  Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.  Alternately add dry ingredients and milk to sugar mixture, beating well after each addition.  Stir in vanilla extract and 1 1/3 cups of the toasted pecans.  Pour into cake pans, and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until cake springs back when touched lightly in center.  Cool 10 minutes, and remove from pans.  Cool completely.

For frosting:

1/4 cups butter, softened

4 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4-6 tablespoons milk or half-and-half

Remaining 2/3 cup toasted pecans

In small bowl, beat butter until light and fluffy.  Gradually add powdered sugar, vanilla, and enough milk/half-and-half for desired spreading consistency.  Stir in remaining toasted pecans.  Spread frosting between cake layers and on top.

The toasted butter pecan cake recipe is from the Pillsbury Complete Book of Baking.  I highly recommend it.  It's like my Bible.