Happy Groundhog's Day

What is the best part about Groundhog's Day??? The cupcakes of course...

I simply made funfetti cupcakes using a box cake mix. Then topped with chocolate frosted and inserted the 'groundhog'. The Groundhog is a Nilla Wafer with almond slices frosted to the back of its head, and frosting eyes/nose.

Snickerdoodle Cake with Buttercream Frosting

If you love Snickerdoodle Cookies you will love this cake!

2 Sticks Butter

1 cup Sugar

2 Teaspoons Vanilla

1 Teaspoon Almond Extract (more or less depending on taste)

2 Eggs

3/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda

3/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder

3/4 Cream of Tartar

3/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon

3/4 Teaspoon Nutmeg

1 1/4 Cup Sour Cream

2 1/4 Cup Flour

1/2 Cup sugar and 1 Tablespoon Cinnamon mixed together for topping.

• Cream the butter and sugar until soft. Add in the vanilla and almond extracts. Add in the eggs one at a time until mixed well.


• In a separate bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients.


• Add the flour mixture and sour cream alternately to the butter mixture. Start and end with the flour.


• Grease 2 cake rounds, 9x13 cake pan or bundt pan and spread the batter in evenly. Sprinkle the cake with a good amount of the cinnamon/sugar mixture. OR if using the bundt pan put the cinnamon/sugar mixture into the pan and then sprinkly more on the top after the batter is in.


• Bake the rounds or 9x13 for about 22 minutes in a 350 degree oven. The bundt pan needed 35-40 minutes. Allow to cool completely before removing.

Personally, i think this cake could be perfectly fine without frosting but if you gotta have it, a simple butter cream works well.

• 3 Cups Powdered Sugar


• 1 1/2 sticks softened butter


• 1 1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract


• 2 Tablespoons Milk

Cream the Sugar, Butter and Vanilla together. Add the milk and beat until smooth.

This is an adapted recipe from crepesofwrath.net

Very Fat Fudge Cake

Who could resist Chocolatey Fudge Cake??? Well here is a simple recipe for just that. I made this cake for a co-workers wedding shower. I decorated each piece with a fake diamond ring.

Very Fat Fudge Cake

1 Box Chocolate Cake Mix

3 oz Pkg Instant Vanilla Pudding

8 oz Sour Cream

1/2 Cup oil

1/2 Cup water

4 eggs

6 oz Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350. Grease bundt or 9x13 cake pan. In a large mixing bowl, beat together all ingredients, except chocolate chips, for 5 minutes. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes for 9x13 pan or 55 minutes for bundt pan. Cool and turn out (if using bundt pan). If you want some type of glaze combine 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips and 2 teaspoons butter flavored shortening, microwave until melted and mix until smooth.

It's Rhubarb Season.. Time for a Rhubarb Upside Down Cake!

Personally, I think rhubarb has a bad rap with people. Sure, its a tart fruit, but if properly prepared it can be awesome! I was really worried about how this was going to turn out because the recipe seemed to be all backwards, but the end result was tastey. A moist cake layer on top with a creamy rhubarby bottom.

Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

3 cups peeled and chopped rhubarb
1 cup sugar
2 cups heavy whipping cream (unwhipped)
1 yellow or white cake mix (prepared by the directions)

After cutting the rhubarb into small pieces mix in the sugar. Prepare the cake mix as the directions indicate. In a 9 x 13 sprayed pan pour the cake mix. Top with the rhubarb. Pour the whipping cream over the top of everything. Bake at 350 for about an hour to a hour and 10 minutes (make sure its not jiggly in the center and the cake is done). Let cool and serve.

Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake

I had to try out my new bundt pan, so I found a recipe from my Simple and Delicious magazine and made a few changes. (sorry, some of the measurements aren't exact)

1 box white cake mix

1/3 cup sugar

4 eggs

8 oz. sour cream

2/3 cup canola (or vegetable) oil

2 Tbsp. baking cocoa

1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips

Splash of vanilla

For the topping:

Bag of Special Dark Chocolate Chips

Heavy whipping cream

In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, sugar, eggs, sour cream and oil. Beat on low for 1 minute; beat on medium for 2 minutes. Pour half of batter into another bowl. Stir in cocoa until blended, then add 3/4 cup of the mini chocolate chips. In the white batter add the remaining 3/4 cup of choc chips and a good splash of vanilla.

Spoon batters alternately into a greased 10-in fluted bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool.

In a bowl combine the special dark chocolate chips and a good splash of heavy whipping cream. Microwave until melted, mix until smooth and runny. Drizzle to coat the cake with as much topping as you like. I completely covered mine.

Manish Water

While on a recent vacation to Jamaica I picked up a packet of Ram-Goat-Soup. Apparently this packet when mixed with seasonings and veggies creates a local dish called Manish Water. It's no party down there unless you are serving this. From what I was told it makes the men potent and virile! (it's good to see that the first ingredient listed is dehydrated goat!)

Sugar Cookies!!

Who doesn't love a scrumptious well-decorated sugar cookie?? I don't make them very often due to the fact that they are soo time consuming. However, for Christmas this year I got festive and not only tried a new sugar cookie recipe but I made them into dinosaur and martini glass shapes.

• 4 Sticks of butter, softened
• 1 1/2 Cups sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 3 Egg yolks
• 2 Teaspoons vanilla extract
• 5 Cups flour
• 1 Teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 Teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 Teaspoon ground all-spice
• (powdered sugar for rolling the dough out-or flour if you prefer)

• 1. Beat the butter, using a mixer on medium-high speed. Beat in the sugar, eggs, yolks, and vanilla. Reduce mixer speed to medium-low and beat in the remaining ingredients. If tinting dough, add food coloring.
• 2. For chocolate dough, reduce flour to 4 1/2 cups and add 2/3 cup cocoa. For hand-formed cookies, transfer to an airtight container. For rolled and cut cookies, divide dough in half, form into 1-inch-thick slabs, and cover tightly with plastic wrap. For sliced cookies, use parchment paper to roll dough into logs.
• 3. Chill dough at least 2 hours. And chill formed cookies 20 minutes before baking at 350 degrees F on parchment-lined baking pans 10 to 15 minutes, depending on cookie size. For tinted-dough cookies, reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F and bake 12 to 18 minutes.