Southern Cakes

Southern Strawberry Shortcake

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 large egg, beaten
2/3 cup half-and-half
Butter for spreading
4 cups fresh, ripe strawberries, rinsed, hulled, sliced
in half, and sugared, to taste
1 cup heavy cream, whipped to stiff peaks

Heat the oven to 450 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and mix well. Add the butter and using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut the butter into the mixture until crumbly.

In a small bowl, combine the egg and half and half and mix until well blended. Then add the flour mixture and stir until the mixture is thoroughly moist. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead very briefly. With your hands, pat out the dough to about a 1/2 inch thickness, then, using a floured 3-inch biscuit cutter, cut out six biscuits. Place the biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet and bake on the upper rack of the oven till slightly brown on top, about 10 minutes.

While they're still hot, split open the biscuits, spread lightly with butter, and arrange close together on a plate. Spoon berries and cream onto the biscuits and serve while still warm.

Servings: 6

Old South Caramel Cake

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted twice before measuring
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
6 eggs
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter two 9-inch layer cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment or wax paper.

Butter the wax paper. Sift flour with baking powder and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter until fluffy, then gradually add sugar, beating until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat in thoroughly. Add flour mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Stir well after each addition, but do not over-mix. Stir in vanilla extract. Turn the batter into the prepared pans.

Bake until the tops of the layers spring back when lightly touched, about 35 minutes. When the cake is done, cool 10 minutes in the pans, then turn out onto cake racks to cool completely.

Caramel Frosting:
3 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 cups milk
4 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Combine brown sugar and milk in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, to soft-ball stage (234 degrees F to 240 degrees F). Remove from heat, add butter and vanilla extract, and beat at high speed until thick enough to hold to the cake when spread. If the frosting becomes too thick, beat in a few drops of hot water. Spread Caramel Frosting over one layer of the cake, top with the other layer and cover the top and sides of the entire cake with the remaining frosting.

Southern Fresh Banana Layer Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs, well beaten
5 ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup finely chopped pecans

Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour three 9-inch cake pans. Sift together flour and baking soda, and set aside.

Put butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream together until smooth. Slowly pour in the eggs, mixing well between each addition. Stir in the mashed bananas. Add dry ingredients and buttermilk alternately, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in vanilla extract and pecans. Divide batter among prepared pans and bake for 25 minutes, or until the tops all brown and the edges pull away from the pans, or a wooden pick inserted in the middle of a cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes, then turn out onto racks to cool completely.

Frosting and Filling:
1/2 cup mashed bananas
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 pound confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 ripe bananas, sliced thin

In a small bowl, mix mashed bananas and lemon juice together and set aside.

In another bowl, with an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add mashed bananas, blending well. Stir in vanilla extract.

To assemble, spread a layer of icing on one of the cake rounds, then top with a layer of sliced bananas. Place the second cake layer on top of the bananas and repeat with more icing, then bananas. After placing the third layer on top, smooth the icing over the sides and top of the cake with the remaining frosting.

Southern Praline Pecan Cake

1 (18.25 ounce) box butter pecan cake mix
1 (16 ounce) container coconut pecan frosting
4 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water
1 cup chopped pecans

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9- or 10-inch Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine the cake mix with the frosting, eggs, oil, water and 1/2 of the pecan pieces. Mix until combined. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 of pecans in the prepared Bundt pan then pour in the cake batter. Bake at 350 degrees F for 50 minutes or until a wooden pick comes out clean.

Southern Comfort Cake

1 Duncan Hines yellow cake mix
1 pkg. instant vanilla pudding
4 eggs
1/2 c. cold water
1/2 c. oil
1 c. chopped pecans or walnuts
1/2 c. Southern Comfort

GLAZE:

1/8 lb. butter
1/8 c. water
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. Southern Comfort

Combine cake ingredients in large bowl. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour into greased and floured 10 inch tube or 12 cup bundt pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour. Set on rack to cool for 10 minutes. Invert on serving plate. Prick top immediately; drizzle and brush half of glaze. After cake has cooled, reheat glaze and brush it evenly over cake.

To make glaze: Melt butter in pan. Stir in water and sugar. Boil 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in Southern Comfort.

Seven Up Cake

1 box yellow cake mix
4 eggs
1 sm.box pineapple or vanilla pudding
3/4 cup oil
1 10 ounce 7 Up
Icing
2 eggs beaten
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 T heaping flour
1 stick margarine melted
1 small can crushed pineapple
1 1/2 cup coconut

For cake: Mix 1st four ingredients. Beat until light and fluffy. Add 7 Up slowly and mix well. Bake at 325 for 40 to 45 minutes. Spread with icing while hot.

For icing: Blend eggs, sugar, flour, margarine and pineapple. Cook until thick. Add coconut and pour over hot cake.

Holy Cow Cake

Vegetable oil spray for the pan

1 package (18.25 ounces) plain devil's food cake mix

1 1/3 cups water

1/2-cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

Topping:

1 jar (8 ounces) caramel topping

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

4 Butterfinger candy bars (2.1 ounces each), crushed

1 container (12 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature

Place a rack in the center of the over and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Lightly mist a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with vegetable oil spray.

Set the pan aside.

Place the cake mix, water, oil, and eggs in a large mixing bowl.

Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute.

Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed.

The batter should look thick and well blended.

pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing out the top with the rubber spatula.

Place the pan in the over

Bake the cake until it springs back when lightly pressed with your finger and just starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, 35.38 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack.

Immediately poke holes in the top of the cake with a drinking straw or chopstick.

Prepare the topping.

Place the caramel topping and sweetened condensed milk in a small bowl and stir to combine. Spoon this mixture over the warm cake so that it can seep down into the holes. Measure out half of the crushed candy bars and sprinkle the pieces over the cake. Place the whipped topping and cream cheese in a large mixing bowl and blend with and electric mixer on low speed until smooth and combined, 1 minute.

Spread the mixture over the top of the candy. Sprinkle the remaining candy pieces on top. Place the pan, uncovered, in the refrigerator to chill the cake for about 20 minutes before cutting. Store covered in waxed paper in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

MonkeyDoo Cake
4 packages Pillsbury Country Biscuits, cut into quarters

1 1/2 sticks butter or margarine (melted)

1 1/4 cups sugar

4 tablespoons cinnamon

8 tablespoons pancake syrup

1 cup raisins

1 cup chopped walnuts

Mix cinnamon and sugar together in a bowl. Coat biscuit pieces with cinnamon/sugar mixture. Pour 1/2 of the melted butter into a bunt pan, sprinkle with some of the cinnamon/sugar mixture, add a few raisins and walnuts. Place a layer of coated biscuit pieces into pan, continue these steps, layering until all biscuit pieces are used. Top with remaining sugar mixture, melted butter and pour the syrup on the top. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for approx. 25 minutes, remove from oven , let sit for 5 minutes, then turn on to a plate. Let cool for 15 minutes before removing pan,

This is a very easy and quick cinnamon

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

8 Tablespoons Butter

1 cup Brown sugar (firmly packed)

6 Slices of pineapple

3 Eggs, separated

1 1/2 cups Sugar

1/2 cups Pineapple juice

1 1/2 cups Cake flour

1/4 teaspoon Salt

1 1/2 teaspoon Baking powder

1/2 teaspoon Vanilla extract

Melt butter and brown sugar in 9 inch heavy iron fry pan (I use a square baking pan) until bubbly and smooth.

Add pineapple to cover the bottom of the pan.

Beat egg yolks until light yellow.

Add sugar, pineapple juice, flour, salt, baking powder and vanilla;

mix well.

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.

Fold egg whites into batter gently.

Pour batter over pineapple.

Bake at 450 F for 5 minutes.

Reduce temperature to 350 F and bake for about 45 minutes longer or until cake tests done.

Turn upside down onto serving plate.

Yield: 8 servings

Banana Split Cake

2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 stick butter (melted)
1 stick butter (softened)
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
6 bananas
1 large can crushed pineapple (drained)
1 large container of Cool Whip
1/2 cup chopped nuts (your choice)
1 small jar of dessert cherries

Mix the crumbs and the melted butter then press evenly to the bottom of a 9 X 13 X 2 glass dish or pan. Beat the sugar, vanilla, and softened butter together for 10 mins. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Spread this mixture over the crumb layer. Peel the bananas and slice in half lengthwise then place onto the creamed layer. Spoon the drained pineapple over the bananas. Cover with Cool Whip and sprinkle with the nuts. Chill at least 4 hours before cutting into 2 inch squares. Garnish each serving with a cherry.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Sift cake flour before measuring.

2 sticks (1 cup) butter or margarine, softened
2 (3-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
2 1/2 cups sugar
5 large eggs
1/2 cup half-and-half
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Powdered sugar

BEAT softened butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer 2 minutes or until creamy. Gradually add sugar, and beat 5 to 7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears.
COMBINE half-and-half and vanilla. Combine flour and salt; add to butter mixture alternately with half-and-half mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan.
BAKE at 325° for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from pan, and cool on a wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar, and serve with fresh berries, if desired. Makes 1 (10-inch) cake.
Bonus: For Cinnamon-Pecan Swirl Pound Cake: Stir together 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted; 3 tablespoons brown sugar; and 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon. Pour half of batter into pan; sprinkle with pecan mixture, and top with