Creative Cooks

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PEEPs Chocolate Peppermint Cake
Yield: 8 inch cake, serves 14-18

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup boiling water

Icing
1 1/2 cups salted butter
1 1/2 cups vegetable shortening
10-11 cups powdered sugar
1 Tbsp peppermint extract
3/4 cup water or milk
Red icing color
3/4 cup cocoa

Chocolate Ganache
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Additional ingredients
PEEPS® Chocolate Dipped Candy Cane Flavored Chicks
2-3 candy canes, chopped

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DIY Heart Cake

You Will Need

1 square cake pan (about 8 inches)
1 round cake pan (about 8 inches but the same size as the square pan)
2 containers of frosting
1 box of cake mix (usually you’ll need oil, water, and eggs for the mix)
Sprinkles (optional)
Non-stick spray

Directions

Prepare the square and circle cake pans with non-stick spray
Gather all of the ingredients according to your cake mix of choice (or make a homemade recipe!)
Mix all of the ingredients until smooth
Pour 1/2 of the cake batter into the square pan and 1/2 into the circle pan. Eye ball the cake batter to make sure the thickness of it in each pan looks similar.
Bake the cakes according to the cake mix recipe
Remove the cakes from their pans
Cut the circle cake in half evenly
Position the square cake so it looks like a diamond, then place each half of the circle cake on top
Place the cake on a large plate or cake board. If you don’t have one, use wax paper or parchment paper and place the cake where you plan to serve it.
Liberally apply the frosting. It’s so easy! The frosting will fill in the imperfections and it will connect the 3 pieces
Add sprinkles, icing letters, birthday candles, whatever you want:)

Pecan Cake with Cookie Butter Frosting
Total Time Prep: 20 min. Bake: 25 min. + cooling Makes 20 servings

Ingredients

1/2 cup pecan halves
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
4 large eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons 2% milk
1-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

FROSTING:
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup Biscoff creamy cookie spread
1/4 cup 2% milk


Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 13x9-in. baking pan.
Place pecans and sugars in a food processor; process until ground. In a large bowl, cream butter and pecan mixture until blended. Add 1 egg at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in syrup and milk. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture, beating well.
Transfer to prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
In a large bowl, combine all frosting ingredients; beat until smooth. Spread over cake. Refrigerate leftovers.

Tips
This dense cake has a hint of maple flavor and a sweet cookie butter frosting.
If you don't have reduced-fat milk on hand, fat-free or whole milk can be used instead.

Berry Chantilly Cake

Ingredients

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-1/3 cups cake flour
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup 2% milk

Frosting:

16 ounces mascarpone cheese
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Filling:

2/3 cup seedless strawberry jam
2 cups each fresh blueberries, raspberries and sliced strawberries, plus more for decorating, if desired

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Chocolate Spider Cake
The best spider cake recipe you’ll find on the web.
Prep Time 1 hr 30 min Cook Time 50 min Servings 8-10

Ingredients:

For the Chocolate Frosting
1/3 cup heavy cream
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

For the Spider Cake
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
8 candy eyeballs
1 cup chocolate sprinkles
16 chocolate sticks, or chocolate-covered biscuit sticks

Directions:

For the Chocolate Frosting
Step 1 - Combine heavy cream and chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 45 seconds; stir. Return to the microwave and heat again for 20 seconds. Let mixture stand for 2 minutes, then whisk together until smooth. Place in refrigerator to firm to spreading consistency, about 1 hour.

For the Spider Cake
Step 2 - Preheat oven to 350°F.
Step 3 - Combine the first six ingredients in a bowl and whisk together. Add milk, melted butter and vanilla. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat on low until combined. Scrape down the bowl and add the egg; beat again until well incorporated.
Step 4 - Line cupcake tin with one paper liner and fill it 2/3 full of batter. Grease and flour a 2 1/2 quart ovenproof bowl (can use stainless steel) and pour remaining batter into bowl. Bake cupcake for 12-15 minutes, or until center springs back when pressed. Bake cake for 45-50 minutes, or until toothpick tester comes out clean.
Step 5 - Allow cupcake and cake to cool on a wire rack.

Step 6 - Place chocolate sprinkles in bowl. Cut cupcake in half and cover top portion with chocolate frosting (discard or eat the other half of the cupcake!). Place 8 candy eyeballs on top of frosting. Use a spoon to cover the cupcake with chocolate sprinkles; gently shake off excess and set aside.
Step 7 - Place cake on a large serving platter. Cover the bowl-shaped cake with chocolate frosting and then cover the frosting with chocolate sprinkles. Use frosting on the back side of the cupcake (spider head) to attach it to the round cake.
Step 8 - Gently insert three chocolate sticks standing upright on either side of the spider’s body. Use leftover frosting to attach an additional chocolate stick onto each upright chocolate stick, creating segmented spider legs. Insert two short chocolate stick “legs” on either side of the spider head. Use frosting to attach two additional short chocolate sticks to the legs, creating segmented front legs.
Step 9 - Slice and serve, but only once your guests have had time to appreciate your creation.

COCA-COLA SHEET CAKE
Yield: 24-30 SERVINGS

INGREDIENTS:

CAKE:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules (optional)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup cola (not diet)
1/3 cup buttermilk (regular or low-fat)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

FROSTING:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, diced
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup cola
1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
2 cups powdered sugar
Chopped pecans or walnuts for topping

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 10x15 sheet cake pan with cooking spray (I like the kind with flour).
Whisk flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, salt, and coffee granules in a large bowl. Set aside.
Whisk oil, cola, buttermilk, and vanilla in a measuring cup. Stir wet ingredients into dry and stir until just blended and smooth.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for about 15-22 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean 2” from the edge of the pan. The cake will somewhat spring back when touched.
As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, make the frosting. Heat the butter, cocoa, cola, and coffee granules in a small saucepan until it boils and the butter is melted. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, salt, and powdered sugar. Pour evenly and carefully over cake, spreading as needed. Sprinkle with chopped nuts.
Cool completely before serving. Store loosely covered on counter or in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Caramel Apple Dump Cake
Prep Time 5 mins Cook Time 55 mins Total Time 1 hr Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

Two 21-ounce cans apple pie filling
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup caramel syrup
One 15.25-ounce box cake mix (spice cake, vanilla cake or yellow cake)
½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, melted
vanilla ice cream, for serving

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x13-inch pan with nonstick spray.
Add the two cans of apple pie filling to the pan. Sprinkle the cinnamon on top, and stir to combine. Drizzle the caramel syrup on top of the apples.
Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly on top of the apple filling.
Drizzle the melted butter evenly on top.
Bake 45 to 50 minutes, until golden brown on top. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Danish Dream Cake
Active Time 20 minutes Total Time 1 hour and 5 minutes Serves 10–12

Ingredients

3 eggs
1 cup (225 g) granulated sugar
1⁄2 tsp. vanilla sugar **
1¾ cups (225 g) all-purpose flour or cake flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2⁄3 cup (150 ml) whole milk
3⁄4 stick (75 g) butter, melted
For the topping
1 stick (100 g) butter
1½ cups (150 g) dried shredded coconut
1¼ cups (250 g) dark brown sugar
1⁄3 cup (75 ml) whole milk
Pinch salt

To Make

Step 1 - Preheat the oven to 375°F. Prepare a 9-inch springform or round cake pan, greased and lined with baking parchment.
Step 2 - In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the eggs, granulated sugar and vanilla sugar on a high speed for a few minutes, until white and light. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, sift the flour and baking powder together.
Step 3 - Carefully fold the flour into the egg mixture. Mix the milk with the melted butter in a jug/pitcher and carefully pour into the batter, folding it in until incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.
Step 4 - Bake in the preheated oven for 35–40 minutes, or until almost done (try not to open the oven door for the first 20 minutes of the total baking time).
Step 5 - To make the topping, put all the ingredients in a saucepan and gently melt together.
Step 6 - Remove the cake from the oven and carefully spread the topping all over the cake. Return to the oven. Turn up the heat to 400°F and bake for a further 5 minutes.
Step 7 - Leave cake to cool before eating, if you can (we are well aware it’s hard to do that).

**You can buy vanilla sugar in Scandinavian food shops, but it’s also easy to make at home. Add 1 cup powdered sugar to a small food processor with a dried-out vanilla bean. Pulse until completely pulverized, then sift out any large pieces of the vanilla bean.

Flourless Italian Almond-Lemon Cake
Prep: 40 mins Cook: 2 hrs Total: 2 hrs 40 mins Servings: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

3 organic lemons
6 large eggs (yolks and whites separated)
1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated white sugar
3/4 pound (300 grams) finely ground almond meal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Steps to Make It

Wash the lemons well. Add them to a pot with enough water to cover and simmer for 1 hour.
Drain the lemons and allow them to cool enough to handle. They will look a bit "deflated," while the cooking water will be pale yellow and quite bitter.
Trim the ends off each lemon and cut them in half crosswise. Scoop out and discard the seeds.
Coarsely chop the lemons—peels and all.
Put the lemons through a food mill with a coarse disk.
Mill the lemons again with a fine disk in a food mill.
Strain the lemon pulp through a fine-mesh strainer. Rub the lemon paste against the mesh with the back of a wooden spoon or the bottom of a ladle.
Preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C. Soak a sheet of parchment paper with water, then crumple it and wring it out. Use it to line a 9-inch (22-centimeter) springform pan.
In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks and granulated sugar until pale yellow and frothy, about 3 minutes.
Beat in the lemon cream and almond meal.
In a separate, clean, dry bowl, whip the egg whites to firm peaks.
Gently fold the whites and baking powder into the lemon mixture.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out a bit sticky but without batter clinging to it. Keep an eye on the cake during the last few minutes because it can brown suddenly.
Remove from the oven and let cool completely before releasing it from the springform pan and placing it on a serving platter.
Dust lightly with confectioners' sugar.

Recipe Variations

Instead of almond meal, use 3/4 pound (300 grams) blanched almonds. Divide the blanched almonds into 3 batches and grind them in a food processor or blender until they form a homogeneous almond meal.
If you do not have a food mill, you can also process the lemons in a food processor and blend until smooth, then pass the puree through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any large pieces.
Garnish with your favorite berries, such as raspberries, blueberries, or strawberries, for added color and flavor.

Tips

The easiest way to measure out the almonds for this recipe, whether you're using ground almond meal or whole blanched almonds, is to use three 1/4-pound (100-gram) packages.
If you prefer not to use parchment paper, grease the bottom and sides of the pan with butter, then dust lightly with flour, tapping the side of the upside-down pan to remove any excess flour.

Hummingbird Cake
Servings: 16 Prep Time 35 minutes Cook Time 40 minutes Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients
1 cup (198g) finely chopped fresh pineapple*
2 1/2 cups (354g) all-purpose flour, divided (scoop and level to measure)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
3/4 cup (150g) packed light-brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup (235ml) vegetable oil or canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (366g) mashed overripe bananas
1 cup (100g) pecans, toasted and finely chopped, plus more whole or chopped pecans for decorating if desired

Frosting and topping
12 oz. cream cheese, nearly at room temperature
3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter, nearly at room temperature
4 cups (480g) powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups (95g) sweetened shredded coconut, toasted or untoasted

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans (at least 2-inch tall) and line bottoms with a round of parchment paper. Butter parchment paper and lightly dust pans with flour, shake out excess.
In a small mixing bowl, stir together finely chopped pineapple with 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl whisk together remaining 2 1/4 cups flour, the baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
In a separate large mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer set on medium-high speed, whip together granulated sugar, brown sugar and eggs until pale and fluffy, about 3 - 4 minutes.
Slowly blend in vegetable oil, then mix in vanilla extract. Add half of the flour mixture and using a rubber spatula, fold just until combined. Add mashed bananas and fold to combine, then add remaining flour mixture and fold until combined. Fold in pineapple mixture and chopped pecans.
Divide batter evenly among prepared cake pans. Bake in preheated oven until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 34 - 40 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool in cake pans 10 minutes, then run a knife around edge to loosen and invert onto wire racks to cool completely.
Frost with cream cheese frosting and gently press coconut onto sides. If desired decorate top with a ring of whole or chopped pecans near outside edge.
For the cream cheese frosting: In the mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip together cream cheese and butter until smooth and fluffy.
Add powdered sugar and vanilla and blend again until shade becomes whiter and frosting is fluffy. To firm up the frosting a bit freeze in 3 minute increments mixing between increments until it's reached a slightly stiffer consistency.

Notes

*Pineapple should be chopped into tiny bits about 1/6-inch.