Double Chocolate Cake with Oreo Buttercreme Frosting

These are divine. I've had them as cupcakes with the frosting or as a bundt cake with no frosting, I love them both!

Cake:

1 pkg Devils Food Cake mix

1 large package instant chocolate pudding mix

1 cup sour cream

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1/2 cup warm water

1 1/2 -2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl mix together the cake and pudding mix, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs, and water. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour batter into a well greased bundt pan. Bake 50-55 minutes or until top is springy to the touch and a wood toothpick comes out clean. Cool the cake thoroughly (1.5 hr) before inverting onto plate upside down. If desired dust with powdered sugar.

*For 24 cupcakes fill almost 3/4 full and bake at 325 for around 20-30 min.

Frosting:

1 stick salted butter - room temp

1 stick unsalted butter - room temp

1 cup shortening

1 Tbsp clear vanilla extract (this is so the frosting keeps it white color, I got it at Micheals)

4-6 cups powdered sugar (I used about 5)

4-6 Tbsp very cold milk (I used about 5)

6 Oreos, creme removed crushed very fine (in the food processor worked great)

extra Oreos for garnish

Directions:

Cream butter and shortening with mixer. Add vanilla and combine well. Begin adding the sugar and mixing thoroughly after each addition. After all the sugar has been added and mixed begin adding cold milk on Tbsp at a time until you reach desired consistency. Fold in Oreo crumbs. Top cooled cupcakes with the frosting and garnish with 1/2 and Oreo or with large Oreo crumbs.

*Be sure to add milk gradually. If you want to pipe on the frosting and have it keep it's shape you have to have thick frosting. :)

Raspberry Cream Filled Cupcakes

Made these for Easter. Yum! The recipe said to fill with the raspberry filling and frost with a vanilla or cream cheese frosting, but truth be told I LOVE the raspberry creme and needed some of it in every bite so I frosted some of them with it and those were my favorite, so you'll just have to decide for yourself. I'm also tempted to try this as a big cake with the filling between the layers and the outside frosted with a vanilla buttercream?

Cupcakes:
1 box cake mix of choice (I used white)

Raspberry Filling:
1 block cream cheese (softened)
1 to 2 cups powdered sugar
fresh or unthawed raspberries (I used about 7 or 8 oz of frozen)
1 small box vanilla pudding (just dump in the powder)
milk to thin

Frosting:
1 can frosting of choice or homemade

Directions:
Prepare and bake cupcakes of choice. Let cool. Mix above ingredients and inject cupcakes with a cake decorating tip!!! I first used the bottom of a 3/4 inch funnel to punch out a small hole of cake and then injected it with the filling. Then frost cupcakes with frosting of choice to hide injection hole. Keep refrigerated.

BANANA CAKE WITH BURNT BUTTER FROSTING

Last night after I got the kids into bed I suddenly had a craving for this cake and had to make it. It is sooooo good! Oh, and it is definitely best with a tall glass of milk.

Banana Cake

2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup shortening
1/3 cup buttermilk or sour milk
2 medium ripe bananas, smashed
2 eggs
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Mix everything together. Beat 3 minutes at medium speed. Pour into 9x13 pan (I used the Demarle sunflower mold). Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Burnt Butter Frosting

1 cube butter
1 tsp vanilla
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
milk to consistency

Melt butter in pan on stove until foam cooks off and the color is a deep caramel. Pour butter over powdered sugar. Add vanilla and milk to the consistency you want. Beat for about one minute.

Note: I like this cake warm so I make the frosting pourable so I can just pour it on, let it drizzle down the sides and eat it. You can make it thicker and spread it on like a more traditional cake.

COCONUT CAKE

If you like coconut, you'll LOVE this cake introduced to me by my friend Alisha.

RAVE REVIEWS COCONUT CAKE

1 box yellow cake mix
1 package instant vanilla pudding (small)
1 1/3 C water
4 eggs
¼ C cooking oil (I use canola)
2 C grated coconut
1 C chopped pecans

Blend cake mix, pudding mix, water, eggs and oil in large mixer bowl. Beat at medium speed approximately 4 minutes to ensure all ingredients are well blended. Stir in coconut and nuts and blend well. Pour cake batter into 3 greased and floured cake pans. Bake at 325 degrees for approximately 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out “clean.”

Frosting:
One 8 oz pkg. cream cheese
4 T butter
2 C toasted coconut (see below)
2 T milk
3 ½ C confectioners sugar, sifted
½ t vanilla

Melt 2 T butter in a skillet, add coconut, stir over low to medium heat until toasted. Spread coconut over absorbent paper (I use a brown paper grocery bag). Cream 2 T butter with cream cheese. Add milk, then beat in sugar. Blend in vanilla, then stir in 1 ¾ C of the toasted coconut. Frost cake with icing, then sprinkle/press remaining coconut on top of cake. Placing the cake in the refrigerator helps set up the icing for easier cutting.