Any Old Fruit Cake Recipe

Here' a treat for you! This cake recipe is from my great-grandmother and is called Any Old Fruit Cake. It's a little different; it tastes is similar to a spice cake but sweeter, and its very moist and dense.

1 qt plumbs, apricots, or whatever fruit you have canned (canned in mason-jar qts)*
1/2 C vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 C sugar
3 C Flour (abt)
4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
1 C chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Combine fruit, oil, and eggs. Combine dry ingredients and add to liguid ingredients. Beat for two minutes with electric mixer. Add nuts if used. Turn into oiled baking pan. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

*drain 2 quarts of fruit, making sure you have one full quart of the pulp for this recipe (use juice for a drink or jelly)

Frost cake with cream cheese frosting and enjoy!

p.s. I have no idea how this cake works with decorating. It's super yummy and nice for a change, though!

Chocolate Cherry Cake Recipe

Here's a cake recipe if you want to make a cute cake but just don't feel like taking out all your cake stuff and spending all that time decorating. I found it in a Better Homes and Garden magazine. It tastes wonderful! You'll need a cake leveler. They're not scary...I promise. They take pretty much no skill to use and cost under $5. What is good and bad about this recipe is that the cake absorbs the frosting like a sponge in over just a few hours. So the cake will look shrunken but it will be extra moist. Yum!

Chocolate Cherry Cake

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup plus 1 tsp. all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powde r
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 Recipe Cherry Frosting, recipe below
• 
  

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 6x2-inch round cake pans. Mix 1 teaspoon each flour and cocoa powder; dust pans. Set pans aside.

2. In bowl combine 3/4 cup flour, 1/3 cup cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; set aside.

3. In large bowl with electric mixer beat butter on medium to high for 30 seconds. Add sugar; beat until smooth and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla until smooth. Beat in sour cream and flour mixture. Pour batter in pans; spread evenly.

4. Bake 22 to 26 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched and edges begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool in pans on wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool on rack.

5. Use a cake leveler to horizontally cut cakes in half to make 4 layers total. Place bottom layer on plate; spread with 2/3 cup frosting. Repeat with layers. Place top layer on cake. Heap remaining frosting, swirling in peaks. Refrigerate. To serve, top with Chocolate-Dipped Cherries. Serves 8.

Cherry Frostng

In large mixing bowl combine one 8-ounce carton sour cream. 1 cup whipping cream (do not use ultra-pasteurized whipping cream), 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar, and 2 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice. Beat with chilled beaters on medium-high until fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Spectacular Orange Cake Recipe

Here's there recipe for the orange cake:

Spectacular Orange Cake

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

4 large egg whites

3/4 cup water
1/4 cup fresh orange juice

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon grated orange peel

Orange Filling (recipe follows)

Orange Buttercream Frosting (recipe follows)

1. Preheat oven to 350*F). Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.
3. Beat egg whites at high speed of an electric mixer until stiff peaks form; set aside.
4. Combine water and orange juice in a glass measure; set aside.
5. In a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer at medium speed, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add orange peel and mix well. Add the flour mixture alternately with the water/juice mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Gently fold in the beaten egg whites until well blended. Pour batter evenly into the prepared cake pans.
6. Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes or until tested done when pressed lightly in the center and cake springs back. Cool cakes in pans for 5 minutes on wire rack, then remove from pans.
7. When completely cool, spread with Orange Filling between layers and frost top and sides with Orange Buttercream Frosting.

Makes 10 to 12 servings.

Orange Filling

1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange peel
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup water
2 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons butter

1. Combine sugar, cornstarch, orange rind and salt in heavy saucepan. Gradually blend in orange juice, water and beaten egg yolks. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens. Cook for three minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Cool before spreading between layers.

Orange Buttercream Frosting

6 tablespoons butter
4 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
Pinch of salt
4 to 6 tablespoons orange juice

1. In small deep bowl, cream butter, powdered sugar, orange rind, salt and enough orange juice until desired spreading consistency. Spread onto the sides and top of cake.