Streusel Nut Coffee Cake

1 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 1/2 cups sugar, divided
4 eggs
2 tsp vanill aextract
2 tsp almond extract
4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups (16 oz) sour cream
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
3 tsp instant chocolate drink mix
2 tsp ground cinnamon

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and 2 cups sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in extracts. Combine flour and baking soda. Add to the creamed mixture althernately with soure cream. Spoon half into a greased 10 intu tube pan.

In a bowl, combine the walnuts, drink mix, cinnamon and remaining sugar. Sprinkle half over batter. Top with remaining batter and nut minsture. Bake at 350 for 60-70 minute sor until a toothpick insreted near the encter comesout clena. Cool for 10 mintues before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completley.

Marbled Sour Cream Cake

Nonstick vegetable cooking spray
1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
1 package (18.25 oz) yellow cake mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup water
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 eggs

1. Position rack in center ov oven and preheat to 375 degrees. Spray a 10 inch bundt pan with the cooking spray.

2. In a medium glass bowl, microwave chocolate morsels on high for 30 seconds. Stir to blend. Continue to microwave until morsels are melted and smooth, about 30 seconds longer. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, sour cream, water, oil, sugar and eggs. Using an electric mixer, beat until very well blended, about 2 minutes.

4. Spoon 2 cups of cake batter into melted chocolate, then mix throroughly to form chocolate batter. Spoon chocolate batter and yellow batter alternately into prepared pan.

5. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center of ckae comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Transfer pan to a cooling rack and cool completely, or refrigerate for 30 mintues. Inver cake into a plattter, then carefully remove pan.

Cover tightly and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

White Layer Cake with Raspberry Jam

Cake:
2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup whole milk at room temperature
6 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar

Frosting:
1 stick unsalted butter,at room temperature
4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam

1. Preheat oven to 350'. Butter 3 8-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms of pans with parchment paper, then butter parchment. Spoon a small amount of flour into pans, swirl to coat sides and bottom, then tap out and discard excess flour.

2. Make Cake: Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together milk, egg whites and vanilla in a medium glass measuring cup or bowl.

3. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat utter and sugar until well combined and light. Reduce speed to low and add 1/3 of flour mixture. Add 1/2 of milk mixture, beating constantly and scraping down sidea of bowl as necessary. Beat in another 1/3 of flour, the remaininging milk, beating just untl blwnded. Mix in remaining flour just until blended. Divide batter evenly among pans and smooth tops with a rubber spatula (don't worry if batter looks curdled).

4. Bake cakes for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center of each cake comes out clena. Transfer cakes to wire racks; cool in pans for 10 minutes. Run a knife around sides of pans, invert cakes onto wire racks and remove parchment. Let cool completely.

5. Make frosting: Beat butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium-high speed in alarge, deep bowl until ight and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in confectioners sugar in 2 batches until smooth and creamy. Beat in vanilla just until combined.

6. Assemble cake: Using a serrated knife, gently slice horizontally across top of each cake layer tomake level. Place 1 cake layer on serving plate. Spread 1/4 cup jam evenly over layer. Add another cake layer and spread with 1/4 cup jam. Top with final cake layer. Frost top and sides of cake.

Brown Sugar Pound Cake with vanilla Glaze

Cake:
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 lb light brown sugar
5 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar

Glaze:
1 cup convectioners sugar
2 tbs milk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350'. Butter and flour a 10 inch tube pan or bundt pan.

2. Make cake: Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Whisk buttermilk and vanilla in a small bowl. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg yolks, 1 at a time. Reduce speed to low; alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk, starting and ending with flour.

3. In a dry bowl, beat egg whites on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Add sugar 1 tbsp at a time, beating until whites form stiff peaks. Fold 1/3 of egg whites into batter, then fold in remaining whites. Transfer batter to pan.

4. Bake 75-85 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cake stand in pan 10 mintues, invert onto wire rack; let cool.

5. Make glaze: Mix sugar, milk and vanilla in a bowl until smooth. Spoon glaze atop cake.

Fruit Cocktail Cake

1 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 cup golden raisin
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 can (8 3/4 oz) fruit cocktail, undrained
confectioners sugar

Butter sauce:
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup evaporated milk or half and half cream
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, nuts, raisins, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In a small bowl, beat egg; add fruit cocktail. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Pour into a greased and floured 8 inch round baking pan. Bake at 325 for 55 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool in pan for 5 mintues before removing to a wire rack. Cool completely. Dust with confectioneers sugar if desired. For sauce, combine sugar, butter nad milk in a small saucepan; bring ot a boil. Cook and stir for 3 mintues. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Serve warm over the cake. Refrigerate leftover sauce.

Serves 4

Burnt Sugar Cake

1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup hot water
3 cups sifted cake flour
3 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter or shortening
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 eggs, unbeaten
3 tbs burnt sugar syrup
2/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

To make burnt sugar syrup, place 1/2 cup sugar in heavy skillet over medium flame. Stir constantly as sugar melts, then becomes dark mahogany color, and smokes noticeably. Remove at once from fire, add very slowly 1/3 cup hot water, and stir until dissolved. Let cool.

In a mixing bowl add flour, baking powder and salt, and mix together. Cream butter thoroughly, add sugar gradually, and cram until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating thorougly after each. Then add 3 tbs burnt sugar syrup and blend. Add the flour mixture, althernately with milk, in small amounts, beating until smooth. Add vanilla. Bake in 2 greased 9 inch layer pans at 375' for 25-20 mintues. SPread cake generously with Brunt Sugar Frosting.

Burnt Sugar Frosting

2 egg whites, unbeaten
5 tbs water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp light corn syrup
2 tbs burnt sugar syrup

Combine egg whites, sugar, water and corn surup in top of double boiler, beating with egg beater until throroughly mixed. Place over rapidly boiling water, beat constantly with egg beater and cook 7 minutes,or until frosting will stand in peaks. Remove from boiling water; add sugar syrup and beat until thick enough to spread.

Cocoa Cake

2/3 cup butter
1 2/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 cups flour
2/3 cup cocoa
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Cream shorening, sugar and eggs until fluffy; beat with mixer (on high) for 3 minutes; reduce to low. COmbine flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt; add alternately with 1 2/3 cup milk to creamed mixture. Pour into 2 greased and cocoa-dusted 9" cake pans. Bake at 350' for 35 mintues, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans

Cocoa Fudge Frosting

1/2 cup creamed butter and 1/2 cup cocoa

Slowly add
3 2/3 cup powdered sugar
7 Tbs milk
1 tsp vanilla

Beat to spreading consistency. Frost cake when it's completely cool.