Valentine Cake

This recipe is a delicious cherry sponge cake. It is called Valentine Cake, which makes it a perfect cake for Valentine's Day, or just any day because it is so tasty. The cake uses a jar of maraschino cherries. I had a ten ounce jar and used the entire jar, even though the recipe calls for just a four ounce jar. The outcome was extra cherry.

The recipe called for using a heart-shaped pan, but I do not have one so I used a tube pan. Any type of pan could be used, just adjust the baking time, as needed. I think cupcakes would be especially good. The recipe also calls for frosting, but does not include a specific frosting to use. When I made this cake, I just sprinkled the cake with powdered sugar. Many frostings would be delicious, including a buttercream or a fudge frosting.

Valentine Cake 

• 2 cups flour
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• Syrup from one bottle maraschino cherries
• 4 egg whites
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup soft butter
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 4 oz. jar maraschino cherries
• 1/2 cup nuts

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl. Put remaining ingredients except cherries and almonds into a blender. Cover and process at blend until smooth. Stop blender; add cherries and nuts. Cover; blend on chop only until cherries and nuts are chopped. Pour over dry ingredients; mix well. Pour into greased and floured pan. Bake for 35 minutes at 350. Cool in pan for ten minutes. Remove from pan; cool thoroughly. Fill and frost, if desired. Enjoy!

Black Bottom Cake

When I made this cake, I was not sure how it would come out. It is a delicious cake that is easy to make. This cake is a super moist dark chocolate cake with a cheesecake topping. No frosting is needed for this decadent cake. Whether you plan to eat the cake on your own or share it with others, this cake is a tasty treat.

The recipe calls for using a 9x9 cake pan, which works out nice. But these would also make terrific cupcakes, just adjust the baking time down. Another alternative is to use the cream cheese mixture as a layer, with chocolate cake batter both above and below the cream cheese.

Black Bottom Cake 

• 1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
• 1 egg
• 1 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1 Tbsp. vinegar
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Combine cream cheese, egg, 1/3 cup sugar, and 1/4 tsp salt in a small bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Set aside. Sift together flour with 1 cup sugar, cocoa, soda, and 1/2 tsp. salt in a large bowl. Add water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla; beat until blended. Pour mix into a greased 9x9 pan. Spoon cream cheese mix on top. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes. Enjoy!

Oatmeal Cookies

This recipe is a tasty cookie recipe. And, with the use of oatmeal, it seems just a little healthier, even if the cookies are not really healthy. I especially like the cinnamon in this recipe which results in a subtle rather than overwhelming cinnamon flavor. This recipe makes a lot of cookies, so it is a great recipe to try when you want to have cookies to share.

When I made the recipe, I used chocolate chips. The recipe calls for either chocolate chips or raisins. I am sure that the cookies would also be great with raisins or even both raisins and chocolate chips. The recipe calls for rolling the dough into a two-inch ball, which would result in a big cookie. When I made the recipe, I rolled the dough into one-inch balls, which still resulted in big cookies because the cookies do spread while baking. 

Oatmeal Cookies 

• 1 3/4 cup butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups oatmeal
• 1 cup raisins or chocolate chips
• 1 cup ground pecans
• 3 3/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• dash of salt
• sugar for rolling cookies

Cream butter with sugar. Add eggs, oatmeal, raisins or chips, and nuts. Sift together dry ingredients and add to mixture. Roll dough into two-inch balls. Roll cookie in sugar to coat. Put on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten each cookie lightly with a fork. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes or until brown. Enjoy!