Butter Rum Cake

The batter

Decided to use a Bundt pan.

Boiling the sugar water.

Fresh out of the oven.

Adding the Rum flavored "icing".

I can't decide if I liked this cake or not. I liked the flavor and how the outside was a little hard. The inside, though is where I'm torn. It's very dense. I'm still not sure how I feel about it or if I'd make it again. There was no baking powder or soda to make it light and fluffy. Just flour. Maybe it just needed real rum and not the extract? Well, that's a given :P Maybe it would be good as a dip in your cup of coffee kind of cake? I don't know.

I didn't feel like digging out my cake holder so I turned it over into my deep dish stone and it had plenty of room. The "icing" was just a flavored simple syrup. I still have a good amount left after brushing the entire top of the cake with it. Maybe drizzling more over a warmed up slice would be good? I don't know! If you feel daring, please make this and let me know what you think!

Here's my interpretation of the recipe:

Butter Rum Cake

2 c. flour

1¾ c. sugar

5 eggs

½ lb. margarine

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. butter flavor

1 tsp. rum flavor

Bake slow 1 hour*

(over)

Butter Rum Icing

1 c. sugar

½ c. water

1 tsp. rum flavor

Boil sugar & water, cool. Add rum. Apply to warm cake with pastry brush.

*The recipe said to bake for 1 hour but didn't mention the temperature. So I baked it at 350º for 1 hour and I think that was just perfect.

*I brushed the entire top of the cake with the "icing" and still had a lot left over.

 

I hope you enjoy and give this recipe a second chance in your kitchen too.

Pumpkin Nut Bars

 

I cannot wait until Fall! You're either one who loves pumpkin everything or doesn't. I LOVE it! How about you? Let me know in the comments your thoughts on pumpkin everything :)

This recipe is called Pumpkin Nut Bars. Personally, I think it's more like a cake. It cooked quick so the oven wasn't on long (thanks TX heat). For me, I love cream cheese icing when it comes to pumpkin treats. This icing was different. Good, and sweet, but different. As I spread it on the cooled cake, I didn't think it was going to be enough. Trust me, a thin layer of this icing is all you need!

My interpretation of the recipe:

Pumpkin Nut Bars

½ cup shortening

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup flour

½ teaspoon (baking) soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ginger

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

2/3 cup pumpkin

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ cup chopped nuts

Combine all ingredients except nuts in large mixing bowl. Beat for 2 minutes with electric mixer at medium speed. Fold in nuts. Spread evenly in a 13x9x2" pan. Bake at 350º 20-25 minutes. Spread with run frosting when cool.

Frosting

¼ cup butter

2 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon rum

2 Tablespoons hot water

¼ cup nuts

* I used light brown sugar

* Pecans were used in the batter as well as the frosting

* I used dark rum 

* It baked in my oven for 21 minutes

* I did spray my 9x13 pan before adding the batter

I hope you enjoy and give this recipe a second chance in your kitchen too.

Real Crazy Cake - Guest Featured Recipe

I'm super excited to share my first guest recipe! This recipe comes from my friend Kristy's (yes we have the same name and spelled the same!) Grandma, Barbara. I love recipe cards like this one. First, because it's handwritten and second, because you can tell it's been made quite a few times. She sent me a few recipes, so I'll be making them in the future.

The first thing I noticed about this recipe was that it doesn't call for any eggs. The fact that there also isn't any milk or butter didn't dawn on me until later. The word before cocoa stumped us all. It obviously looks like "bft" but I couldn't find anything under bft cocoa. So if you know what it could be, please let me know!! This was a simple cake, made in one bowl. While my kids thought it needed some icing on top, I thought it was good without it. Not too sweet and would probably go really well with a scoop of vanilla ice cream :)

My interpretation of the recipe:

Real Crazy Cake

From the Kitchen of Barbara

My Friend Kristy's Grandma

1½ cups sifted all-purpose flour

3 Tablespoons (bft) cocoa

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla

5 Tablespoons salad oil

1 cup water

Combine well all ingredients .

Bake in 8" square greased pan

350° - 35 minutes

I hope you enjoy and give this recipe a second chance in your kitchen too.

Pineapple Icing

In my latest box of organized treasures, I found an icing recipe. It's a hot Texas summer, so who wouldn't love some pineapple?  To be completely honest, this recipe isn't exactly what I would consider to be pineapple icing. It would, however, be perfect as a filler between cake layers. When done, the consistency was kind of like a pie filling. So unless you're serving a sheet cake still in the pan it was baked in, this isn't a stable icing. I refrigerated it overnight and used it cold. I put the cake together the next day and after sitting out on the counter after about 10-15 minutes, the pineapple started to slide off. That's why there's just a picture of a slice and not the entire "hot mess" of a cake :)

Also, it was too sweet for me. I'd cut it back to probably just a cup of sugar, at the most. Even Anthony, my sweets man, said it was too sweet.

One last thing. It didn't say how big of a tin of pineapple to use. I believe I used Dole's 20oz can of crushed pineapple, juice and all. I forgot to write it down before I threw it out. Sorry!

Here's my interpretation of the recipe:

Yellow Cake with Pineapple Icing
From: Jack Everett

Duncan Hines Golden Butter Cake Mix 

Pineapple Icing

1 - Tin Crushed Pineapple

1½ Cups sugar

½ Stick butter

2 Rounded Tablespoons flour

Cook until it thickens & add 1 teaspoon vanilla.

* I baked the cake mix as directed making 2 - 9"rounds.

I hope you enjoy and give this recipe a second chance in your kitchen too.