Free Recipes, Easy Meals and Special Dinners @ iChef

HOMEMADE CAKE MIXES

For the cake mix, I have a book called Homemade Mixes and they have a recipe for a basic cake mix.
Hope this is of some help to you.
Submitted By: DG, Denver, CO

BASIC CAKE MIX

8 cups all-purpose flour
5 cups sugar
1/4 cup baking powder
1 tablespoon salt
2 cups shortening that does not require refrigeration

In a large bowl stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. With pastry blender, cut in shortening until mixture resembles very fine crumbs. Divide mix into 5 equal portions (about 19 oz. or 3-1/2 cups each). Place in airtight containers; label. Store in a cool, dry place up to 6 weeks. (Or place in freezer containers; seal and freeze up to 6 months. To use, allow mix to come to room temperature.) Makes 17-1/2 cups
(5 portions) mix.


Use the Basic Cake Mix Recipe to make these tasty treats!

FEATHERY YELLOW CAKE

1/5 recipe Basic Cake Mix
3/4 cups milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Grease and lightly flour two 8x1-1/2 inch round cake pans. Set aside. In mixer bowl, combine the Basic Cake Mix and the milk. Beat at low speed of electric mixer till moistened. Beat 1 minute at medium speed. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Spread batter evenly in prepared pans. Bake in a 350 degree oven about 20 minutes or till wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool thoroughly on wire rack. Frost as desired. Makes 12 servings.

CHOCOLATE CAKE SQUARES

1/5 recipe Basic Cake Mix
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 can vanilla frosting
Cocoa icing (optional)

Grease and flour a 9x9x2-inch baking pan. In a large mixer bowl, combine the Basic Cake Mix and the cocoa powder. Add the milk. Beat at low speed of electric mixer till moistened. Beat 1 minute on medium speed. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Turn batter into prepared pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes or till wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. Frost with vanilla frosting. Drizzle with cocoa icing if desired. Makes 9 servings.
Cocoa Icing: Stir together 1 cup sifted powdered sugar and 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder. Stir in enough milk to make of drizzling consistency.

UPSIDE DOWN SPICE CAKE

1/4 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 16-oz. can peach slices, drained
1/5 recipe Basic Cake Mix
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a 13x9x2-inch baking pan, melt the butter or margarine. Stir in the brown sugar and coconut. Top with the peach slices. In mixer bowl, combine the Basic Cake Mix and allspice. Add the milk. Beat at a low speed of electric mixer till moistened. Beat 1 minute medium speed. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Spread batter evenly over peach mixture in pan. Bake at 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes or till wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool cake 5 minutes on wire rack; invert onto cake plate. Serve warm. Makes 12 servings.

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Orange-Coconut Pound Cake
Recipe by Patty Wallace

1 1/2 cups butter
2 1/2 cups sugar
5 eggs
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup cream of coconut
3/4 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon orange extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
Orange-Coconut Glaze (recipe below)

Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. Combine cream of coconut and orange juice. Alternately mix liquid and flour into batter, beating well after each addition. Stir in orange extract, vanilla extract, and orange zest.

Pour into a greased and floured tube pan. Bake at 350°F for about 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Drizzle glaze over warm cake if desired.


Orange-Coconut Glaze


1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 tablespoon orange liqueur
2 tablespoons grated coconut
2 tablespoons sweet butter
2 tablespoon orange juice
1 tablespoon cream of coconut

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat until warmed through and butter is melted. Do not boil. Drizzle over warm cake
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Pumpkin Chiffon Cake
Grandma Brick baked this every year for Mom's birthday,and now Barb has learned to bake it.

2 cups cake flour
1/2 cup brown, 1 cup white sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg, cloves and allspice
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1/2 cup corn oil
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup cooked or canned pumpkin
7 eggs (seperated)
Mix the first 7 ingredients in a bowl. Make a well and add the oil, water, pumpkin and the egg yolks. Beat well. Beat 7 egg whites with 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar till very stiff. Fold first mixture into egg whites slowly. Bake in 350 F oven for about one hour. Frost with orange icing.


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Turtle Cake
3 million Calories a bite, but I don't care

19-oz. pkg. German Chocolate cake mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
10-oz. can Eagle Brand condensed milk
2 cups chopped pecans
1 lb. caramels
Mix chocolate cake mix, butter, water, oil and half the condensed milk. Pour half the mixture into a 9x13 pan, greased and floured. Bake 20-25 mins. at 350. Melt caramels and remaining milk until smooth. Pour over baked layer. Sprinkle generously with pecans. Pour on the remaining batter. Bake 30-35 mins (watch closely until top layer is set). Frost with your favorite (I like Jonnye's) frosting.


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Fruit Cocktail Cake
Auntie Annie made this cake, which is easy, large, and sinful.

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 tsps. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
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2 eggs
1 1/2 cups white sugar
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1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped walnuts.
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1/2 cup evaporated milk (or cream)
1/4 cup butter, and
3/4 cup white sugar

Mix flour, soda, and salt together. In another large bowl, beat the eggs into the sugar. Add dry ingredients alternately with 1 15-oz. can of undrained fruit cocktail. Mix well after each addition. Pour into 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 F for 35-45 minutes. Mix the brown sugar and walnuts and sprinkle over cake. Combine the last 3 ingredients and cook over medium heat to full boil, and slightly thickened. Spread over cake while still warm


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Boiled Raisin Cake
One of our oldest recipes... And one of our best...

2 eggs
2 cups raisins
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup ground walnuts (optional)
2 cups sifted flour
pinch of salt
Cover raisins with boiling water and salt and simmer 30 minutes. Cool. Add shortening, sugar, eggs, raisin water (about cup), soda, then flour, spices, walnuts and raisins. Bake at 375 F for 25 to 35 minutes. Test. Icing: Heat one cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup cream to boiling. Add 1 tsp. vanilla and pour onto warm cake.


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Featherweight Cake

1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup milk
Butter size of an egg
1 tsp. vanilla
Pinch of salt
Beat sugar and eggs together with egg beater until very light and fluffy. Add flour, baking powder and salt which have been sifted together 3 times. Lastly beat in milk and butter which have been heated together to the boiling point. Then add vanilla. Bake in 375 F oven for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out dry.


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Diane's Cherry (Gumdrop) Cake
Diane is Valerie's sister who lives in the Maritimes.

1 cup butter
8 oz. cream cheese
4 eggs
1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsps. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 jars maraschino cherries floured in 1/4 cup flour
Cream the butter and cheese. Beat in the eggs. Mix in dry ingredients and vanilla. Fold in the cherries. Bake at 300-320º in tube pan for 70--80 minutes.


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Easy Pineapple Cake
Too easy to be true. Cut this in half for a 9x9 pan.
Add the nuts and it's as good as Carrot Cake!

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsps. soda
1- 32oz. can crushed pineapple
3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
Stir all ingredients and bake in a 9x13 pan at 350º for 35-40 minutes. For frosting, melt together 1/2 stick butter and 1-4oz. package cream cheese. Add 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla.


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Iona's Pecan Dump Cake
Iona Stookey is the Cookie Lady of Apache Wells, but she makes great cakes too.
Check out these easy recipes!
Grease (or Pam) a 9x13 pan well. Add two cans apple or cherry pie filling. Sprinkle -1 cup pecans over the fruit; then sprinkle with cinnamon, not too sparingly. Sprinkle one dry Duncan Hines Butter Pecan Cake mix over fruit mixture, then drizzle one cube of melted margarine over all. Bake at 350-375º for 45 minutes.


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Iona's Fruit Cocktail Cake
An easier way!

1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
2 tsps. soda
Dash salt
1 17-oz. can fruit cocktail in light syrup
Sift dry ingredients, then mix in fruit cocktail, syrup and all. Bake at 350º for 30 minutes.
Pour this frosting over warm cake:

1 cup sugar
1 cube margarine
1 small (3-oz.) can evaporated milk
7-oz. package of coconut
1 tsp. vanilla
Boil 10 minutes; stir often; pour over cake.


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Gram's Golden Date Cake
A recipe written Granny's "old" way.
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray pans and dust with flour or use wax paper in 2-8" layer pans. Sift together into mixing bowl 2 cups plus 2 tbsps. all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 cups white sugar, 1 tsp. salt, 3 tsp. baking powder. Add 1/2 cup Crisco or softened butter, 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla and 1 cup milk. Beat for 2 minutes at medium speed. Add 2 eggs and 1 cup dates cut fine. Beat 2 minutes as before. Fold in 1/2 cup walnuts. Pour into pans. Bake 35 to 45 minutes. Cool and frost with Fresh Orange Icing (see Frostings).


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Barb's Marbled Brownies
Barb "stole" this recipe from a little Duncan Hines book that came in Canadian Living

1 Duncan Hines Double Fudge Brownie Mix
1 (3oz.) cream cheese
5 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tbsps. flour
1/4 tsp. vanilla
Soften cream cheese and butter and beat together. Add sugar, eggs and flour and beat until smooth. Mix brownies as directed. Pour half the brownie mix in 9 x 13 pan. Pour all the cream cheese mixture over the brownie mix. Spoon remaining brownie mix over the cream cheese. Swirl the two mixtures together with a spatula or knife. Bake @ 350 F for approximately 35-40 minutes.


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Overnight Blueberry Coffee Cake
You get to clean up your mess the night before.
Just pull it out of the oven when friends arrive.

1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups flour
2 tsps. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup milk
3 tbsps. butter or margarine, melted
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
2 tbsps. sugar for topping
In mixing bowl beat egg and 1/2 cup sugar. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add alternately with milk beating well after each addition. Stir in butter. Fold in berries. Pour into greased 8-inch square baking pan; sprinkle with remaining sugar. Cover and chill overnight. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before baking. Bake at 350º for 30-35 mins.


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Allene's Saskatoon Cake
See the Pie section for the Saskatoon Pie Filling...
another one of Allene's delicious Saskatoon recipes,
Cake:
½ cup margarine
1 egg
3 tbsp milk
Add the following mixture:
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch salt
Filling:
2 cups of saskatoon pie filling
Topping:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup margarine
1 egg
2 cups coconut
1 tsp vanilla

Mix cake ingredients and put in greased 9 x 9 pan. Spread with saskatoon filling (from pie section). Mix topping ingredients well and spread over filling. Bake 25 to 35 minutes at 350F.


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Here are some favorite family recipes, with stories about some of them.





ROZELLAH'S ORANGE CAKE

2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup margarine (softened)
1/4 cup shortening
3 eggs
1 cup raisins (ground)
Rind of 3 oranges (ground)

Cream sugar, margarine, and shortening. Mix dry ingredients. Add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Add raisins and orange peel. Backe at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes.

For topping: Squeeze juice from 3 oranges. Add 1 1/2 cups sugar. Let sit, stirring occasionally, while cake bakes. Pour over hot cake.




FAMILY MEMBER ROZELLAH PETTY BROOKS

CELEBRATIONS



VIRLIE'S BLACKBERRY COBBLER
(from my Granny)

I don't have this recipe written down but I have developed an easy recipe that comes close to tasting like Granny's cobbler.

Melt 1/4 cup margarine in the bottom of a square pan

Combine 1 cup each Bisquick and sugar
Add 1/2 cup milk and mix well

Pour over margarine in pan

Drain well two cans of blackberries
Pour blackberries over batter in pan

Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes



The recipe above works but would be even better with about 1 quart of fresh blackberries in place of the canned ones. I don't know of any place to get fresh blackberries now. Grandpa grew them right outside the kitchen door. They didn't really have to be put in a cobbler to be good. Only the green ones were not what Granny called "fit to eat." When they turned red, they had a tart but pleasant taste. After they attained the dark purple color that earned them the name "blackberries" they were sweet and delicious right off the bush.



VIRLIE'S POTATO SALAD
(from my Granny)

This is a typical, old-fashioned recipe. It was never written down. Each cook made it according to her own taste. Here are the basic ingredients:

mashed potatoes salted to taste
chopped hard-boiled eggs
mayonnaise (or similar commercial product)
prepared mustard
chopped sweet pickles

Some people add a little chopped onion. Granny did not, in deference to "contrary" children like me who did not like onion.



FAMILY MEMBER VIRLIE MASON PETTY

EVA'S CHESS PIE
(Eva (ev-ee) was my Grandma)

As with the blackberry cobbler, I have not yet found the exactly right ingredients to put here. Grandma was not known for her homemaking skills, her talent being in needlework. I think, therefore, it is true to her character to give you this recipe the easy way.

Make a pecan pie but forget the pecans.

MESSY CAKE

(This is from Aunt Kathelene, my father's only
sister. It originally had another name, but one
day a child said, "I want some more of Aunt
Kathelene's messy cake." Everyone else picked
up the name. It is now "Aunt Kathelene's Messy
Cake" to the whole family.)

Mix:
2 cups flour
1 and 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt

Add:
2 eggs
1 #2 can fruit cocktail, including juice

Pour into greased 9x13 pan
Sprinkle with 1 cup coconut
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes

While cake is baking, make sauce of

1/4 pound butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup canned evaporated milk

After mixture is well heated, add
1 teaspoon vanilla

Pour sauce over hot cake




COKE CAKE
(I don't know which family member made this first.
We all like it.)

Sift together:
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour

Mix in saucepan:
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup shortening
3 tablespoons cocoa
1 cup Coca-Cola
Bring mixture to a boil,
Then pour over dry mixture.
Mix thoroughly

Add:
1 cup buttermilk with 1 teaspoon baking soda
already mixed in

(Be careful here. Use a container larger than
1 cup when you mix in the soda. The first
time I made this, I blithely mixed soda into
buttermilk in a measuring cup that held exactly one cup.
The resulting fizz overflowed and made a terrible mess.)

Also add:
2 beaten eggs
1 and 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

Blend mixture, then bake in an "oblong" pan (that's the
rectangular one) at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.

For the icing:

Mix and bring to boil 1/2 cup margarine, 3 tablespoons
cocoa, 6 tablespoons Coke, and 1 box powdered sugar.
Add 1 cup nuts. Spread icing immediately over hot cake.


"GREEN STUFF"

(This is a special holiday gelatin salad, the original name of which has been forgotten. Almost everyone in the family likes "green stuff.")

Dissolve a small package of lime Jello in one cup of boiling water. Blend in a twelve ounce package of cream cheese and 2/3 cup Miracle Whip Light. Add a fifteen-ounce can of crushed pineapple in its own juice. Chill until set.







THE ORANGE CAKE STORY

The recipe was given to my mother, Rozellah, by a seemingly ancient lady from her home town. Mama made the cake twice a year, once for the Haning family reunion and once for Christmas. That went on for several years. Then, in 1950, the Pillsbury Bake-Off grand prize winner was a very similar cake. It was called "Orange Kiss-me Cake". The winning cake contained two ingredients that my mother's did not have, cinnamon and walnuts. And I don't believe it was made with buttermilk. I have never tried baking either recipe but maybe I'll make a cake from Mama's recipe for Thanksgiving this year, when all my children and grandchildren are assembled. I can't imagine the one containing walnuts and cinnamon tasting any better than Mama's did.

Modern cooks have soft tub margarine, so the step of softening the butter can be skipped.

To make her special cake, Mama clamped an old-fashioned sausage grinder to the kitchen table. To make sure it was clean enough to grind the fruit, she put several slices of stale bread through it.

NOTE - November 23, 2000

Well, I did try to make the orange cake for dinner today. It looked right, smelled right, and tasted right at first. Then there was the bitter taste of orange rind. I am not sure what was wrong. Maybe it was the blender not grinding the peel as fine as a sausage grinder would, maybe it was the fact that oranges are much bigger these days and there was too much peel, or maybe the oranges had some of that bitter red food coloring applied to make them look more appetizing. Since my trial did not work, I invite any of you culinary experts to make adjustments in the recipe and let me know if you come up with something that works.
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AUNT RUBY'S 6 IN 1 CASSEROLE
(from my great-aunt Ruby Petty Holcomb)

1/2 cup raw rice
1 and 1/2 cups water
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup sliced potatoes
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 to 1 and 1/2 pounds ground chuck (browned and, if desired, made
into small balls)
1 eight-ounce can tomato sauce

In a two-quart casserole with tight-fitting lid, place all ingredients in layers,
in the order listed.
Salt and pepper each layer as desired.
Cover
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour
Uncover
Bake 30 minutes longer, or until
-liquid is absorbed.
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TOO GOOD TO BE EASY CHERRY PIE

(Mama got this recipe from a friend. Though
it is not an old-fashioned recipe, I think it has
been in the family long enough to qualify for
this section. We usually make it on holidays
and often serve it instead of birthday cake.)

1 and 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup soft margarine

Mix well and pat into bottom of 9x13 pan.
Bake 15 minutes at 375 degrees.
Pour on 2 cans cherry pie filling.
Bake 20 minutes longer.
Serve warm or cold.

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BETTY'S HAWAIIAN CHICKEN
(Betty is my mother's only sister)

1 whole chicken or selected pieces

Dust chicken with -
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Brown chicken in skillet
Pour off excess oil

Pour the following mixture over chicken:

1 and 1/2 cups pineapple juice
1/4 cup soy sauce

Cover and simmer until done

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ROZALEE'S FROSTED CRANBERRY SQUARES
(Rozalee is my only sister)

One 13 and 1/2 ounce can crushed pineapple
One 6 ounce package lemon jello
One 7 ounce bottle ginger ale (1 cup)
One 1 pound can jellied cranberry sauce
One 2 ounce package dessert topping mix
One 8 ounce package cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup pecans

Drain pineapple, reserving syrup. Add water to syrup to
make 1 cup, heat until mixture is boiling. Dissolve jello
in hot liquid. Cool. Gently stir in ginger ale. Chill until
partially set. Meanwhile, blend drained pineapple and
cranberry sauce; fold into jello mixture. Turn into 9x9x2
pan and chill until firm. Prepare dessert topping mix
according to package directions. Fold in cream cheese,
spread over jello.

Toast pecans in 1 tablespoon margarine in 350 degree oven
for ten minutes. Sprinkle over top of salad. Chill.
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KENNETH'S OYSTER STEW
(Kenneth was my father)

1 quart hot milk
1 pint oysters
1/4 cup butter
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Add oysters to hot milk; heat until
they are plump and their edges curl.
Add butter, salt and pepper.

GRAVEYARD STEW
(Daddy's remedy for an upset stomach)

Same as oyster stew
But without the oysters.