Let's discuss my dieting...

Why is it that when I am trying to diet I keep dreaming that I am being held hostage in a bakery surrounded by wonderful, delicious, sweet tasting, chocolate, carrot, lemon, angel food, strawberry, cream filled CAKES?

Don't even think about calling in the Keebler Elvs to negotiate my release
as I don't want to wake up from this wonderful dream!

Chocolate Cake & Aunt Mary...Foodie Friday

This weeks theme is Cake and since I love to play with flour this was a fun theme for me!
Please visit Designs by Gollum to view more delicious cakes.

This week I was watching the movie MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING. The part where the Mom brings her bundt cake to meet the in-laws reminds me of my Aunt Mary. Aunt Mary loved to bake bundt cakes. Each week she would bake several for family and friends. She did not drive and she loved to have company. Being Italian, she knew that the way to entice you to visit her was through your stomach. Every Saturday morning, my brother and I would scramble to the telephone while it was ringing . We would make a bet with each other to see if the call was from Aunt Mary. If the call was from Aunt Mary, she would casually ask if we would like to come over to pick up the special bundt cake that she made just for us. Since Aunt Mary had twelve brothers and sisters, and a ton of grown nieces and nephews with children of their own, it was truly like winning the Italian lottery in our family if you received "THE CALL".

Aunt Mary's Chocolate Bundt Cake

Preheat oven to 350

Grease and flour bundt pan (serves a dozen Italians)

1 box of devil's food cake mix
1 package chocolate instant pudding mix (3.9 small size)
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Place cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, warm water, and oil in a large mixing bowl. Blend on low speed with electric mixer for 1 minute. Scrape down sides of the bowl.
Increase speed to medium and beat 2-3 minutes scraping down the sides if needed.
Fold in the chocolate chips. Batter will be thick.
Pour batter into the prepared bundt pan.
Place in oven on the middle rack.
Bake cake until it springs back 45-50 minutes. Oven temps differ so test with a toothpick.
Remove pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes.
Invert cake onto a rack to cool completely for 20 minutes or more. You may need to run a knife around the edge of the pan should it stick to the sides.
When cake is completely cool sprinkle with powdered sugar.

So bake Aunt Mary's Bundt cake and make "THE CALL" and entice someone special to share this chocolate treat. I promise you that you will both feel SPECIAL!

MANGIA!

Nathan's Lemon Cake...

This is my second Foodie Friday which is hosted by Designs by Gollum so head on over and have a look at some wonderful recipes.

I belong to a cooking light supper club. One of our themes was casseroles and cakes. Since I like to perform my Flour Power it was an easy decision for me to volunteer to make a cake. I love the taste of lemon and this cooking light recipe was a BIG hit with our group. This is a perfect cake for Spring or Summer. Try it you will like it!

Nathan's Lemon Cake

Ingredients:

• Cake:
• Cooking spray
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup nonfat buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon rind
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 
  Icing:
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon lemon rind
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• Lemon rind strips (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. To prepare cake, coat 2 (8-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray; line bottoms of pans with wax paper. Coat wax paper with cooking spray. Dust pans with 2 tablespoons flour, and set aside.

3. Lightly spoon 2 cups flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine 2 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.

4. Place granulated sugar and 1/2 cup butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture and nonfat buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat in 2 tablespoons lemon rind and 2 tablespoons lemon juice.

5. Pour batter into prepared pans; sharply tap pans once on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350° for 32 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack; remove wax paper from cake layers.

6. To prepare icing, combine powdered sugar and the remaining ingredients (except lemon rind strips) in a large bowl; stir with a whisk until smooth. Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spread half of icing on top of cake. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread remaining half of icing over top of cake. Garnish with lemon rind strips, if desired. Store cake loosely covered in the refrigerator.

* As you can see I play with Flour well but obviously I am icing challenged*

*The little red toothpicks were only for transporting the cake and not for decoration*

*Trust me it tastes a whole lot better then it looks*

~SMILE~

JOYCE