No Bake Easter Cake made from "Little Debbies" or other cheapo things

Ok.. So I was walking down the aisle at Walmart and the kids wanted to make a cake.  Since soy was ok on this day with the allergic child out of town, I thought... I can use anything junky from cake mix to ???

So we hit the junk food and cake mix aisle all full of soy and every other coloring and form of hydrogenated cheapo filler that Walmart shoppers use and WHAM!!!! There it was!!!  Waxy, plastic shortening covered Little Debbie's in hexigon shapes.  We bought 2 or 3 boxes for about .99 each and came home to make some quick frosting.  Put the frosting in a gallon ziplock. Clipped the bottom corner and here is the result.

WAY EASY and you can make as many layers as you want!!  It even keeps for a long, long time with all those preservatives.  It also fits on any pedestal cake stand.

Lemon Pound Cake

My mom made this every year at Christmas and also other times.  She learned it from a very dear friend in the Opp family. We now make it for Christmas and many other times as well in three different flavors: Lemon, Almond, and Orange.

Mom used to bake it in regular or long thin loaf pans.  We cook it in mini loaf pans and always freeze it in plastic wrap tightly before serving if possible.  There is something about freezing it that changes the texture.  Freezing it also allows it to cut cleaner as it is partially thawed. Whatever the shape of the pan, make sure to make enough of the glaze to fill it to the top when the pan comes out of the oven while it is hot.  As you pour in the glaze to soak, also pull apart the pan sides or gently use a spatula or knife to allow the glaze to sink down the sides so that the whole loaf can absorb the glaze.  This is sort of like soaking a Rum Cake in rum, but we don't use alcohol in our family so the glaze does the same thing.  Before wrapping the loaves to freeze, allow the loaf to soak most of the glaze in and cool to warm.  Then empty the loaf onto the plastic wrap with any residual glaze and wrap tightly. Then freeze.

We made over 600 of them for a wedding using two Bundt tea Cake & Candy Mold pans and still had some left in the freezer 3 months later that tasted fresh when we pulled them out.  They usually don't make it to the thawed stage because they are great frozen.  They freeze well and about 36 of them store in each gallon ziplock bag for easy serving anytime. We made about 350-400 of them for another wedding and they worked out just as well.

The recipe to the right above is the same for both loafs and these smaller versions.  The instructions below are notes from making them in the Tea Cake or Petit Four shapes.

One recipe of the pound cake is enough for about 2 pans of the tea cakes.  Each pan makes 30 small cakes so one recipe is makes about 60 small cakes.

1. Preheat the oven and make the batter.
2. Lightly spray the pans with non stick spray(we use soy-free).
3. Lightly flour the pan or not.  If you flour it, make sure to bang it upside down over the sink to get out excess flour or you might get a gross, dry clump of it when done.
4. Fill a gallon ziplock bag with batter and clip off  one of the bottom corners a little.
5. Use the ziplock bag to pipe in batter to each shape of the pan.  Fill them about 3/4 or so full. (It depends on weather, oven, and your flour.)
6. Thwack them on a counter a few times or on the back porch(please be sanitary) to get out bubbles.  If you don't, then you will have air bubble holes on the finished products that are very noticeable since these are so small.
7. Put them in the oven to bake.  I have to bake them in our gas oven on the top shelf or they get too brown before done.  They look best when light but cooked.  Bake till golden on the edges.  It takes about 19 minutes in my oven.
8. Turn them out onto a bakers rack that is placed over a sheet cake pan or cookie tray. Set pan to side to cool while glazing.
9. Hand dip cakes in bowl of glaze and place on rack to drip and set.  You could also spoon or pour glaze over cakes either while hot and then again a few minutes later, or wait a few minutes and glaze but still while warm.  If they have glaze on all sides, including the bottom, they keep fresh longer.
10. Spray pans again, Refill with ziplock batter and start the process over again.
11.  Allow the cakes to dry.  Depending on humidity, it can take up to 3 hours but it is ok to freeze while still sticky.  Place about 36 in gallon ziplock bag if not sticking to each other and freeze them flat.

I know I have missed something in here somewhere, but hope to update this as we make more.  I also have pictures to upload sometime soon too.

This is about how full I like to fill them before baking.

This is how they look after they have been hand dipped and dried some.  You can see the darker ones that were from the bottom shelf in the oven versus most that were baked on the top shelf.

These were finished and what fit on our serving plates.  The dark ones to the side were from the batch cooked on the bottom rack. Some browning was fine when glazed but 4 or 5 of those look a little way to done so I'm guessing I gave those to the kids.

Mom's Pecan Pie

Yes there are many versions of Pecan Pie and it is funny that Penny once gave mom her recipe and it was the same recipe Grandma had.  Mom says she usually uses less butter than it calls for.

No Bake Cookies a.k.a. DooDoo Cookies

I just got a text asking for this recipe. Why isn't it on the blog yet? Well, that's an easy one! I don't like them.  Growing up I heard them called many names: No Bake Cookies, DooDoo Cookies, DooDoo Yummies, Cow Plops, Poop Balls, etc........

I've had them at church events rolled in coconut, chopped nuts, various cold sugar cereals, and other things I don't even want to guess what they are.

I guess you could use the recipe but basically it might be about the same to take a spoonful of peanut butter and smash on some toppings.  Oh well, here's the scan of the recipe from the old recipe card file. The ingredient on the fold of the middle of the paper says 1/4 to 1/2 cup peanut butter.

Oh great! One of my children just saw me doing this and said, "I want Cow Plops."

Lemon Bar Recipe

There are many recipes for lemon bars but this one is lemony and tangy and sweet and just the right amount of each part of a lemon bar.  Some people kind of make them that taste like they were dusted with flour, not powdered sugar.  Some people make them with a dry crust that has a really tiny amount of any flavor on top.  Some people make them so that they look nice but the lemon pie type filling on top tastes like rice paste.  This recipe doesn't make those mistakes and is perfect for our family.

Mom's perfect Rice Krispies Treats!

Strangely enough, we know several people who say they can't make the super-easy rice krispy treats and have them taste good;  they turn out rock hard or strangely flavored or something!   Well, Mom has a few tips that make hers turn out perfect every time:

• use miniature marshmallows (they melt faster, so don't cook as long, so the mixture stays softer)
• use fresh Kraft marshmallows
• use the "old" recipe that has a bit more butter than the newer "healthier" recipe
• DON'T overcook the marshmallows!!
• coat the tray in butter not Pam to avoid the "fake" taste
• use the Kellogg's Rice Krispies, not a knock-off brand, for the best taste
• measure the marshmallows and cereal ahead of time so you can just dump in quickly and avoid over-cooking.

1/4 cup butter
4 cups miniature marshmallows
6 cups rice krispies cereal
butter to smear onto pan/tray

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat (not the high heat Dad usually uses!!).  Add the marshmallows and stir just until completely melted (no more!).  Remove from heat.   Add the cereal and stir until well coated.   Pour and press into a buttered 13x9 pan.   Wait until cool to cut (but feel free to snitch around the edges while it is cooling!!)

For holidays or special events, sprinkling colored sugar crystals over the top makes them "fancy" and gives a little crunch when eating!!  You just have to sprinkle the sugar on when it is still warm so the sugar will stick!!

Yippee Skippee!!!! Mom's Frosting Recipe

Cameron seems to call for this recipe about once a month...  it's probably time to post it!

Mom's Buttercream Frosting

about 2/3 cup butter (3/4 of a stick)
about 3 tablespoons of milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 teaspoon of almond extract
dash of salt
4 to 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Cream the butter until fluffy with a hand mixer.  Add about half of the powdered sugar.  Mix well.  Add the milk, flavorings, and salt.  Mix well again.  Add the rest of the powdered sugar and mix until smooth.  Add a bit more powdered sugar or milk until frosting is desired consistency.

Crepe Recipe

A blender and a pan and just a few ingredients make a crepe that can be filled with anything main dish or dessert.  This is moms recipe that we've used forever.

Mom's Sugar Cookies Recipe

Suzanne makes awesome sugar cookies.  They take time and have to be done correctly.  This is one of those recipes where doing it right matters and one of those recipes where I fail when I follow the recipe.  I don't do it right somehow so mine can be reminiscent of playdough dried in the sun but when Suzanne makes these with the same recipe, they are the best and softest.  They freeze well and ship well in care packages to Utah and Hawaii.  Making these in the Utah altitude and Hawaii humidity might cause some need for modification though.  So here is the recipe and good luck to both of my college children.

 For frosting, call mom because that's another one of those things I just don't do right.

Also a note when letting your younger siblings help.  Have them wash their hands and blow their noses first and put theirs on a separate "special" pan to cook if they are coming in from a hard days play to "help".  The "special" pan is for them.  Ones that are "not special" and fine for anyone that they make don't need to be on the "special" pan. hahaha.... was just thinking of having them make a "special" set to send to college after an afternoon touching starfish and sweating from playing with friends at Sealife at Legoland.  Extra salt and misc. "flavoring" and textures are easily hid with frosting.

Ikea Apple Cake Inspired Recipe Wannabee with Italian tilt

I love the Swedish Apple Cake or Applekaka that used to be a staple at Ikea's restaurant.  Trying to find a duplicate for this recipe is a challenge because there are so many versions of this in Sweden and they just don't turn out the same.  So this recipe is inspired by Ikea and our Swedish roots but a Wannabee because it just isn't the same.  The Italian tilt is because the browned sugar topping and lower profile are more reminiscent of an Italian apple torte. Our favorite way to make this is in a big 12 inch round cake pan and we can polish it off between 4 or 5 of us for breakfast because we love it so much.  A more practical and less caloric way we make it is in two round layer cake pans.  We then eat one of them for 4 or 5 of us and freeze the 2nd one in a gallon Ziploc for a different day.       

OK UPDATE DECEMBER 2011.... Just was at Ikea in San Diego and what used to be a wonderful cake of beautifully sliced apples that was amazing is now a cake of apple chunks that look mooshed and pressed together with goop so they can be mass produced cheaply and sold frozen.  I sooooooooo miss the old Apple Cake they used to have.  So I now love this posted recipe so much more that I don't think I'll ever want to even try to put the new IKEA Slop of an apple cake in my mouth again.  SOOOOOOOO SAD that the good stuff is gone.

UPDATE APRIL 2015.... Tried it again at IKEA last week and now it is almost completely some sort of congealed cornstarch or hardened mush filler that isn't even goop consistency any more. I miss the Applekaka of the past but am thankful for the recipe I have and am hopeful to find a real one again some day in Sweden or somewhere here in the states.

Emily's Oatmeal Cookies Recipe

I can't find the old recipe card that the recipe started from but this is the recipe that I think was printed for a 5th grade demonstration presentation years ago.  That would definitely explain the font.  This is the same as Aunt Sheila's Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe. Cooking them just underdone enough to stay soft was always Emily's key to making them right for her preference and that of her friends.  There was a better copy of this that Emily used to pass out to a few friends but this is what is in our binder cookbook and the plastic sleeve needs to be wiped off from lots of use.

Marasche Cherry with Almond Paste Cookies

The Recipe posted here is from a recipe book listed in it but just use it as a guide and please change it if you need to.  There are many recipes out on the internet and many are pretty bad so work with what you have available and adjust it to your areas humidity and you own oven.

To make the cookie, you basically take a good almond paste or make your own, then mix it with egg white until it is the thick cookie mix consistency you want, like playdough.  Next take the best bottled sour or sweet cherry that you can find or afford (cheap maraschino ones work but pale in comparison to a really amazing cherry) and put it inside of a ball of the almond mixture.  Close the ball around the cherry, kind of like hiding something inside a wad of playdough as a kid.  Then if you want, and I do, roll the ball in almond slices or shreds or crumbs for an additional outside texture and bake at about 350 depending on your oven until done enough to be firm but not hard like a stale rock.

Costco and Sams Club are usually the best places to find slivered almonds at the best price but Smart and Final sometimes has them for a reasonable price too.  To find Almond Paste, head for the Kosher section and hope they have Solo brand Almond Paste in a can.  It has been the easiest for me to work with and is usually much more economical than the toothpaste tube other couple brands that can be runny and even a little too grainy.  Solo brand Almond filling is ok for fillings in pastrys but doesn't work as a replacement to almond paste so depending on your options available at the stores, make your own if you need to.


There are two of my favorite cookies made of Almonds.  The Marasche from Il Fornaio Restaurant in Del Mar, California that is usually available around Christmas and the Almond Crescent Cookie dipped half way in chocolate from a French bakery just off the Carlsbad Village Drive exit on the 5 as you get off driving southbound.  I think its right next to the old quirky Ace Hardware that's been there forever.  The Almond Cookie from the French bakery will have to wait for another day since I haven't attempted to replicate that recipe yet and the size of that one is probably the same cost or more to make than to just buy with all the almond paste it must use.  I forgot to mention there is also an almond brownie recipe that I love and that may get posted soon too.

Orange Rolls and Swedish Tea Rings

There is way too much to say about Orange Rolls and Swedish Tea Rings.  I just don't have the time right now.  BUT, I keep forgetting to post this handout Suzanne did years ago that works for both.  She makes amazing orange rolls and her hints are from experience.  This year we did our traditional Tea Rings but didn't have time for separate orange rolls so we used double the orange roll filling and used it to make a couple of the tea rings and it was so much easier than making individual rolls and cleaning out all the muffin tins, that I thnk we may do the orange roll Swedish tea ring hibrid from now on,(or at least if I'm making them alone.)

For a pretty good Almond Filling I put 2 cups of white sugar, 1 cup of almonds, 2 teaspoons of almond extract and 1 cup of melted butter in the Cuisinart until it basically becomes almond paste.

For Swedish Tea Rings, I also frost them when cooled with an almond frosting and then sprinkle sliced almonds over the top if I have them.  Blackberry, Raspberry, or Boysenberry Jam with butter for a filling with or without sliced almonds mixed works well for filling too.  Let them rise about 30 minutes or more after shaping them.

FREEZING: I used to make these with cinnamon, orange zest, or almond paste and freeze after cutting the dough wrapped in plastic wrap and then in gallon ziplocks.  They were easy to thaw and bake leaving out overnight.  Instead of detailing the process, here is a similar to same process that I used to to and it has pictures. Freezing cinnamon roll dough to bake later

Carrot Cake

I used to have a Carrot Cake recipe that I adapted from this one but eventually adapted it too much by cutting oil and adding applesauce and other things to cut the fat and up the veggie content until it wasn't good any more.  So I'm back to the original recipe but do replace about half the oil with applesauce and sometimes double the carrots and usually make one sheet cake pan of it with pecans for nuts and one sheet cake pan with no nuts.  One recipe works for one sheet cake pan which I cut and freeze without frosting and keep in gallon ziplock bags for lunches and after school treats.

"Two Egg Cake"

Here are the versions of our most used cake recipe because we never used mixes.  Use any one of them at your own discretion.  One of them really does work but its up to you to figure out which one.  I am not listing the sources but I bet you can tell which one I WON'T be using again.

OK, most of my siblings that were around when we had the rule that everyone had to try at least 1 or 2 bites of whatever creation any of us made for the family should remember the "Best Two Egg Cake" I made.  All mom and I could figure was that I must have mixed up the Flour and the Baking Soda with reversing the amounts of each.  I put something like 2 cups of soda into it and really thought I was following the recipe so well.  It was the basic cake recipe we used through the years for most birthday cakes and cupcakes and seemed to always work without fail.  SO, how did I make it so awful that one time and have it be one of the continuing family jokes through the years.  I can still taste how awful it was and at the same time how funny it was that everyone had to eat some.

The answer came about a year ago when I was looking up the recipe online and soon after visited Mormor and Papa and was able to get a copy from the old family "Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book" from 1976.  It is so worn and

stained and covered in years of pancake and other batter spilled and wiped off from 9 plus kids using it as THE cookbook until mom bought the Fanny Farmer Cook

book when I was maybe in high school.  I was surprised to find the old book still around.

 I copied the version from the cookbook but also found online one version of the cake listed "2 1/2 cups of Baking Powder/"  I vaguely remember that mom had bought a paperback version of the cookbook when I was young because it was the NEW NEW version and our older one was kind of worn way back then.  I also vaguely remember how she got frustrated with it and threw it away saying she was staying with the old one because the new one just didn't have things work right.  Well..... it now seems that the edition I think she threw away had at least one major error in one of our most used recipes and the terrible cake I made was from that edition.  Kind of nice after more than a couple decades to find out I followed the recipe correctly and it really wasn't my fault.  To all my siblings that had to suffer, this was one time that I didn't play a joke on anyone.  Yes the toothpaste frosting and that time I did the terrible Tabasco sauce Popsicle were real jokes but at least the salty cake wasn't.

Banana Bread - Not My Favorite

YUCK!!!! Just pulled out a frozen pack of ripe bananas from the freezer looking for chicken.  NO! Banana Bread is not my favorite and I only occassionaly tolerate it but my family likes it so here is the recipe we've used.  If you're making it for me, please add nuts and NEVER add chocolate chips.  Something about chocolate chips in banana bread makes my stomach turn when I bite into it and I've heard the same from some others when its been served at church potlucks too.  OK now that I've offended every person that loves the chocolate chips in it and has given it to us as gifts or served it to us, there are enough people in our family that like it that way that it is always eaten and enjoyed. 

Please mash, smash, pulverize the banana enough so it doesn't have chunks of slime throughout.  I think the chunks of slime bit is what has turned me off from banana bread in general.  Its the surprise in a bite I just don't want to find.  Kind of like the instant slime rehydration of seaweed in California Roll sushi that makes me stay away but not to the slime factor of Sea Urchin in sushi.

Divinity Recipe

BUMMER!!!!!  Divinity just doesn't work when it's humid from raining.  You can try and make adjustments but even if you get it to work, it quickly changes with the humidity and you have to try drying it out again in the oven before serving, SO since this was a really wet Christmas season this year we didn't make any, but here's the recipe anyway so you can make it when weather dries out.

11th Day of Christmas, Pumpkin Pie

10th Day of Christmas, Homemade Caramel Corn

8th Day of Christmas, Coconut Chex Mix

This is great munchy food.