This recipe is one of the original recipes in my very own recipe file.

Back in junior high I began clipping recipes from magazines and experimenting with them. Some were keepers, some were not.

This was a keeper.

I don’t remember what magazine I copied it from, but it is hand written in pencil in my junior high handwriting. (That brings back memories!)

It was just as good today as it was back then!

The Velvet Almond Fudge Cake

1 – 1/2 cup toasted almonds, chopped
1 package chocolate chips (12 ounces)
1 package (2 layer) chocolate cake mix
1 package (4 serving) instant chocolate pudding mix
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond

Grease a 10 inch tube or Bundt cake pan.

Sprinkle 1/2 cup of almonds on the bottom. Set aside the cake pan and the remaining almonds.

In a large mixing bowl combine the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, water, oil, vanilla and almond extracts.

Beat at medium speed for 4 minutes. Stir in the chocolate chips and the set aside almonds.

Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake at 350 degrees for 70 minutes or until the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cool in the pan 15 minutes. Remove and continue to cool on a rack.

To serve, garnish with whipped cream or (my favorite) serve with a large scoop of ice cream and drizzled with chocolate syrup.

Enjoy!

My parents have been pretty much snowed in the last week, thanks to the “Christmas Blizzard of 2009″. They used their solitary confinement to work on their to-do list, which included sorting through the recipe tub.  Nana shares these thoughts…

Papa and I have been sorting the “collected” recipes in my recipe file (which has grown over the years until it is now a small plastic tub!) What a nostalgic journey!

As we sorted and discarded we discovered:

• Our tastes changed over the years.

• We cook with different ingredients.

• Some of the newly-clipped recipes were identical to old ones in our file, just a different name.

• We have developed some “cooking habits” over the years that we are not ready to give up!

The picture on a recipe clipped from a 1996 newspaper looked delicious and since it would use up the rest of a can of sweetened condensed milk that was sitting in our refrigerator, we made it.

It does require several steps, but it is as good as the picture!

Pecan Fudge Torte

Filling:
1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cake:
1 pkg Devils Food Cake Mix
1/3 cup oil
1 (15 oz) can sliced pears, drained
2 eggs
1/3 cup chopped pecans
2 tsp water

Sauce:
1 (17 oz) jar caramel ice cream topping
1/3 cup milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9″ or 10″ round layer pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Combine filling ingredients and microwave for 1 minute or until melted. Stir to combine. Set aside.  In large bowl, combine cake mix and oil; blend at low speed for 20 or 30 seconds or until crumbly. (Mixture will be dry).  Place pears in blender or food processor, cover & blend until smooth.  In another bowl, combine 2 1/2 cups of the cake mix mixture, pureed pears and eggs. Beat for 2 minutes. Spread batter evenly in pan.  Drop filling by spoonfuls over batter.  Stir nuts and water into remaining cake mix mixture. Sprinkle over the filling.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until top springs back when touched lightly in the center.  Cool for 1 1/2 hours before cutting.  Combine sauce ingredients and microwave for 20 to 30 seconds.
To serve: Spoon 2 tablespoons warm sauce on to each serving plate; top with wedge of torte.  Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt.

Wasn’t sure at first glance if this was a “keeper”  – but after tasting it – it will definitely go back in file!

Until next time,

Nana Shirley

There’s something about chocolate and mint that just goes together – like Abbott and Costello or burgers and fries.

And there’s something about mint that definitely tastes Christmas to me.

Dagmar and I jazzed up a plain box cake mix to make this yummy Christmas treat. It was easy to make and looked very festive on the buffet table.

Chocolate Mint Cake

1 box chocolate cake mix (we used a butter recipe)

1 small box of white chocolate pudding mix

1 stick of butter

3 eggs

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

1 bag of York Peppermint Patties baking pieces

1/2 cup chocolate chips

3 Tablespoons milk

1/4 cup crushed peppermint candies (ie: candy canes)

Place the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs and soft butter in a large mixing bowl. Mix until well blended. Add the peppermint extract. Stir in the Peppermint Patty baking bits.

Pour into a well greased Bundt pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until a toothpick placed in the center comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes on a cooling rack. Remove from Bundt pan and cool completely.

Melt the chocolate chips with the milk in a microwave safe bowl. Slowly drizzle over the cake as a glace. Sprinkle with the crushed peppermints.

Enjoy!

The first snow is always an exciting time – but even more so when there is chocolate involved!

It’s a tradition in our house to celebrate the first measurable stick-to-the-ground snow with a snow cake – usually a brownie with powdered sugar sprinkled on the top.

But this year we got a little fancy! Angel girl helped me bake the yummy Chocolate Mousse Cake with a few variations.

We used a small pudding mix and only  put  the filling between the two layers. Then Angel girl cut a cute little snowflake out of paper. She laid it on top and sprinkled it with powdered sugar.

Voila! Snow cake that was enjoyed and devoured by several siblings.

But more importantly, a memory was made and a tradition continued.

Happy first snow!

***

I have linked this post to Chocolate Friday hosted by Lisa at Stop and Smell the Chocolates.  Join us over there for more chocolate recipes!

I can’t believe it is Buddy’s 9th birthday already! When did my baby turn nine? It seems like yesterday I was watching him take his first steps and now he’s reading Redwall books, writing in cursive and begging to drive the 4 wheeler by himself.

At least he is still young enough to enjoy a traditional birthday cake – chocolate cake with Cool Whip frosting and decorated with M & M’s and his own Lego creations.

This year I tried a new chocolate cake recipe – Feathery Chocolate Fudge Cake – from the Better Homes and Garden Cookbook.

Although it had great flavor, it didn’t quite live up to it’s “feathery” name. It seemed a little dense and heavy to me – but Buddy didn’t seem to mind – he loved it as did the rest of the birthday party guests!

Feathery Fudge Cake

2/3 cup soft butter of margarine
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 1-ounce squares unsweetened chocolate (melted and cooled)
2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1 1/4 teaspoons soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup cold water

Cream together butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla till fluffy (beat 5 minutes at high speed on mixer, scraping bowl occasionally to guide batter into beaters, or beat 5 minutes by hand).

Blend in chocolate.

Sift flour with soda, and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with cold water; beat after each addition.

Bake in 2 paper-lined  9 X1-1/2 inch round pans in moderate oven (350 degrees) 30 to 35 minutes or till done. (We used a 9 x 13 pan, would have made a difference in the texture of the cake.)

Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely. Frost with your favorite frosting. (I use extra creamy Cool Whip – it’s fast, easy, and no-fail!)

Enjoy!