Chocolate Cherry Cola Cake

1 jar (10 oz) maraschino cherries, drained, ¼ cup liquid
reserved
1 box devil’s food cake mix
1 cup cherry cola carbonated beverage
½ cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 container (12 oz) whipped vanilla frosting
1 cup marshmallow creme

24 maraschino cherries with stems, well drained
1/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp shortening

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray bottom only of 13x9-inch pan
with baking spray with flour. Chop cherries; set aside.

In large bowl, beat cake mix, cola beverage, oil, eggs and
¼ cup reserved cherry liquid with electric mixer on low speed
30 seconds. Beat on medium speed beat 2 minutes. Stir in
chopped cherries. Pour batter into pan.

Bake 35 to 43 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center
comes out clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

In small bowl, mix frosting and marshmallow creme until
smooth. Frost cake.

For chocolate dipped cherries, melt chocolate chips and shortening in microwave. Stir. Dip well drained cherries in chocolate and store in fridge to set. Top each cake piece with 2 cherries.

Serve and enjoy!

red velvet cheesecake

CHEESECAKE:
Two (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated white sugar
pinch of salt
2 large eggs
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

RED VELVET CAKE:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups vegetable or canola oil
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup (two 1-ounce bottles) red food coloring
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons white vinegar

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted lightly to remove any lumps
Two (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Prepare the cheesecake layer: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place a large roasting pan on the lower third rack of the oven. Place a kettle of water on the stove to boil. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick spray and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper. Wrap a double layer of foil around the bottom and up the sides of the pan (you want to seal it so the water from the water bath doesn’t seep into the pan). In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to mix the cream cheese- blend until it is nice and smooth and creamy. Mix in sugar and salt and blend for 2 minutes, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed. Add eggs, one at a time, blending after each addition. Finally, mix in sour cream, whipping cream and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Set the pan into the roasting pan in the pre-heated oven. Carefully pour the hot water from your kettle into the roasting pan (it will fill the pan surrounding the cheesecake). Pour enough water so that there is about an inch of water coming up the foil along the sides of the cheesecake pan. Bake the cheesecake for 45 minutes. It should be set to the touch and not jiggly. Remove the cheesecake from the roasting pan and let it cool on a wire rack for at least an hour. When it has cooled, place the pan into the freezer and let the cheesecake freeze completely. This can be done in several hours- or overnight.

2. Prepare the cake layers: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round metal baking pans (or spray with nonstick baking spray with flour). In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add eggs, oil, buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla and vinegar to the flour mixture. Using an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat for 1 minute, until blended. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pans, dividing equally. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Let cool in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pans, then invert cakes onto a rack to cool completely.

3. Prepare the frosting: In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat powdered sugar, cream cheese, butter and vanilla until it is smooth and creamy (do not overbeat).

4. Assemble the cake: Place one cake layer into the center of a cake plate or platter. Remove the cheesecake from the freezer, take off the sides of the pan, and slide a knife under the parchment to remove the cheesecake from the pan. Peel off the parchment. Measure your cheesecake layer against the cake layers. If the cheesecake layer turns out to be a slightly larger round than your cake, move it to a cutting board and gently shave off some of the exterior of the cheesecake to get it to the same size as your cake layers. Place the cheesecake layer on top of the first cake layer. Place the 2nd cake layer on top of the cheesecake.

5. Frost the cake: Apply a crumb coat layer to the cake- use a long, thin spatula to cover the cake completely with a thin and even layer of frosting. Be sure to wipe off your spatula each time you are about to dip it back into the bowl to get more frosting (this way you won’t be transferring any red crumbs into the bowl of frosting). Don’t worry at this point about the crumbs being visible in the frosting on the cake. When your cake has a thin layer of frosting all over it, place it into the refrigerator for 30 minutes to “set” the frosting. Once the first layer of frosting is set, apply the 2nd layer. Start by adding a large scoop of frosting onto the top of the cake. Use a long, thin spatula to spread the frosting evenly across the top and then spread it down the sides of the cake too. Because you applied a crumb-coat layer, you shouldn’t have any red crumbs floating around in the final frosting layer. Decorate, as desired. I recommend white chocolate shavings ). Keep this cake refrigerated.
— with Heart Cold, Vickie Penny, Margaret Mielko, Melissa A. Morales-Simpson, Deb Darby, Zena Jones, Pamela Christensen, Janet Leonard, Nur Suria and Paula Jones Prince.

— with Shawn Joseph.

Pecan pie cake
Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 (18.25 ounce) package butter pecan cake mix
2 tablespoons water
2 cups chopped pecans
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light corn syrup

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
Reserve 3/4 cup cake mix for second layer. Set aside.
For the first layer: In a large bowl, combine 1/2 cup margarine or butter, brown sugar, cake mix (minus 3/4 cup), water, pecans and 2 eggs. Mix well.
Spread batter into pan. Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 20 minutes.
For the second layer: In a large bowl, combine 1/2 cup butter or margarine, 2 eggs, milk, sugar, corn syrup and reserved 3/4 cup cake mix. Mix well and pour over first layer.
Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C), for 25 to 30 minutes.