Here are 2 of my favorites:

Chocolate Upside Down Cake

1 1/4 cups water
1/4 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup coconut
2 cups chocolate chips
2 cups mini marshmallows
1 cup chopped pecans
1 pkg chocolate cake (I used devils food)

In a small bowl, combine water & butter and melt in mircowave. Stir in brown sugar; mix well. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Sprinkle with coconut, chips, pecans & marshmallows. Prepare cake batter according to package directions. Carefully pour into pan.

Bake @ 325 for 50-55 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before inverting cake onto a serving platter. (You could invert into a disposalble foil pan or just another pan)

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Apple Coffee Cake With Crumble Topping and Brown Sugar Glaze

Cake Ingredients:

1 stick plus 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups peeled, cored and chopped apples

Crumble Topping Ingredients:

cup packed light brown sugar
cup all purpose flour
teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Brown Sugar Glaze Ingredients:

cup packed light brown sugar
teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons water

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 13-by-9-inch glass baking dish with two teaspoons of the butter.

In a large bowl, cream together the remaining stick of butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after the addition of each. In a separate bowl or on a piece of parchment, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients, alternating with the sour cream and vanilla. Fold in the apples. Pour into the prepared baking dish, spreading out to the edges.

To make the topping, in a bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon and butter, and mix until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the topping over the cake and bake until golden brown and set, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes.

To make the glaze, in a bowl, combine the sugar, vanilla and water, and mix until smooth. Drizzle the cake with the glaze and let harden slightly. Serve warm or room temp.

7-UP CAKE

CAKE
1 3 and 5/8 ounce box vanilla instant pudding
l 18 and 1/2 ounce package white or yellow cake mix
3/4 cup cooking oil
4 eggs
1 10 ounce 7 up cola

Icing (toping)

l and l/2 cups granulated white sugar
2 tablespoons flour
2 eggs
1 stick of butter or margarine
1 8 ounce can crushed pineapple, drained well
l 4 ounce can coconut
1/2 cut chopped pecans

CAKE: combine pudding mix, cake mix, and cooking oi. Add eggs, one at a time beating well, after each addition. Blend 7 up cola into batter. Pour into 13x9 inch cake pan that has been greased and floured. Bake at 350 for 35 min. or until toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven. Let cool for 30 min.

Icing: Mix sugar and flour. Add slightly beaten eggs and butter or margarine. Place in top part of double boiler and cook until consistency of syrup. Add remaining three ingredients. Cool slightly and pour on top of cake.

Well the first thing I did to doctor up a cake mix, is use flavored yogurt or buttermilk for the water. If you are concerned about fat, then reduce the oil amount by half.
I only bake from scratch now and my most asked for and easiest cake to make is...

Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Cake

Although I use butter for the oil and often warm or "nuked" leftover coffee for the water.

It's a super moist cake.

And my frosting of choice is easy too.

Brick of cream cheese (8oz), stick of butter and about 4 cups of powdered sugar.
Soften the cream cheese and butter, beat well to make smooth, add in enough powdered sugar to make a thick paste, add in a few teaspoons of vanilla or 1 t vanilla 1 t other flavoring, then enough milk, cream, half n half to get it to the spreading consistency you want.
~it is NOT very cream cheesy tasting at all.

I do not refrigerate the cake after frosting. I haven't made anyone sick yet. LOL

I like to mash up two or three bananas and add to a yellow cake mix, reduce the amount of water just so it is the right thickness.

Sue

That should read 1-3 and 5/8 ounce vanilla instant pudding.

It looks like 13 but its not.

Also it is 1-18 and 1/2 ounce package white or yellow cake mix.

Also, l--10 ounce 7 ounce up cola.

1--8 ounce can crush pineapple, drained well.

1---4 ounce can coconut

Dumb me, maybe this is why I shouldn't post recipes!!!

I think I will go back to my corner and read a book. LOL.

This is sooooo easy and sooooo good!

Strawberry Magic Cake
1 10oz pkg. miniture marshmallows
1 box yellow cake mix prepared as directed on package
1 3oz box strawberry jello
1 16oz. box frozen sliced strawberries, slightly thawed, but do not drain
2/3 cup cold water

Spread marshmallows evenly over the bottom of a greased 10x13 baking pan. Spread prepared cake batter evenly over marshmallows. Sprinkle dry jello powder evenly over the cake batter. Spool slightly thawed strawberries here and there over jello powder and then drizzle evenly with 2/3 cup water, but do not stir. Slip cake carefully onto
center rack of a 350o oven, and bake 55-60 minutes or until top is golden brown. Let cool in pan at least 30 minutes before cutting.
Serve with Cool Whip or whipped cream. Refrigerate leftovers. Freezes well

And you can't beat a Paula Deen anything
Paula Deen's ooey gooey lemon butter cake
1 (18 1/4-ounce) package lemon cake mix
1 egg
8 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla (or lemon juice)
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan.

3. To make the filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter, and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar and mix well. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Make sure not to over bake as the center should be a little gooey.

Keep in mind, that you can make pretty much any 2 layer cake (from scratch or a mix) in a 13 X 9 pan. You will just have to adjust the baking a bit. Helps to reduce the heat a little -- about 25 degrees, and you'll find it takes a little longer to get done. So feel free to adapt any of your favorite recipes to a 9 X 13.

I imagine you won't want to do something like an upside down cake--there's no point in making a 9 X 13, if you then have to turn it out onto something (you'd need a cake board, probably). The beauty of a 9 X 13 is that you can take it in and serve it from the pan (hopefully, a throw-away aluminum one).

A few suggestions: make a chocolate cake--boxed or scratch. Cool completely. Spread the top with one of those tubs of cheesecake filling. Sprinkle with your favorite candy (toffee bits would be great, or maybe chopped Andes mints), then drizzle with melted chocolate. doesn't get much easier than that.

Or add some almond extract to vanilla cake. Bake. Spread with sweetened whipped cream or Cool Whip and strawberries, sprinkle with toasted almonds (and if you want, add a drizzle of chocolate).

Bake a cake--whatever flavor you want, maybe marble? And while it's warm, cover the surface with some candy bars--again, your choice, to let them get squishy. Spread/swirl a little, and chill.

Got any rhubarb? Any kind of fruit makes for a special cake. Crumb toppings are different too.

Bettr than s@x cake [the @ is suppose to be an e...my editor at work wouldn't let the word post with it an E :)]

Ingredients:
1 German chocolate or other chocolate cake, baked, 13x9x2-inch
Â3/4 cup fudge topping
Â3/4 cup caramel or butterscotch topping
Â3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
Â6 chocolate covered toffee bars
Â1 tub of whipped topping or 1 envelope Dream Whip, prepared with milk
Preparation:
Do not remove cake from pan. After the cake has cooled, make holes in the entire top of the cake using a large fork or the handle of a wooden spoon. Pour (one at a time) fudge, butterscotch, and condensed milk over the top of the cake and let each flavor soak in before adding the next. Crush 3 of the candy bars and sprinkle on the top. Frost the cake with the whipped topping and crush the 3 remaining toffee bars to decorate the top. Try to keep your hands off of this great cake before serving!

Vickey-MN

The recipe on the Hershey's cocoa can is really good!

May I ask you bakers a question?

Is that a Yes?

OK, help me diagnose why the coffee cakes made at one of our local stores are 'heavy', sort of 'wet'. Never flakey. These are just things like butter braid -- simple yeast cakes.

Since I don't know the ingredients I can't tell anything about that part, but I wondered if they weren't baked correctly -- temperature too high or too low, or not baked long enough. (Oooo, maybe use of oils instead of butter? Maybe not given time enough to 'rise' before baking?)

rthummer--that sounds delicious. Can't wait to try it--especially the frosting! This cake is similar to your frosting--easier than a mix because you don't have to get out the mixer.

HAWIIAN CAKE

2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs, beaten
1 c. nuts, chopped
1 c. flaked coconut
1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple w/juice

Mix flour, sugar and baking soda. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. DO NOT BEAT! Pour into greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Frosting:

1 - 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1-1/2 c. powdered sugar

Mix together and spread on cooled cake.

If it's humid or if the frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar. I usually have to do this.

Teri's Hershey cake is delicious. Here's the frosting I like on chocolate cake--love the caramel and chocolate together.

CARAMEL FROSTING

1/2 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. milk
1-1/2 to 2 c. powdered sugar

Melt butter and brown sugar over low heat for 2-3 minutes. Add milk, stirring until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat and cool. Add enough powdered sugar to form the right consistency to spread on cooled cake.

Oh my goodness! You are all great! Thank you so much. I went off to do an errand and came back to all of these replies. I will go through them all and head myself back to the grocery store. I appreciate you taking the time to type out your recipes and suggestions very much.

I knew this was the place to ask!

Suzieque

One of my family's favorite cakes.Easy,easy and most people have the ingredients on hand.

FRUIT COCKTAIL CAKE

2 c. flour
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. soda
1 No. 2,(lg.) can fruit cocktail
2 eggs slightly beaten
Mix dry ingredients in a medium size bowl.Add juice from fruit cocktail,and mix with a spoon or whisk until everything is mixed well.Add fruit cocktail and mix well.Pour into a 11X13 cake pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray.Bake for 35-40 minutes in a 350 degree oven or until cake is golden brown and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.Remove from oven and ice with coconut glaze.

Coconut Glaze

1/3 cup melted butter (real butter works best)
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 cup dry flaked coconut
If you don't like coconut it can be omitted.You can also use chopped pecans or macadamias.
Put all ingredients for the glaze into a saucepan; cook over medium heat,stirring constantly.When mixture comes to a boil,remove from heat and stir well for several minutes, then pour and spread glaze evenly on warm cake.The icing will soak into the warm cake and make it super moist and gooey.
I also cover the cake with whipped topping or cream or serve with a dollop on top of each slice.
The fruit cocktail can also be replaced with an equal amount of pineapple chunks or just about any other fruit.Mango is really good and the canned tropical fruit also works well.

The ricotta sinks to the bottom of the cake as it's baking and makes a firm creamy layer on the bottom.

It's best to make this the night before and refrigerate the cake overnight.

RICOTTA CAKE

INGREDIENTS
1 (18.5 ounce) package yellow cake mix ...prepared according to box directions

2 pounds ricotta cheese
3/4 cup white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. Prepare the cake according to the directions on the package.
In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Drop by spoonfuls on top of uncooked cake.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 1/2 hours, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Sprinkle cooled cake with confectioners sugar. Keep refrigerated.

Don't forget that banana cake with the cream cheese frosting that I think Chubby_rat posted a couple of years ago........it is wonderful and never a crumb left over ...well there were no crumbs anyway ..it was just plain moist and deeeeeeeelicious!! There is never any left over......hint (take a big piece the first time)

Yep, I was going to suggest Chubby Rat's Banana Cake and also Pixi Stix Hot milk Cake! Those are two of the best cakes I've ever eaten!!!

I make this one a lot, really easy and good.

Blueberry Dessert

1 cup butter
1 ½ cups sugar
4 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 can (21 oz.) blueberry pie filling
Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs. Beat until fluffy. Stir in flour and baking powder. Mix until smooth.

Butter a 9 x 13 inch pan. Turn mixture into pan.

Spoon pie filling over cake, in 16 spots, spacing evenly 4 spoonfuls in each direction.

Bake at 350 º for 40 - 45 minutes until golden and done.

Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Here's an idea that can be used on any single layer, rectangular cake. Don't worry about the cake itself; its the presentation that can turn an ordinary cake into a center piece, e.g., decoration! This one won a prize for me.

Since it is springtime, turn your cake into a garden scene. Below are decorating ideas:

1. Lay on chocalate frosting in furrows representing fresly plowed ground, or maybe, planting furrows. Border the 'bare soil' with green frosting represnting grass. Don't smooth the green frosting, but tease it to look like grass when viewed from above.

2. Put in "vegatables'. Make use of candy corn and other candies to make 'crops'. Use your imagination.

3. Make a fence with toothpicks and thread. Instead of toothpicks, one could use cinnamon sticks - the more edible items incorporated into the scene, the better.

4. On the outside of the fence, place a few small candy rabbits. Position these to hungrily eye the goodies.

5. Plant a row of M & Ms. Put a marker at the end of the row that reads, "M&M".

6. If you are handy with an icing decrorator, make a red roses in the corners of the garden.

7. Add other candy animals if you can find those: dogs, cats, chickens, ducks, sheep cows, etc.

Another theme could be a fish pond surrounded with lawn and landscape plantings.

Let the imagination roll!

Well, thank you all again. After reading all and salivating over every one, I ended up making patti43's Hawaiian Cake because I had most of the ingredients on hand and just had to buy coconut and cream cheese, and also because I remember having something like that once before. It's cooling now and then I'll frost it. Not sure if it'll have to be refrigerated or not, but I appreciate terri_pacnw's comment that she hadn't killed anyone yet by not refrigerating her cake with cream cheese frosting! :-)

All of these recipes sound wonderful and I am very appreciative of the time you took to respond to me. I also organize a regular supper through our church to feed about 100 people and desserts are always a challenge, so these have given me great ideas; I'll work through each of them, I'm sure.

Regarding the banana cake and hot milk cake, I don't have those recipes, but they sound great and I'd like to try them.

Suzieque

I hope your cake goes over well--I've never bought any home when I take it places. Easy, isn't it?

Pixistix's Hot Milk cake. I copied the frosting off the Cooking forum, but darn if I remember who posted it. READ where it says to double the ingred for a 9x13 pan for the frosting!

Hot Milk Cake - Pixistix
Old fashioned, simple, melts in your mouth!

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 1/4 cups flour
2 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

Beat eggs and sugar well. Combine flour with bk. powder and add to egg mixture along with vanilla. Heat milk and butter together until butter melts; gradually add to batter, beating until well blended.
Pour batter into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes.

I'm not sure where the recipe for the topping came from, but this is what Tara used:
Brown Sugar Topping
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 T unsalted butter
3/4 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Combine the brown sugar, whipping cream & butter in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly until smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla.
Let stand 10 minutes. Whisk until of spreading consistency. Stir in the pecans. Spread over the brownies or cake. Let stand 1 hour or until set. Serve cold or at room temperature. Makes enough for an 8x8 pan.

ChubbyRats Banana Cake

BEST EVER Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting #67256
This is one of,(if not) the BEST banana cake i have ever tasted! I thought the oven temp. of 275 sounded a little low,but this cake baked up(and rose) beautifully in my oven at this temp. after pretty much exactly one hour. I do not know if the little "freezer trick" to this recipe is what ensured its moistness or not,but i did it,and this cake was exceptionally moist & delicious. Would be interesting to see if it still came out as great if this step was skipped. All i know is that i followed this recipe EXACTLY as stated (except that i had no buttermilk, so i subbed with a mix of lemon juice & milk) and i got exceptional results. Depending on the amount of frosting you like you can decide whether to half the recipe or not. I used the full recipe and had some leftover. I sprinkled on the chopped walnuts and threw this baby in the fridge and cut it the next day...TO DIE FOR!I really liked it slightly chilled, but great at room temp. too! It got better each day it sat! I was extremely pleased with this cake and will be making it over & over again!! So glad i came across this one!!(on another website).
3/4 cup butter
2 1/8 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas
Frosting
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 (8 ounces) package cream cheese, softened
3 1/2 cups icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 275.
Grease& flour a 9x13 pan.
In a small bowl, mix mashed banana with the lemon juice, set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda,& salt, set aside.
In a large bowl, cream 3/4 cup butter& 2 1/8 cups sugar until light& fluffy.
Beat in eggs, one at a time, then stir in 2 tsp.
vanilla.
Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk.
Stir in banana mixture.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for one hour or until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean.
Remove from oven and place directly into the freezer for 45 minutes.
This will make the cake very moist.
For the frosting, cream the butter& cream cheese until smooth.
Beat in 1 tsp.
vanilla.
Add icing sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high speed until frosting is smooth.
Spread on cooled cake.
Sprinkle chopped walnuts over top of the frosting, if desired.
DELICIOUS!

Great! Yet 2 more to add to my "to try right away" list.

Hummingbird Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice
2 cups diced bananas
1 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 12 cup Bundt pan or a 9 x 13 pan.
Measure flour, sugar, soda, salt, cinnamon, oil, eggs, vanilla into mixing bowl. Beat until smooth. Stir in pineapple with juice, bananas, and pecans. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake in oven for about 70 minutes for bundt pan. Turn cake out onto rack or plate after cooling for 20 minutes. Cool, and ice with cream cheese icing and decorate with marachino cherries.

This is our favorite cake. My daughter bakes it for me for my birthday.

Sue

Simple, simple. Use a yellow cake mix and bake according to directions. While warm punch large holes in the top with a fork. Pour a can of coconut milk mixed with sweetened condensed milk over the top. Make a regular buttercream icing adding a package of frozen coconut (thawed) and spread over the top or you can use the canned frosting. Just stir it well, somehow it just multiples the more you mix then add the coconut. I usually buy extra coconut and sprinkle it over the top also. You are done, haven't bought a lot of ingredients and it is a super moist cake. I never have anything left but the pan.

arosegirl, I don't think I've ever seen frozen coconut. What does the package look like? And what part of the frozen section is it in?

Thanks!

Suzieque

Suzieque, it is in a package about 9 x 5 inches, about 1/2 inch thick. I don't have one on hand or I'd give you the brand. The package is navy blue and white. It is wonderful, a lot better than the coconut in the can. In our grocery it is next to the frozen juices, with frozen strawberries, blueberries, etc. And you are most welcome!

Connie, I already bought the ingredients for the banana cake a few days ago so I could bake it for my sister's birthday today. Last time I made this cake I used the 9x13 pan. Could this cake be made as a layer cake because that is what I planned on doing. Now I want to make sure before I go ahead that the cake will turn out okay as a layer cake. Thanks

Anne

LOL Never mind. I decided to make the 9x13. When I bake the banana cake I never put it in the freezer because there is not enough room in there and beside that putting something hot in the freezer will bring the freezer temp down quite a bit. LOL I guess I was always taught not to put a hot dish in the refrigerator or freezer. Cake always turns out fine without that step.

Anne