* Exported from MasterCook *

Mocha Cake*

Recipe By :Reuben Ware

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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Layer ingredients:
8 cups devil's food cake mix
6 large eggs
3 cups half and half
1 cup butter -- melted
2 tablespoons instant coffee
2 tablespoons coffee liqueur
1/2 liter coffee liqueur

filing ingredients:
5 cups whipping cream
1 cup instant pudding mix

Icing ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds butter -- softened
1 1/2 pounds powdered sugar
1/3 cup coffee liqueur
4 tablespoons instant coffee

This is my wifes recipe and all of our family and friends always request her to make it...whenever she will. This makes a very tall beautiful cake and will be remembered by all, and it taste GREAT!

Layer directions:
Combine ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix well. Divide among 4 Pam-sprayed 10" cake pans. Smooth, then bake a 350 F. for about 20 minutes. Remove and let cool. Then invert onto parchment paper. Brush off the crumbs from the bottom, then sprinkle the half-liter of liquid over the layers. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes.

Filling directions:
Whip cream until fluffy. Cream whips best in a cold dry bowl. Add pudding and beat in. Spread between layers. You can cut off 1/2" from sides for a better presentation.

Icing directions.
Whip butter 1 minute on low speed, 2 minutes on medium speed and then add the powdered sugar liqueur and coffee.

Dip spreading knife in hot water to ease spreading. Always start icing at the bottom of the sides. After iced, use hot knife/spatula to smooth out. Pipe rosettes around bottom and top with more buttercream and top with espresso beans. Chill to make slicing easier.

Serves 12

All of these are tried and family approved :-) The banana cake doesn't start with a mix, but I'm sending it anyway since you say he loves bananas.

Becky

* Exported from MasterCook *

Death By Chocolate

Recipe By :Tamara Chatham
Serving Size : 12 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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1 box chocolate cake mix
1 small package instant chocolate pudding mix
12 ounces chocolate chips
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup oil

Mix all ingredients, except chocolate chips. Dust chocolate chips with flour. Remove excess flour, and fold into cake mixture. Bake in greased and floured bundt cake pan at temperature indicated on cake mix box. Dust with powdered sugar.
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NOTES : Tamara likes to refrigerate the cake before serving, as the texture becomes denser and the cholcolate chips harden.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Italian Love Cake

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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1 box fudge marble cake mix (or chocolate)
2 pounds ricotta cheese
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 box instant chocolate pudding -- (3 3/4 oz.)
1 cup milk
8 ounces non-dairy whipped topping -- thawed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare cake as directed on box and pour into greased and floured 9 x 13 pan.
In separate bowl, combine ricotta, sugar, eggs, and vanilla; mix well. Spoon over unbaked cake. Bake cake for 1 hour. Cool.

Mix instant pudding with milk; fold in whipped topping. Spread over cake; refrigerate.

Yield: 12 servings.

Source:
"http://busycooks.about.com";

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* Exported from MasterCook *

Chocolate Thunder Cake

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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1 box German chocolate cake mix
1 can sweetened condensed milk -- (14 ounce)
1 jar fudge ice cream topping -- (8 ounce)
1 container frozen whipped topping -- (16 ounce) thawed
2 8 ounce Heath candy bars -- crushed

Bake cake in a 9-by-13-ounce pan as directed on package. Let cool 25 to 30 minutes. Poke holes in cake with wooden spoon handle. Pour on sweetened condensed milk; spread evenly. Wait 5 minutes. Spread fudge topping over cake. Wait 5 minutes. Spread whipped topping over cake and sprinkle with crushed candy bars. Chill thoroughly before serving. Makes 16 servings.
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* Exported from MasterCook *

Banana Cake

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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3/4 cup butter
2 1/8 cups white sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose 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 package cream cheese (8 ounces) -- softened
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar (1 lb box)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. In a small bowl, mix mashed bananas with lemon juice, set aside. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream 3/4 cup butter and 2 1/8 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Stir in banana mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place directly into freezer for 45 minutes. This will make the cake very moist.
4. For the frosting: In a large bowl, cream 1/2 cup butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add confectioners sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high until frosting is smooth. Spread on cooled cake.

Source:
"www.allrecipes.com"
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NOTES : I had to cook this for more than hour to get it cooked through, but it was very moist. Toasted chopped walnuts on top would be a nice addition.

Use a metal pan (not glass) to bake it in if you're going to put it in the freezer!

* Exported from MasterCook *

Grandma's Rum Cake

Recipe By :Teri Morrison
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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1 package Duncan Hines yellow cake mix
1 package vanilla instant pudding (4 serving size)
1/3 cup oil
1 cup water
4 eggs
3/4 chopped pecans
Glaze:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup Bacardi Rum (80 proof)

Mix together cake mix, pudding, oil, water and eggs in large bowl until well blended. Spread evenly chopped nuts on the bottom of greased Bundt pan. Pour prepared cake mix into pan and bake as directed on cake mix box in a 350* oven. Cake is done when toothpick inserted in center of cake comes clean.
While cake is cooling. Melt butter in saucepan, stir in water and sugar. Boil for 5 minutes while stirring constantly. Then stir in rum. After cake cools for 10 minutes pour glaze over cake letting it run down all the sides and center. Let it soak into the cake for a while. Let cake cool until you can handle cake pan to invert.

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NOTES : I like to use Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum.

This cake really tastes best after it's had a couple of days for the flavors to blend.

heyreub, thank-you so much! The Mocha cake sounds fabulous and easy-we are coffee lovers so this is a great idea-however, it's alotta cake-serves 12 so I think I'll make it for the holidays when we have a big crowd. For his birthday, we'll just have maybe 4-5 people so a smaller cake might be in order.

Becky, your Italian Love cake might be the one I make. We love everything Italian and go to Italy once a year so it's very appropriate. My one concern-is it a sweet cake? With the addition of ricotta, I'm sure it will be moist but is it sweet? It looks interesting and delicious as do the other recipes you provided-the rum cake and banana cake also intrigue me.
Thanks to you both for providing such great, easy recipes!

Millymoo - the Love Cake is very moist, and not overly sweet. The topping is like chocolate mousse. As an added bonus, it's really at it's best a couple of days after you make it. However, if you're looking for a smaller cake, it's not the one for you - it would feed 12 easily and maybe even 16 :-)

Becky

This is a very impressive cake. It is about 10" high and really a bakery style cake. Once you make it, everybody will want you to make it again. Reuben.

Eek, Becky-I just re-read the recipe and it does make a big cake. What to do, what to do?! I guess I could give some of it away or freeze it, does cake freeze well?

Can't wait to make Reuben's Mocha cake during the holidays-it ceratinly sounds impressive!

Hi Milly,
Happy Birthday to hubby!
My daughter, whose Birthday is end of this month, loves Bride's cake, after making it for her birthday twice I decided to use boxed cake mix and Homemade Icing Take Angel Cake mix, add extra egg white, ab 1/4 tsp almond extract, if preferred, bake as directed. Fill and frost with Chocolate or White Icing/Frosting. Butter has to be unsalted and softened. Besides vanilla I like to add about 1/8 tsp almond extract to frosting.
Use Cocoa powder or unsweetened chocolate, add favorite coffee instead of water, if you wish. To white Icing add softened Cool Whip Lite. Best if kept refrigerated.
I've used 3 candles for years, for yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Simple and satisfying, again, it's the frosting that does it.
Made cupcakes similar way for Thanksgiving, about half with chocolate , half with white frosting.
Frosting cake with both of these frostings would be good.

just thinking as I type,

good luck,

Bea

I hope you make the Italian Love Cake! And when your hubby taste it you won't be able to give 1/2 away! I do beleive it would freeze OK if he will let you.

Becky, I've had that "Death by Chocolate" cake recipe for years. I got it from the mother of one of my 1st grade students my second year of teaching, back in 1972. It was a private school and the students stayed in the classroom to eat lunch while the teachers supervised. One day this sweet little girl named Kimberly brought me a slice of chocolate cake from home. I remember I took a bite and instinctively yelled out her name. She probably got scared and thought I was going to reprimand her. But all I could do was exclaim over & over again about how good that cake was. I begged her to get the recipe from her mother. Sure enough, the next day, she brought me another slice of cake and the written recipe. So now it's in my collection of recipes and titled, "Kimberly Dickies Mother's Chocolate Cake!"

I found this really easy cake!

Here is a link that might be useful: cake

Thanks to all who offered recipes-I ended up making Becky's Italian Love Cake which was a success!

It was incredibly easy and effortless but the results were very good-everyone loved it especially my husband. I did switch up a part of the recipe-combining the pudding with whipped topping-I used real whipping cream instead-I hate the fake stuff. It worked really well-I think this might become my go-to cake. It was sweet but not overly which I realy like.

My husband had 2 big pieces last night and one for breakie this morning-ya, he eats like a 10 yr. old. So anyway, it looks like I won't have to worry about what to do with leftover cake-there won't be any left over!
Thanks again, Becky!