Thursday, 13 October 2011

Easy Cake Recipes For Baking Newbies

If you fall into the novice rank of baking, you are probably on the lookout for less complex but tasty recipes. Sometimes a nice home baked cake is just the thing to brighten a dull afternoon, but you don't have to be a trained baker to pull off a simple, yet delicious cake. In this article, I've included a few of my favorite cake recipes that should be quite do-able for people with all kinds of baking experience (or lack thereof!). I hope you enjoy them!
Cherry Cheese Cake
Ingredients:
20 Oreo cookies, finely crushed
5 (8-oz) packages of cream cheese (softened)
1 (21-oz) can cherry pie filling
3 tbsp melted butter or margarine
1 cup sour cream
3 tbsp flour
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
4 eggs
Directions:
Line a 13 x 9-in baking pan with aluminum foil, making sure that he foil extends up over the sides of the baking dish. In a small bowl, mix the butter and the Oreo crumbs together. Press this mixture into the bottom of the pan (this will be your chocolate graham-like crust). In a large bowl, use a fork to soften the cream cheese a bit, then add the flour, sugar, and vanilla. Use a mixer set to a low speed and blend the ingredients together. Pour this over the Oreo crust. Bake at 325 degrees F for about 40 minutes, or until the center of the cheese cake is nearly set. Allow the cake to cool completely, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Top with the cherry pie filling. Use the foil to lift the cake from the pan for easy cutting and serving.
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Ingredients:
1 package yellow cake mix
1 jar maraschino cherries, drained
1 can sliced pineapple rings, drained
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbsp butter
Directions:
Coat a large cake pan with 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of brown sugar onto the butter. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of coconut over the brown sugar. Arrange the pineapple rings (no overlapping) on top of the coconut, then place a cherry in the center of each ring and in between rings, if you like. Prepare the cake mix as directed on the box, then pour the batter over the pineapple rings. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 - 50 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean). Cool for about 20 minutes. To transfer to a serving plate, place the plate on top of the baking dish, then carefully turn over. The cake should slide out of the baking dish and onto the serving plate.
Banana Cake
Ingredients:
1 package yellow cake mix
1 tsp baking soda
2 very ripe bananas, mashed
Directions:
Mix the yellow cake batter according to the directions on the box. Mash the bananas together with the baking soda. Stir this into the cake batter and mix well. Pour the batter into a greased 9 x 13-in baking dish. Place in the oven and bake at 350 degrees F for one hour. DO NOT preheat the oven before placing the cake in. Let the cake cool thoroughly before serving. Can be topped with cream cheese frosting after it has cooled.
Cinnamon Coffee Cake
Ingredients:
1 package yellow cake mix
1 package instant butterscotch pudding mix
1 package instant vanilla pudding mix
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water
4 eggs
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup chopped walnuts
Directions:
Grease a 10-in Bundt cake pan (or a 9 x 13-in baking pan). Stir together the cake mix, butterscotch pudding mix, and vanilla pudding mix. Add the oil, water, and eggs and blend together well. In another bowl, mix together the cinnamon, brown sugar, and nuts. Pour half of the cake batter into the pan, then sprinkle half of the nut mixture on top. Pour the remaining batter into the pan, then top with the remaining nut mixture. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees F, then turn the oven temperature down to 325 degrees F and bake for another 40 minutes.
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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Patrick_Carpen

How to Find Cake Recipes From Scratch

The perfect cake is easily recognizable. It is light and fluffy with a beautiful golden crust that is perfectly symmetrical. If you want to make cake at home, using cake recipes from scratch is a good idea. Making cake from scratch gives you the freedom of choosing whichever ingredients you want. Cake recipes from scratch also give you the opportunity of adding or subtracting ingredients you want. It makes you bake the perfect cake for your friends and family. For instance, if you know your friend is allergic to nuts, using cake recipes from scratch will let you cut out the nuts completely from the recipe. This article provides you with tips for baking a cake.
  • Butter gives cake the best flavor possible. If you are not too calorie- conscious, using butter for baking your cake is the best idea. Not only will you get a wonderful flavor, it will also give a light and moist texture to the cake.
  • Make sure that the butter you use is not at room temperature. Butter below 68 degrees F is the best option. It gives structure to your cake.
  • Do not over- beat the eggs, butter or sugar as that will only form a gluten, making your cake a sort of a quick bread, which is really sad.
  • Continue beating the floor until it is smooth and nice and you can see no dryness.
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  • Always use cake flour for your recipes. Using normal flour will not have the same effect.
  • When you are following a cake recipe from scratch, you must know that it pays to follow it to the "T". This is because ingredients and the measurements provided in the recipes are usually exact and a shift here or there is going to make a difference.
  • Choose your baking pan well. The right shape and size of the baking pan can make your cake good or bad. If you are using a thinner baking pan, make sure that the temperature in the oven is higher because that is what will prevent the cake from drying out.
  • Make sure that you let the cake rest for 5 minutes before removing from the pan.
  • Using fresh eggs is important. Make sure your eggs are at room temperature before breaking.
Use the right ingredients, mix well and bake carefully- And you could soon be known as the best baker your friends have known!

If you are looking for more information then feel free to visit Cake Recipes
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jitesh_Arora