DIRT CAKE

2 (20 oz.) pkgs. Oreo cookies
1/2 stick butter
1 (8 oz.) cream cheese
1 c. powdered sugar
3 1/2 c. milk
2 sm. French vanilla instant pudding boxes
1 (12 oz.) Cool Whip
Cream the butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar together. Mix pudding together with the milk, add the Cool Whip to pudding mixture. Then blend in with the cream cheese mixture.
Crumble the Oreo's in a blender, leave the cream in the Oreo's.
Line the inside of a clay flower pot with foil. Alternating cookie crumbs and filling, ending with the cookie crumbs on top. Top with gummi worms and a plastic flower. Enjoy!
*Note: The clay pot can be sterilized in the oven by baking it at 350° for at least 2 hours. It turns our really nice, like Terra Cotta. After it cools down, wash it with soap and water. A new, sterilized garden trowel can be used as a serving spoon for extra fun.

Divine Chocolate Cake

Serves 8

Ingredients

1 cup flour
1 cup plus 2 Tbs sugar
7 Tbs Hershey's cocoa
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 stick melted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with spray oil (I only had a 9 inch square pan).

In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour,sugar, cocoa powder and baking soda. (I used my stand mixer).

Make a well in the middle of the mixed ingredients, add eggs and milk and whisk gently to a thick batter, whisk briskly for 30-40 strokes. Whisk in the melted butter and vanilla just until smooth. (Again...I used my stand mixer on low).

Scrape into prepared pan. Bake for 35 minutes. Let cool completely and dust with powdered sugar.

Serve and enjoy!

Adapted from Rachael Ray magazine recipe :) You can put a piece of parchment paper on the bottom of the pan and spray it too and then invert the cake onto a plate when cool and then dust.

White Mountain Frosting

This has a marshmallow texture and is great on Devil's food cake!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Combine sugar, corn syrup, and water in small saucepan.

Cover; heat to rolling boil over medium heat.

Remove cover and boil rapidly, without stirring, to 242 F on candy thermometer.

As mixture boils, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.

Pour hot syrup very slowly in a thin stream into the beaten egg whites, beating constantly on medium speed.

Beat on high speed until stiff peaks form.

Add vanilla during last minute of beating.

VARIATIONS: Add 1/4 cup sifted cocoa for Cocoa Frosting, folding in till blended; for Lemon Frosting substitute 1 TBSP lemon juice for the vanilla and add 1/4 tsp. grated lemon peel and 10 drops of yellow food coloring; for Pink Mountain Frosting, substitute maraschino cherry juice for the water; for Satiny Beige Frosting substitute brown sugar (packed) for the granulated sugar and decrease vanilla to 1/2 tsp.

Fruit Swirl Cake Bars

Unique, yummy, moist and not that hard to make.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups sugar

1/2 lb. butter or margarine

4 eggs

3 cups SIFTED flour (measure then sift)

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tbsp. baking powder

1 tbsp. vanilla

2 cans pie filling

Instructions:

Cream sugar and butter. Add eggs and cream some more. Add rest of ingredients except pie filling. Beat until blended. Batter will be thick.

Spread 2/3 only of batter on jelly roll pan. Won't spread easily, don't worry. Spread pie filling evenly over batter.

Drop remaining batter by spoonfuls on top. Place in 350 degree over for 5 minutes. Remove and swirl top with spoon, spreading out batter you dropped on top. Now bake 30-40 minutes. Let cake cool.

Glaze: (optional, I don't usually use it but it looks pretty)

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup milk

Powdered Sugar

Bring butter, regular sugar and milk to boil. Remove, add enough powdered sugar to make a thin icing. Dallop of cool whip if desired or ice cream.

Peggy's Favorite Oatmeal Cake

Here are two version of my favorite cake.

Original Recipe
1½ cups very hot water
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup cooking oil
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/3 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
1 tsp cinnamon
Mix and pour into 9x13" pan and bake for 30 minutes at 350º
Frosting:
Melt and stir
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter (I use real butter)
till bubbly (use medium heat so you don't scorch it)
Remove from heat and add:
2 TBS milk
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2-1 cup coconut
spread on cake while still warm and it all melts down into the cake.

Healthy Version
1½ cups very hot water
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup canola oil
2 eggs (or could use 3 egg whites if you're worried about that, but I don't)
½ cup white sugar
1/2 to 3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/3 cup flour (I have used a mix of unbleached white and whole wheat flour and you can hardly tell the difference from all white flour)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
1 tsp cinnamon
I started adding these 2 ingredients in my cakes:
½ tsp baking powder (makes the cake fluffier)
1 tsp vanilla
Mix in order and bake at 350°
Frosting:
Melt and stir:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter (I use real butter)
till bubbly (use medium heat so you don't scorch it)
Remove from heat and add:
2 TBS milk
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2-1 cup coconut
spread on cake while still warm and it all melts down into the cake.