Tropical Fruit Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Date tried: 11-20-09
From: I adapted the Spanish Fruit Cake from Thrifty Fun online
Submitted by: Mother Crumb

Ingredients
• ½ cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 ½ cups buttermilk
• 1 cup crushed pineapple
• 2 cup sifted flour (can use 1 ½ cups whole wheat and ½ cup all-purpose)
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ¾ tsp. salt
• 1 6 ounce package Tropical Sensation dried fruit by Welch’s
(pineapple, mango, and papaya)
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Cream Cheese Frosting:
• 2 packages cream cheese (3oz. each)
• 4 tsp. lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ tsp. vanilla
• 3-4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Directions
1. Cream butter and sugar.
2. Add eggs and beat until light and fluffy.
3. Add buttermilk and mix until smooth.
4. Mix in crushed pineapple.
5. Sift dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture, Mix well.
6. Add dried tropical fruit and nuts. Mix well.
7. Turn into well greased 9”x13” pan.
8. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
9. Allow to cool in pan 5 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool thoroughly.
10. Spread on frosting.

For Frosting
1. Beat cream cheese with lemon juice, vanilla and salt until light and fluffy.
2. Add enough sugar to make right consistency to spread.

Spanish Fruit Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Date tried: 12-24-07

From: Thrifty Fun Recipes online

Submitted by: Mother Crumb

Ingredients
½ cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ cups buttermilk
1 cup cooked or moist packed prunes, drained, pitted and chopped
(or 1 cup applesauce)
2 cup sifted flour (can use 1 ½ cups whole wheat and ½ cup all-purpose)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. soda
¾ tsp. salt
1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground cloves
½ tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp. ginger
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup golden raisins

Cream Cheese Frosting:
2 packages cream cheese (3oz. each)
4 tsp. lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ tsp. vanilla
3-4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Directions
• Cream butter and sugar.
• Add eggs and beat until light and fluffy.
• Add buttermilk and mix until smooth.
• Stir in prunes or applesauce.
• Sift dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture, Mix well.
• Add nuts and raisins. Mix well.
• Turn into well greased bundt pan.
• Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean.
• Allow to cool in pan 5 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool thoroughly.
• Spread on frosting.

For Frosting:
• Beat cream cheese with lemon juice, vanilla and salt until light and fluffy.
• Add enough sugar to make right consistency to spread.

MILKY WAY CAKE

This recipe comes from Casey Van Camp's Grandma Boothby via Deb Mifflin.
Submitted by Marcia Van Camp

Ingredients for cake:
8 2.15 ounce MILKY WAY candy bars
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, separated
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup pecans, chopped

Directions for cake:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube or bundt pan.
Melt candy bars and butter, stirring frequently, in large, heavy Dutch oven over low heat (I used a double boiler)
Remove from heat and stir in sugar.
Combine egg yolks, buttermilk and baking soda in small bowl until blended.
Combine flour and salt in another bowl. Add to candy mixture alternately with buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Stir in pecans.
In clean mixer bowl, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold into batter. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake 1 1/4 hours or until set and cake pulls away from sides of pan. Cool on wire rack 15 minutes. Unmold and cool completely.
Makes 16 servings.

Ingredients for frosting:
4 tb Butter
2 Milky Way bars; 2.15 ozs.each
1 tb Vanilla extract
1 c Powdered sugar; sifted
6 ounces semisweet chocolate

Directions for frosting:
Melt butter, candy, and chocolate together in a heavy saucepan.
Stir constantly over low heat until mixture is fully melted and smooth.
Beat in vanilla and sugar.
Spread on warm cake while frosting is warm and pliable.
Do top and sides.
Best to keep in refrigerator and not in warm area so frosting will set.
(if the frosting is too thick, you can add a little milk or butter to thin it out)

Notes:
I first tried making this cake for Casey on his 30th birthday because I was interested in him.  I completely messed up the cake and it wouldn't come out of the pan.  I finally tried it again, and made sure I really greased up the pan and also let the cake cook afterward before flipping over the bundt pan which helped a lot. Also, I sprinkled a little powdered sugar on the top when it was done.

Cranberry Oat Squares

Date tried: 7-10-09
From: Thrifty Fun Recipes. Doug likes these.
Submitted by: Mother Crumb

Ingredients
1 ½ cups rolled oats
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar, packed
¾ cup butter
14 ounce can whole cranberry sauce

Directions
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease a 9x9 inch square pan.
• Measure oats, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, brown sugar and butter into a bowl.
• Using a pastry blender, mix together until crumbly.
• Pack half of the mixture into the pan.
• Spread cranberry sauce over the top.
• Put the remaining mixture on the top. Press down with your hand.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes until a rich golden brown.
• Cool completely in pan.
• Cut into 36 squares.
This is very good served warm with vanilla ice cream.

Snow Topped Chocolate Mint Cookies

Date tried:12-11-09
From: Taste of Home Christmas Cookies.
Submitted by: Mother Crumb

Ingredients
1 10 ounce package mint semisweet chocolate chips, divided
6 tablespoons butter, softened. (no substitutes)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
Confectioners’ sugar to roll the balls in

Directions
• Over a double boiler, melt 1 cup chocolate chips. Set aside to cool.
• Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla.
• Add eggs, beating well.
• Beat in the melted chocolate chips.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to creamed mixture and mix thoroughly.
• Mix in remaining chocolate chips.
• Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or until easy to handle.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Roll into 1 inch balls, then roll in confectioners’ sugar.
• Place 2 inches apart on lightly greased cookie sheet.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until edges are set and centers are almost set.
• Cool for 10 minutes before removing to wire racks.

Yield: 4 dozen cookies

Gingersnaps

Date tried: November 1976
From: Betty Crocker
Submitted by: Mother Crumb
These are the first cookies I made for Doug when he went to Japan and we were both single.
I guess they made quite an impression.

Ingredients
¾ cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 egg
¼ cup molasses
2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon cloves
¼ teaspoon salt
granulated sugar to roll the dough balls in

Directions
• Cream shortening and brown sugar.
• Add molasses and egg.
• Sift dry ingredients together. Add to creamed mixture and mix thoroughly.
• Cover. Chill 1 hour.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees’. Shape dough by rounded teaspoonfuls into balls.
• Roll in granulated sugar.
• Place balls 2 inches apart on lightly greased cookie sheet.
• Bake 10-12 minutes or just until set.
• Immediately remove from cookie sheet.
Yield: 4 dozen cookies.

Pecan Bread

Date tried: 12-07-09
Recipe from: Thrifty Fun online
Submitted by Mother Crumb

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups buttermilk
1 cup chopped pecans

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Grease a 9"x 5" loaf pan.
Combine all the ingredients except the nuts.
Gently mix together without over beating.
Add nuts.
Put in pan.
Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.
Test with a toothpick to see if its done.
Turn out on a cooling rack and let it cool completely.
This has a great texture and flavor.