Easy Red Velvet Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

1 devil’s food cake mix (moist style with pudding in the mix)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 bottle (1 ounce) liquid red food coloring*

Frosting:
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 tablespoons butter, softened
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons warm water
finely chopped pecans or coconut for topping, optional
Preparation:
*If you use the more concentrated paste or gel coloring, beat in enough to make the batter a vivid red color.
Grease and flour a 13x10x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350°. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the cake mix, baking soda, buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla, vinegar, and food coloring. Beat on low speed until well blended. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until cake springs back when lightly touched with a finger. Let cool on a rack.
Frost the cooled cake with cream cheese frosting and sprinkle with chopped pecans or coconut, if desired.
In a mixing bowl with electric mixer, beat the softened cream cheese and butter together until blended. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar until smooth and creamy. Beat in 1 teaspoon of vanilla and enough of the warm water to make a soft, spreadable frosting.

Easy Rum Eggnog Cake

Ingredients:

4 ounces butter, softened
1 cup eggnog
1/4 cup rum, or use 1/4 cup more of the eggnog with 1 teaspoon rum flavoring
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 large eggs
1 package (18.25 ounces) white cake mix

Preparation:

Grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt cake pan. Heat oven to 325°.
Beat butter until light; beat in eggs and eggnog and rum or rum flavoring. Add vanilla, nutmeg, and cake mix; beat slowly to combine, then beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Spoon into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden pick comes out clean when inserted in the middle of the cake.
Cool in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes. Invert the cake onto a serving tray and cool completely before frosting or dusting with powdered sugar.

Tropical Bundt Cake With Pineapple Coconut Topping

Ingredients

1 white cake mix (approx. 18 ounces)
1 package (4-serving size) instant coconut cream pudding mix
1 can (12 ounces) Coco Lopez Pina Colada Mix
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
***Topping***
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons butter
1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, undrained
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
Preparation:
Heat oven to 325°. Grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt cake pan or spray with a baking spray with flour.
Combine the cake mix with pudding mix, pina colada mixture, oil, and the 4 eggs. Beat on low until well blended. Scrape bowl and turn mixer to high; beat for 2 minutes longer. Spoon into prepared Bundt cake pan.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the cake bounces back when touched lightly with a finger.
In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and flour; stir in the pineapple, butter, and beaten egg. Put the pan over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thickened and bubbly. Stir in the coconut. Spoon over the top of the cake, letting some of the topping drip down the sides of the cake.
Refrigerate leftover cake.

Creamy Chocolate Frosting

Ingredients:

1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, broken into small chunks
2 to 2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

Preparation:

Heat water, butter, and chocolate, stirring until chocolate and butter are melted and mixture is smooth. Add vanilla, blending well. Sift 2 cups of the confectioners' sugar; stir the mixture and beat to spreading consistency, adding more sifted confectioners as needed.

Caramel Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation:

Put the sugar and water in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes, or until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar turns a medium golden brown color, about 5 to 7 minutes. Carefully and slowly add the cream and vanilla, using a long-handled wooden spoon to stir. Simmer until the caramel dissolves and blends into the cream, about 2 minutes. The sauce will be smooth slightly thickened. Serve warm or cool.
Add a little more cream before serving if it's too thick.
Makes about 1 1/4 cups.

Blueberry Sauce

Ingredients:

1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 cup water
Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup red currant jelly
2 cups fresh blueberries

Preparation:

In a saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch; stir in water and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium heat; reduce heat to medium low and add the currant jelly. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add blueberries and bring to a boil once again. Simmer over medium-low heat for 20 to 25 minutes, or until thick and syrupy. Makes about 2 cups of blueberry sauce.

Serve over pancakes or waffles, or as a sauce for ice cream, bread pudding, plain custard, cheesecake, pound cake, or dessert crepes. Just a few ideas!

Apple Brandy Dessert Sauce

Ingredients:

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons corn syrup
dash salt
3 tablespoons apple brandy or Apple Schnapps
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 6 minutes longer. Watch to make sure it doesn't boil over. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Serve warm with bread pudding.
Makes about 1 cup.