Picture Perfect Cooking

This recipe is June’s edition of the Southern Plate-Picture Perfect Cooking project and I have to admit that I had my doubts about this one.  I used to love fruit cocktail when I was a kid, but had not eaten it in years.  When I read this recipe I was intrigued, but I wasn’t sure how putting these ingredients together could come out as a delicious cake.  Well, it does! 

You don’t really know there is fruit cocktail in the cake because all of the fruit just seems to bake into the batter and makes this so moist.  Oh, then there is the business of the sauce that goes on top.  Oh. My. Goodness.  The sauce is amazing!  I may try to make the sauce with brown sugar instead of white sugar and see if it comes out like a praline sauce.  Yum!  Try this and you will not be disappointed!

There was one little change I made.  I do not like flaked coconut and the sauce recipe calls for it.  I just left it out and the sauce was still delicious.  Below is the original recipe, but the photos included will not show the coconut.

For The Cake:

2 cups self-rising flour

one 15oz can fruit cocktail

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 13×9” baking dish.  With an electric mixer, combine all of the cake ingredients and beat at low speed for about 2 minutes.  Pour into the pan and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

For the sauce:

1 stick unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup evaporated milk

1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

While the cake is in the oven, make the sauce.  Combine all of the ingredients in a medium saucepan.  Place over medium heat and bring to a boil, whisking to melt the butter and dissolve the sugar.  Boil for 1 to 2 minutes until everything is completely incorporated. 

Using a toothpick, poke many small holes in the top of the hot cake and pour the sauce over.  Let it set for about an hour and enjoy!

I am linking this recipe to Lady Behind The Curtain’s Cast Party Wednesday!

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Below is the next installment of the Picture Perfect Cooking-Southern Plate Project for your enjoyment.  I really hope you try this little snack cake because it was so easy and oh-so-good! The weekend that I made it I had another dessert planned, but I realized that I had forgotten to get one crucial ingredient so I had to change horses midstream, so to speak.  It’s really hard to make a lemon cake without lemons!  Oops!

I went searching for a substitute for which I had all of the ingredients and found this little gem.  We love bananas and the flavor of this is awesome!  It makes a great dessert, but also makes a darn good breakfast with some orange juice or coffee on the side.

For the cake:

3 bananas, peeled

2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine

1 cup milk

1 cup chopped nuts, optional (I used pecans.)

2 cups self-rising flour

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

For the crumb topping:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup flour (any kind)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare two 8×8” baking pans.  Place the bananas in the bowl of a mixer and add the sugar.  Mix until the bananas are liquefied.

Add the butter and mix until creamed together.  Add the remaining cake ingredients and blend well.

In a separate bowl, combine all of the topping ingredients and blend together until crumbly.  I used my hands to do this, but you can also use a long-tined fork.

Pour one quarter of the batter into each pan and top with one quarter of the crumb mixture.  Repeat this step with remaining batter and crumbs.  Bake for 45 minutes to one hour until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Serve from the pan. 

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If you recall, a few weeks ago on a Thoughtful Thursday post, I said I was starting a Southern Plate-Picture Perfect Cooking Project a la the Julia/Julie Project.  Well, here is my first official entry!

This is Southern semi-homemade at its finest, combining a yummy chocolate cake with a rich milky caramel sauce topped with crushed candy bars and whipped topping.  What’s not to like about all of that?  If all of Southern Plate’s recipes turn out this good, this project is going to be fun!

The only little, teeny-tiny change I made was to the cake mix.  The original recipe called for a devil’s food cake mix and all I had was a milk chocolate so I just used that instead.  You can use either one you like.

1 box chocolate cake mix

1 jar caramel ice cream topping

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 container frozen whipped topping, thawed

6 fun-size Butterfinger candy bars

Prepare the cake according to package directions in a 13×9” baking dish.  A few minutes before the cake is done, combine the caramel ice cream topping and sweetened condensed milk.

As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, poke holes in it with a big fork.  Go crazy and put as many holes are you want.  Pour the sauce over the cake and allow it to set at room temperature for about 45 minutes.  Notice how all of that good sauce soaks right in.

Chill in the fridge for several hours or overnight like I did.  Crush the candy bars with a rolling pin.  Sprinkle about 2/3 of the crumbs over the cake and top with the whipped topping.  Sprinkle the remaining crumbs over the topping and enjoy!

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