Bake or Break

Coca-Cola Cake

I’ve had a strange fascination with this cake for a long time, yet I’ve never made it. There’s something about the thought of making a cake with a Coke that intrigues me. Sort of in a how-can-that-possibly-work way.

This particular recipe comes from Classic Southern Desserts by Southern Living. I don’t know if this cake truly has Southern origins, but it certainly seems Southern enough to me. I mean, who else would pour Coca-Cola into a cake?

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Cocoa Cake

I try to keep things simple in my kitchen and on this blog. You won’t find a lot of complicated, time-consuming recipes here. Sure, I get overly ambitious from time to time, but I generally like to keep things a bit more approachable and attainable.

I actually resisted making this cake for a while. It seemed almost too simple. I mean, it’s a no-frills chocolate cake. I’m as much of a fan of chocolate as anyone, but most of the time I prefer it with just a little extra interest.

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Brown Sugar Pound Cakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

In a strange turn of events, it seems I have baked something with neither chocolate nor nuts. For those of you who are astonished, I think I may have redeemed myself by the presence of cream cheese frosting.

I am further redeemed by the perfection that is these cupcakes. Oh, my, but they’re good. Basically, these lovely little pound cakes are loaded with brown sugar, creating a wonderful caramel-like flavor. Then, they are topped off with an amazingly simple, delicious cream cheese frosting that features even more brown sugar.

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Mississippi Mud Pie

Take a look at that beauty. That is a prime example of what happens when I let Quinn pick out dessert. Now, take a look at the recipe. That is also what happens when I let Quinn pick dessert.

So, here’s what we have. First, there’s the amazing Oreo crust that is sufficiently thick to hold up all of this deliciousness. Next is a flourless chocolate cake with just the right amount of coffee flavor. To top that off, there’s a chocolate pudding that would be an impressive dessert on its own. Then, just in case all that isn’t enough, there’s a lovely, thick layer of sweetened whipped cream on top.

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Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

The frequency with which I bake with bananas is dependent on how many we buy that go uneaten. When I see them get to that lovely, ripe, baking stage, I start scouring my brain, all available cookbooks, and the internet for banana recipes. Having made banana bread too many times to count, I really wanted to bake something a little different.

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Apple Spice Cake

To me, few things scream, “Fall!” as much as baking with apples. We have been sitting on the fence here between fall and winter. Some days are scarf-worthy, while others are not even jacket-worthy. On a fall-like day, I decided to slice up some apples and make this cake that I’ve had bookmarked for a while.

Of course, what are apples without cinnamon? And just to make it even more fantastic, let’s throw in a little caramel, too. Seriously, this is fall in a cake.

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