Spice Cake

This super quick and easy cake comes from the "Mennonite Girls can Cook" Blog.  What a wonderful place for some great recipes!!  You can click HERE to go there and check them out.  As with many of the recipes I find online I tweaked this one a bit and will include my tweaks.  Enjoy!!

Ingredients - 

1 Pkg Yellow Cake Mix

1 Pkg 4 Serving size Jello Instant Vanilla Pudding (3.4oz)

1 C Plain Applesauce (or Pear Sauce)

1/2 C Water

1/4 C Oil

1/2 Teas Cinnamon

1/2 Teas Nutmeg (about 10 or so Grates of the nut)

I also added:

1/2 Teas Ground Ginger

1/2 Teas Ground Clove

1/8 teas Salt

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and blend - then beat at medium for at least 4 minutes - this is a sticky batter that needs to be scraped down often I found -   Pour into a well greased and floured 10 inch tube or fluted Bundt pan.  (either can be used)  Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until toothpick test comes out clean.  DO NOT UNDERBAKE.  Cool in pan for 15 minutes then remove to a rack to cool completely.  When cake is cooled dust with icing sugar - I made a quick cream cheese glaze that went very well with the spices in the cake.  It's good by itself or served with ice cream.

Sticky Orange Marmalade Cake

From "The English Kitchen" Blog - I love this site and read it often.  Marie has some great recipes and they always work!!  Every Post is a delight - you should check it out!!  Click HERE to go there.

The recipe - with my little changes...  Makes one 9 inch single layer cake.

Ingredients - 

3/4 C Butter - soft

3/4 C White Sugar
1 1/2 C AP Flour

3 Large Eggs - room temp

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1/8 tsp Salt

3 Heaping TBS chunky Seville Marmalade

2 TBS Milk/cream (I used 1/2 & 1/2)

A couple of good scrapes of a Nutmeg

To Finish - 

4 TBS Chunky Seville Orange Marmalade

1 C Icing Sugar

2 to 4 TBS Warm Water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a 9 inch round cake pan and line with buttered parchment paper.  Set Aside.

Cream the soft butter until nice and creamy and pale yellow.  Beat the white sugar in slowly - and continue to beat until nice and fluffy.

Beat the eggs in one at a time - beating well after each addition.  Add 1 TBS of the flour with the last egg.  Sift the remaining flour, salt, Baking powder and nutmeg into the bowl and fold into the mixture.  When thoroughly combined, stir in the marmalade and milk/cream.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread out evenly.  Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until golden brown and firm to the touch.  Take the done cake out of the oven and run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen and then carefully turn the cake out onto a wire rack.  Flip right side up.  Gently warm the remaining marmalade to finish and brush it all over the top of the warm cake.  Allow the cake to cool completely before proceeding.

Sift the icing sugar into a bowl.  Add enough of the warm water to get to the consistency you would like and it is smooth - pour over the cooled cake and let run down the sides.  Leave this to set before cutting into wedges to serve.

Store in an airtight container fro up to 5 days.

This cake has a great Orange flavour that is not too overpowering and went great with a cup of coffee!!  Thanks so much Maire!!!!