Simple Lemon Almond Poppyseed Cake

I found a recipe for a Lemon Almond Poppyseed Cake on A Bountiful Kitchen blog yesterday and I made the cake.  It was delicious!!!!  A very springy, refreshing cake!  The recipe was super easy.  I tried the homemade icing recipe that was included, and it was a bit too lemony for me.  Next time I will not use as much lemon juice.  BUT, I am very happy with the cake.  It uses a box recipe, but with all the other ingredients that she uses, it didn't seem like a box cake at all.  I also served it with strawberries and blackberries in sugar/water.  Everyone seemed to enjoy it.  I would very much recommend the recipe!

Lemon Almond Poppy seed Cake with Fresh lemon Icing

Cake ingredients:

4 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 tablespoons almond extract

1 cup water

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

1 package lemon cake mix (I like Duncan Hines)

1 small (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding

Icing ingredients:

2 cups powdered sugar

Juice from 1-2 lemons (about 1/4 cup juice)

zest from lemons

dash salt

2 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt pan.

Cake:

Mix all wet cake ingredients together with mixer until blended . Add dry ingredients, including poppy seeds, mix until all ingredients are blended well, about 3 minutes.

Pour into prepared pan. Bake for about 40-50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes, before inverting onto serving platter.

Prepare icing, and frost cake when completely cooled. Serve with fresh strawberries.

Icing:

Melt butter, add to powdered sugar, lemon juice and zest, and salt in bowl. Whisk or beat until smooth. Thin with a little milk, water or lemon juice if too thick.

Tips:

-I used half of a lemon depending on the amount of juice extracted and the size of the lemon. . If you want to thin the icing a bit, you may use a little milk.

Brownies!

My recipe for the best brownies!

1 box of Betty Crocker (Hershey's) Brownie Mix  - I prefer the one with chocolate chunks!

eggs

vegetable or canola oil

water

Add the ingredients listed above in the amounts written on the back of the box.  Cook at directed temperature at about 3-5 minutes short of the time listed and enjoy!

You just can't go wrong with brownies if you use Betty Crocker!

Peanut Butter/ M & M Bars

2 Cups of peanuts

1 lb. M & Ms

6 Cups rice crisp cereal

3 to 4 cups peanut butter

1 cup corn syrup

1 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon vanilla

Mix first 3 ingredients in a big bowl.  In a sauce pan, stir constantly corn syrup and sugar over medium high heat until boiling.  Remove from heat, dump in peanut butter and vanilla.  Stir until mixed and smooth.  Dump that mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients and stir until coated thoroughly.

Spread into a 1 inch greased jellyroll cooking sheet.  Cut into  bars, cover and chill in fridge to harden.  Remove from fridge after about and hour and serve or store in air tight container.

Best if served day or day after making.

Ooey Gooey Butter Cake

This is a recipe I got from my Aunt Carol.

1 yellow cake mix

1 stick of butter

4 eggs

8 oz cream cheese

1 lb powdered sugar

Blend by hand the cake mix, butter, and 2 eggs.  It will be pretty thick.  Spread in a greased 9 x 13 pan.

Blend with an electric mixer softened cream cheese, 2 eggs, and powdered sugar.

Pour and spread over cake batter in 9 x 13 pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

This cake is BEST if made the day before.  Otherwise the topping is pretty runny.  It needs a day to set up and thicken.

Enjoy!