Slow Cooker Pumpkin Cake - Gluten Free

We mostly use slow cooker and Crock Pot synonymously…. One is  generic and one is brand.  They come in all sizes and with extras.  I prefer the simple ones… just put the food in and turn it on low or high or keep it warm.

I have bought at least 3 of the larger ones and then donated or given away.  Recently I sold one in a garage sale for $5.  Actually it was marked $10, but one lady switched the price and wanted to argue, so I let her have the crockpot for $5.  Hoping she finds good use of it though..

The actual crock pot that was used today is a few years old and my favorite.

Back to the cake… I saw a crock pot regular cake in my news feed and decided to keep the link.  This wasn’t the first time I’ve seen them, but with this cold weather, I was getting restless and I still have a few boxes of mixes left over from the holidays.

I only had one vanilla cake mix, so decided to use it. Beware all gluten free cake mixes aren’t the same, so some may need less liquid.  Always start with the water after everything else is mixed.

Now on to making the cake..

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I modified the recipe using a gluten free cake mix, plus more spices and less water. I also reduced the topping to reduce the calories to almost 50 percent.  This version is moist and delicious. The original version that I modified Slow Cooker Pumpkin Cake

 

Slow-Cooker Pumpkin Cake - Gluten Free

 

Ingredients

 

Cake

1 box (15 oz.) Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix (used liveGfree)

1 cup canned pumpkin (used Libby’s)

3 tbsp water (reduced the amount of water)

1/3 cup grapeseed oil

4 large eggs (used extra large)

1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, plus 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp vanilla powder, 1/2 tsp ginger powder and 1 pinch ground nutmeg

 

Frosting

3 tbsp lemon frosting warmed (used Duncan Hines Creamy Lemon Supreme)

 

Procedure

1. Spray or grease your Crockpot generously

 

2. Beat all of the wet ingredients, except water until fluffy, gradually beat in the combined dry ingredients, until mixed.  Gradually add water by tablespoons until desired consistency is reached.

 

 

3. Pour batter into your Crockpot; replace cover and cook 2 hours or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove cover and allow cooling 10 minutes.

 

Use a rubber spatula to loosen the edges and shake it gently to make sure is is loosened.

Turn out onto a serving plate, bottom side down. 

 

 

 When cake has cooled sufficiently drizzle with frosting

 

 

Cut and serve at room temperature.

 

Servings: 16

 

Nutrition (per serving): 179 calories, 6.4g total fat, 1.4g monounsaturated fat, 3.6g polyunsaturated fat, 0g trans fatty acids, 0g trans-monoenoic fatty acids, <1g alpha linolenic acid, <1g saturated fat, 52.9mg cholesterol, 25mg sodium, 28.4mg calcium, 51.8mg potassium, 27.1g carbohydrates, 1.2g fiber, 26g net carbohydrates, 12.9g sugar, 2.4g protein.

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© 2015 http://retiredwithnoregrets.blogspot.com/

Blueberry Cornmeal-Polenta Cake - Gluten Free

With all of the new gluten free mixes arriving on the market, I decided to try a few of the mixes.  So many have added flax meal, so I can only try a few.

I bought a few of Aldi’s liveGfree mixes and have tried a couple of them more than once!

The cornbread mix is a bit too sweet for cornbread for my taste, but I decided it would be great for polenta cake.  Of course my sisters loved the sweet corn muffins I made using it for a get-together!

This is a add-in things as you go along recipe, since I didn’t have to mix up the dry mix as in previous cornmeal/polenta cakes.

Suitable for ovo-lacto vegetarian.

Blueberry Cornmeal-Polenta Cake - Gluten Free

 

Ingredients

 

1 box Gluten free corn bread mix (used liveGfree brand)

2 tbsp powdered milk (used Sanalac)

 

Wet Ingredients

2 large eggs

2 tbsp sour cream

6 tbsp grape seed oil (any neutral oil)

1 tbsp maple syrup (for addl. flavor)

2 tsp vanilla extract (or 1 tsp lemon extract)

1/4 cup butter milk

1/2 cup half and half (or coconut cream)

 

Add Ins

1 cup dried blueberries -(ok to use fresh, cake may turn blue)

 

Topping (optional):

2 tsp Turbinado or coarse sugar

 

Procedure

 

Mix all Wet Ingredients together until smooth, whisk in the Dry Ingredients, Fold in the blueberries. Bake in a greased 9 inch pan in a preheated 350F oven, until edges are browned and top begins to brown. It bakes at least 25 minutes.

Remove from oven, let sit for about 2 minutes, loosen sides and shake pan to loosen bottom. Turn out onto a serving dish or cooling rack.

Slice and serve at room temperature.

 

 

 

Servings: 16

 

Nutrition (per 1/16^th of cake): 213 calories, 7.1g total fat, 1.4g monounsaturated fat, 3.7g polyunsaturated fat, 1.4g saturated fat, 30.2mg cholesterol, 293.9mg sodium, 29.9mg calcium, 104.5mg potassium, 5.6mcg folate, 25.7mg phosphorus, 9.2mg phytosterols, 0mcg lycopene, 2.2mcg selenium, <1mg thiamin, <1mcg vitamin b12, <1mg vitamin b6, 1.3mg vitamin c, 2.2IU vitamin d, <1mg zinc, 33.7g carbohydrates, 2g fiber, 31.7g net carbohydrates, 15.5g sugar, <1g fructose, <1g galactose, <1g glucose, <1g lactose, <1g maltose, <1g sucrose, 2.5g protein.

 

 

 Just in case you plan to eat the whole thing!

 

Nutrition (entire cake): 3406 calories, 114.1g total fat, 22.6g monounsaturated fat, 59.2g polyunsaturated fat, 23.1g saturated fat, 483.3mg cholesterol, 4701.7mg sodium, 478.4mg calcium, 1671.8mg potassium, 89.3mcg folate, 410.8mg phosphorus, 146.9mg phytosterols, 0mcg lycopene, 35.8mcg selenium, <1mg thiamin, 1.9mcg vitamin b12, <1mg vitamin b6, 20.2mg vitamin c, 35IU vitamin d, 3.1mg zinc, 539.3g carbohydrates, 32g fiber, 507.3g net carbohydrates, 247.3g sugar, <1g fructose, <1g galactose, <1g glucose, <1g lactose, <1g maltose, 11.4g sucrose, 40g protein.

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© 2014 http://retiredwithnoregrets.blogspot.com/

Gluten-free Chocolate Peppermint Crazy Cake

This is the week for trying new desserts, so I can have everyone in the family located nearby eat some of it.   That simply means we all look good with the extra pound or two!

 

Seriously, I wanted to make something different from the previous years with a holiday theme.  Of course we all just love peppermint and it adds something to that sometimes bland dessert.

 

My first ‘semi’ ‘Krazy’ cake (Gluten-Free Chai Crazy Cake) was a success, with minor modifications for gluten free baking. A mixing bowl is recommended rather than mixing in the baking pan.

 

This one was a pure trial and error, because the cake mix is not one of my favorites, but I thought I would give it a try again.  Actually, I have better success with DIY cake mixes.

 

This will work for anyone who is gluten, dairy, egg, and soy free, as the cake mix does not contain those ingredients.  Dairy free chocolate chips would need to be used to remain dairy-free.

 

This is the only cake mix that this recipe has been used with, so far.

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Gluten-free Chocolate Peppermint Crazy Cake (from Cake Mix)

 

 

Ingredients

 

Food Processor

1 16-oz pkg. gluten free chocolate Cake Mix (used Bob’s Red Mill)

1 tbsp ginger powder

1/2 tsp vanilla powder

1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil

1 tbsp Coconut Manna (creamy ground coconut) or 1/2 tbsp coconut oil

 

Wet Ingredients

1 tablespoon vinegar

2 1/2 oz grape seed oil

1/4 tsp peppermint oil (be careful, it is potent)

1 cup water – lukewarm, as needed

 

Topping

1/3 cup dark chocolate chips (used Ghirardelli)

1/3 cup crushed candy canes – about 3

 

Procedure

 

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Measure oil; add vinegar in the same cup for convenience.

Place Dry Ingredients in food processor and pulse to finish grinding flours and mix in coconut oils.

Place the mixed dry ingredients into a mixing bowl; add all liquids at once, including the peppermint oil.  Whisk it just to mix it to remove lumps.

 

 

 

As a precaution, I rubbed the inside of a 9 inch domed pan with shortening and wiped most of it off.

Scrape the cake batter into the pan, smooth out with a spatula.  The batter will be a little sticky and thick, almost like cookie dough, so shake it gently and smooth lightly as necessary.  Do not press down on the batter.  Top with the chocolate chips, then the crushed peppermint candy.

 

 

 

Bake about 35 minutes in the pre-heated oven. Do a toothpick test, if fine crumbs stick to it, remove from oven.

It is ok to serve immediately from the baking pan

 

 

Servings: 16  (12 to 16 servings)

 

 

Nutrition (as prepared per serving): 201 calories, 8.3g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 88.6mg sodium, 201.3mg calcium, 5.5mg potassium, 29.9g carbohydrates, 2.5g fiber, 27.4g net carbohydrates, 16.3g sugar, 2.4g protein.

 

Notes

Chocolate chips add about 25 calories to each serving, but give a more robust chocolate flavor

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#gluten-free, #dairy-free, #egg-free,  #soy-free #chocolatedessert

© 2013 http://retiredwithnoregrets.blogspot.com/

My Favorite Coffee Cake - Gluten-Free Version

This is one good coffee cake!   Thanks to Cathy at The Dutch Bakers Daughter.

The coffee cake was made using a gluten free cake mix, a sugar-free pudding mix and reduced the amount of filling and glaze.

Basically follow the instructions on the cake mix box for mixing and baking, but include the additional ingredient list for the recipe. 

This is a large loaf cake, so it will take from 60 to 70 minutes to cook completely.

I baked it at 350F, but should have reduced the the temp to 325F, for gluten-free baking, so the crust didn’t brown so much.

Cathy's “My Favorite Coffee Cake”

ingredients

preparation

Just out of the oven

Drizzled

Sampling ………. Delicious!

As made, allowing 16 servings

Nutrition (per serving): 281 calories, 10.3g total fat, 2.8g monounsaturated fat, 1.4g polyunsaturated fat, 0g trans fatty acids, 0g trans-monoenoic fatty acids, <1g linoleic acid, 5.3g saturated fat, 70.8mg cholesterol, 324.3mg sodium, 33.8mg calcium, 31.1mg potassium, 8mcg folate, 81.5mg phosphorus, 1.3mg phytosterols, <1mcg lycopene, 4.2mcg selenium, <1mg thiamin, <1mcg vitamin b12, <1mg vitamin b6, <1mg vitamin c, 4.8IU vitamin d, <1mg zinc, 43.8g carbohydrates, <1g fiber, 43.6g net carbohydrates, 25.3g sugar, <1g fructose, <1g galactose, <1g glucose, <1g lactose, <1g maltose, <1g sucrose, <1mg stigmasterol, 2.9g protein.

Original recipe: My Favorite Coffee Cake

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© 2013 http://retiredwithnoregrets.blogspot.com/

Gluten-Free Chai Crazy Chocolate Cake

KAF has a way of making me want to try to make one of their recipes even when they aren’t gluten-free.  Most of their dessert recipes can be easily converted simply by substituting the flour.  A minor tweaking of the amount of liquid is usually needed because GF flours tend to hold more water, based on my experience.

After seeing King Arthur Flour’s Original Cake-Pan Cake on Facebook, decided to take a peek at it.   I recognized as the Crazy Cake from over the years with different variations.  I have done smaller gluten-free versions of this cake, but decided to make a full cake and as close to KAF’s version.

Sparks People also has one Crazy Chocolate Cake, which is much lower in calories!

One thing I did different this time was to put all of the dry ingredients into the food processor and pulse to make sure they were mixed.  I chose to make a chai latte version by using brewed tea instead of powder.  The tea adds a little more caffeine to the cake, along with the amount already added by the cocoa .

Overall, the cake comes out moist and chocolaty!  The additional dark chocolate chips add to the beauty and  gives the cake a robust chocolate flavor.

This cake would be great for a girl-friend get together or a brunch.   Serving it with a serving spoon makes it even more enticing!

This version is not only gluten-free, it is also dairy, nut and soy free.   Use Enjoy Life Mega Chips as another option…chunks instead of chips. 

It is by no means calorie free!

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Gluten-Free Chai Crazy Chocolate Cake

Ingredients
1  cup Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Blend (like Pamela's)
1/2 cup Gluten-Free Whole Grain Flour Blend (like KAF)
1/2 cup sucralose (or granulated stevia or sugar) used sucralose
1/2 cup coconut palm sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1/3 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 tsp vanilla powder
1 tablespoon vinegar
3 oz grapeseed oil
1 cup water(for brewing tea)
1 tbsp Masala Chai black tea, brewed in 1 cup water, sweetened with 2 tbsp granulated stevia sweetener)

Topping
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips, optional

Procedure
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Measure all the dry ingredients food processor and pulse to blend. Everyone who bakes gluten-free will recognize that this is a good extra step to do.

Brew the tea strong using boiling water. 

Strain using coffee filter to remove sediment.  Set the tea aside to allow cooling.
Measure oil, add vinegar in the same cup for convenience.

Place the mixed dry ingredients into a mixing bowl, add all liquids at once, including the vanilla extract.  Whisk it just to mix  to remove lumps.  I wanted a clean pan, so I mixed everything in the mixing bowl, but could also be mixed in the pan.

As a precaution, I rubbed the inside of a 9 inch domed pan with shortening and wiped most of it off.
Scrape the cake batter into the pan, smooth out with a spatula, optionally top with the chocolate chips.

Bake about 30 minutes. Do a toothpick test, if just fine crumbs  stick to it, remove from oven.  Do not over cook, or it will be dry!

It is ok to serve immediately from the baking pan.

Servings: 16

 with chocolate chips
Nutrition (per serving): 454 calories, 42.6g total fat, 6.6g monounsaturated fat, 28.6g polyunsaturated fat, 0g trans fatty acids, 5g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 135.4mg sodium, 4.8mg calcium, 34.6mg potassium, <1mcg folate, 10mg phosphorus, 73.5mg phytosterols, 0mcg lycopene, <1mcg selenium, 0mg thiamin, 0mcg vitamin b12, 0mg vitamin b6, 0mg vitamin c, 0IU vitamin d, <1mg zinc, 18.9g carbohydrates, 1.3g fiber, 17.6g net carbohydrates, 8.7g sugar, <1g fructose, 0g galactose, <1g glucose, 0g lactose, 0g maltose, 0g sucrose, 1.1g protein.

w/o chocolate chips
Nutrition (per serving): 430 calories, 41.1g total fat, 6.6g monounsaturated fat, 28.6g polyunsaturated fat, 0g trans fatty acids, 4g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 133.7mg sodium, 4.8mg calcium, 34.6mg potassium, <1mcg folate, 10mg phosphorus, 73.5mg phytosterols, 0mcg lycopene, <1mcg selenium, 0mg thiamin, 0mcg vitamin b12, 0mg vitamin b6, 0mg vitamin c, 0IU vitamin d, <1mg zinc, 15.9g carbohydrates, <1g fiber, 15g net carbohydrates, 6.1g sugar, <1g fructose, 0g galactose, <1g glucose, 0g lactose, 0g maltose, 0g sucrose, <1g protein.

Notes
Dark chocolate chips add a more robust chocolate flavor.  Being that this cake has lots of oil, the sweetener can be substituted up to 3/4 non-calorie and 1/4 calorie.  Cooking time would need to be reduced about 3 minutes.

Nutrient calculations are approximations calculated using Living Cookbook software.

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#glutenfree #dairyfree #nutfree #chocolatedessert

© 2013 http://retiredwithnoregrets.blogspot.com/

Chocolate Flour-less Condensed Milk Cake - After DIY Almond Milk

There have been several questions on what to do with the pulp left after making DIY almond milk.

In the past, I have added it to smoothies and muffins. Today, I decided to go even further and convert my  Chocolate Condensed Milk Cake to flourless using some of the ground almonds.

This may not work for all because the almond meal left could be drier than my version .  It’s a bit of trial and error, if you really squeeze all liquid from the ground almonds, baking time will be less.  Since mine had a bit more liquid, the cake takes longer to bake.  I also ground the almonds to the smooth consistency of  nut butter after making the ‘milk’.  To make this cake using this method, the remaining almonds should be smooth, not grainy!

Be prepared to let the cake bake for 45 to 60 minutes, depending on the amount of liquid in the ground almonds.

This is a dark chocolaty dense decadent cake. It is a one layer or half-size cake.  The cake puffs up and deflates as it finishes baking, becoming a chocolaty decadent cake.

This cake is for those who really love dark chocolate!

Chocolate Flour-less Condensed Milk Cake

This is a cake that uses the leftovers from DIY almond milk

 

Ingredients

 

1/2 cup butter

1 tsp almond oil, optional

1/2 cup Granulated Stevia (or granulated sugar)

7 ounces fat free sweetened condensed milk

3 eggs

1/2 cup finely ground almonds (from making almond milk)

6 tbsp cocoa

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp almond extract

1 tbsp powdered (confectioners) sugar, for garnish

1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

 

Procedure

 

·         Grease pan with shortening and dust with cocoa. After shaking pan to cover it, tap any additional cocoa into the bowl to mix into the cake.  There should be no more than an additional teaspoon of cocoa.

 

 

 

·         Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 

·         Beat butter and sweetener at high speed until fluffy.  Continue mixing, adding in condensed milk and eggs. Beat in vanilla and almond extract.

 

 

 

 

 

 

·         Mix cocoa and ground almonds, sprinkle in baking powder

 

 

 

·         Gradually add cocoa/ground almonds as you continue mixing.

 

 

 

·         Spread about 2/3 of batter in prepared pan. Sprinkle chips over, cover with remaining batter

 

 

 

·         Bake 45 - 50 minutes or longer, if the top is still not firm

 

·         Cool about 15 minutes in pan before turning out on to a serving plate. Dust with Confectioner's sugar using a sifter.

 

 

 

After cooling, store tightly wrapped on counter up to 24 hours or refrigerated or freeze.

 

 

Servings: 12

 

Nutrition (as prepared): 186 calories, 12.7g total fat, 4.1g monounsaturated fat, 1g polyunsaturated fat, 0g trans fatty acids, <1g trans-monoenoic fatty acids, <1g trans-polyenoic fatty acids, <1g linoleic acid, 6.3g saturated fat, 75.4mg cholesterol, 108mg sodium, 167.9mg calcium, 249mg potassium, 13.9mcg folate, 203mg phosphorus, <1mg phytosterols, 0mcg lycopene, 10.9mcg selenium, <1mg thiamin, <1mcg vitamin b12, <1mg vitamin b6, 1.1mg vitamin c, 4.4IU vitamin d, <1mg zinc, 15.8g carbohydrates, 1.6g fiber, 14.2g net carbohydrates, 11.3g sugar, <1g fructose, <1g galactose, <1g glucose, <1g lactose, <1g maltose, <1g sucrose, <1mg stigmasterol, 4.5g protein, 6.2mg caffeine.

 

Even better two days later!

 

Tips

After making the almond milk, the remains were put thru the food processor for about 5 minutes.  The result was creamy, minus the fat that went to the milk.  The texture is similar to the nut butter minus the fat.  So re-grind the remains, instead of throwing them out.

 

 

If, the cake appears wet near the bottom after baking, one of two things can be done, return it to the oven or place it in the microwave , uncovered for about 3 or more minutes on high, checking it carefully.

 

I was a little hesitant to do this post, but I know there are some who wonder if there is anything else to use the ‘almond pulp’ except smoothies or throwing it in the garbage.

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© 2012 retiredwithnoregrets.blogspot.com

#Gluten-Free #Flourless #ChocolateCake  #CondensedMilk

Apple Cobbler Cake - Gluten-Free

This dessert is a cross between a coffee cake and a cobbler, so I will call it “Apple Cobbler Cake“

I have been a bit slow on baking lately.  There are just times when I do not want to cook anything, so I either make a veggie omelet or smoothie with added veggies.

As spring has arrived, we also have to watch the weather when planning to bake as anything in the oven when a storm arrives is on it’s own.  I always take shelter in the lower level!

This  dessert is really simple to make. To reduce sugar calories, try making  your own apple filling by simmering apples until tender and using a sweetener like stevia.  Be sure not to mash the apples as the ‘chunks’ are what makes this dessert similar to a cobbler.

I tend to add flax in most of my baked goodies now.

Apple Cobbler Cake - Gluten-Free

Ingredients

Filling

2 1/2 cups cooked sweetened apples, cut in chunks or slices*
1/4 tsp nutmeg, optional

Dry Ingredients

1-1/4 cups Gluten Free Mama Coconut Mix
1/4 cup flax seed meal (ground flax seeds)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients

4 Tbsp butter - softened

3/4 cup granulated Stevia sweetener (or sugar)

2 large eggs

1/4 cup 0% Greek Yogurt

1 tsp vanilla extract

Topping

1/4 cup Turbinado sugar

2 Tbsp  chopped pecans (optional)

Additional liquids

1/2 cup buttermilk

Procedures

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine all of the Dry Ingredients

Mix the nutmeg into the apples

Place all Wet Ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl and beat until fluffy.

Gradually beat in the Dry Ingredients mix and mix until combined, gradually add milk, mixing to combine.

Spray a 9-inch square baking dish with oil spray or coat with shortening.

Dollop about 1/3 of the batter into the pan. use a fork to spread it out. dollop about 1/3 of the apples over the dough, spread out about evenly. Repeat until all apples and batter is in the pan, leaving a small amount of batter for the top. Use a fork to spread it around leaving some open areas. Make sure the batter is not any thicker in areas than others. Using a fork or knife swirl the dish to mix just a little.

Sprinkle the Turbinado sugar, then nuts evenly over the top.

Bake for about 40 minutes or until top is lightly browned. Edges will be browned before top browns.

Serve hot or warm.

Servings: 9
Yield: 1 9-inch square 'cobbler'

Cooking Time: approximately 40 minutes

Nutrition Facts (varies by type of apple and sweetener used)
Nutrition (per serving): 229 calories, 10.7g total fat, 2.6g monounsaturated fat, 1.6g polyunsaturated fat, <1g linoleic acid, 3.9g saturated fat, 61.1mg cholesterol, 161.2mg sodium, 92mg calcium, 150.7mg potassium, 10.2mcg folate, 142.7mg phosphorus, 1.5mg phytosterols, 0mcg lycopene, 5.1mcg selenium, <1mg thiamin, <1mcg vitamin b12, <1mg vitamin b6, 23.2mg vitamin c, 3.9IU vitamin d, <1mg zinc, 34.5g carbohydrates, 3.2g fiber, 31.3g net carbohydrates, 6.7g sugar, 4g protein


*Notes
I used home-made chunky apple sauce, sweetened with Stevia, although sugar sweetened apples may be substituted.  I estimate 5 cups raw apples cooks down to about 2 1/2 cups.

Making A Heart-Shaped Cake - Without A Heart-Shaped Pan

I needed to make a heart shaped cake in a hurry yesterday and did not want to dig through the cabinets to find the heart-shaped pan.  If you own a heart-shaped pan, it is probably the pan least used .
I remember years ago dabbling in cake decorating.  I made several cakes using just plain pans instead of the pre-shaped ones.

I wasn’t sure how this actual cake came out as it was a ‘scratch’ gluten-free marbled chocolate cake.  I was in a rush to make it.  Finally, today I decided to cut and taste a piece of it. Actually, it  is very chocolaty.  The super sweet Duncan Hines’ glaze complements the dark chocolate.  So I will keep the recipe and make it again next week for some of the kiddies in the family.



Below are the steps to take, if you do not have an actual heart-shaped pan and want to make a heart-shaped cake.

This method makes a perfect heart-shaped cake.

First, trace the bottom of the pans.

 
These pans are 6-inch x 2-inch, making a 9-inch heart.


Fold the round cut into half and cut. Trim the square one. Lay them together to make a heart.



Lay the shape on the cake plate or cake board that you plan to use. Cakes baked in the 6-inch pans will barely fit a 10-inch cake board. No addition frosting along the base will fit.




If you are making a chocolate cake, grease the pans with solid shortening and dust with a small amount of cocoa so the cake will be dark instead of having white spots. When dusting, do one at a time, so as to use any extra cocoa from one pan in the other one.  Tap loose cocoa from one pan into the next one to be dusted.



Spread the batter and any other additions evenly into the pans.  Fill to the same level in each pan. Bake, allow to cool, then assemble.



Cut the round cake across the center and arrange as shown.  Assemble bottom sides up.  Gently push the cake together.  Apply frosting to ‘cement’ the cake, filling the seams.



Frost as you normally would, smoothing to fill in any crevices from the seams.  As this shows, aluminum foil is not the best presentation  for a cake that will be put on display. Use parchment paper to cover the cake board instead, if you do not have a plate large enough.



The day afterwards, the cake tasted quite good! I trimmed the aluminum foil and moved it to a large serving dish.





Chocolate  Cream Cheese Marbled Cake

Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
2 cups chocolate cake mix ( about a 15 to 16 oz. box)
1 tbsp meringue powder, optional
1 1/4 cups milk (of any kind or water)
1/2 cup  butter, room temperature (or oil)
3 eggs


Cream Cheese Layer4 oz cream cheese
2 tbsp liquid egg product (or save 1/2 egg from cake)
2 tbsp sugar, granulated


Procedure

Preheat oven to 350 F. Blend all ingredients with a mixer until smooth for about e minutes.
Prepare pans using solid shortening.  Dust with rice flour or cocoa powder. Tap to remove any additional
Blend Cream Cheese Layer ingredients
Place 2/3 of the amount intended in each pan. Dollop cream cheese mixture over each pan. Using a fork, slightly spread the cream cheese mixture out over the pan.  Finish spreading the remaining batter over each pan up to the amount intended for each pan.
Any leftover batter can be baked as cupcakes.
Bake  for about 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Optionally frost with your favorite frosting.


Servings: 24
Yield: 13X9 or 2 layer cake or the heart-shaped cake and 6 cupcakes


Tips
Can also be baked in 2 round cake pans or made into cupcakes.  fill cupcakes only 2/3 full or they will overflow.
To make smaller cake, cut recipe in half
Basically use any cake mix and recipe to make the heart-shaped cake.