Cherry Pie Gooey Butter Cake

 

 I saw this recipe on TikTok from a chef named Christina Tosi. She’s pretty amazing and I’ve seen her very often on cooking competition shows. She always makes food that I immediately want to eat. This gooey butter cake is no exception! I mean, who doesn’t love a gooey butter cake, right? 
 It comes together SO quickly with basic ingredients that you might already have in your pantry, and you don’t even need a mixer. 

 It's the perfect summer dessert and it was a big hit when I made it for my friends. 

Your friends will love it too! 

 


1 1/2 sticks butter
1 yellow cake mix
2 eggs
8oz cream cheese
2 cups powdered sugar
A pinch of salt
1 can cherry pie filling



Heat oven to 350º.
For the crust, melt 1 stick of butter in a mixing bowl. Add the cake mix and one of the eggs. Stir well to combine. Reserve 1/4 cup of this mixture.
Press dough evenly into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Set Aside.
For the filling, soften the remaining 1/2 stick of butter and cream cheese in the microwave, stir together until well combined. Add powdered sugar, a pinch of salt, the other egg, and the reserved dough. Stir well until combined. Pour over crust layer. Now drop spoonfuls of the pie filling here and there over the filling. Bake for 30-35 minutes. It will still be slightly jiggly in the center. Let cool completely and then chill before serving. For an extra pretty touch, dust it with a tiny sprinkle of powdered sugar over the top. So fancy!


Tip:

When you drop your spoonfuls of pie filling over the top, just do them here and there, as the recipe says. You don't want to completely cover the filling layer. You probably won't use the entire can of pie filling. 
This recipe lends itself to a million different variations. Since we were using cherry pie filling, I added a few drops of almond extract, since those two flavors are a match made in heaven. 

If you'd like to serve it for your 4th of July BBQ, you could add a few fresh blueberries on top for the red-white-and-blue of it all. Mix and match any flavor of cake mix with any flavor of pie filling and it will all work! With the yellow cake mix, I’m thinking peach, strawberry, blueberry,,, With chocolate cake mix, I think it has cherry written all over it. I think I’d even add a few chocolate chips over the top, because why not???? For Fall, it would be amazing to use a spiced cake mix with apple filling. Now THAT sounds heavenly! Do you make home made pie filling? Even better! You do you!

Pumpkin Pie Cake

When it comes to pumpkin recipes, I'm a super fan. Yes, I will proudly state that I love all things pumpkin and then I've never met a pumpkin dish I didn't like. I know some people are hit or miss when it comes to pumpkin, but that is absolutely not the case with me. So that means I'm always on the hunt for new and fun and different pumpkin recipes.
 I was recently doing some googling and I happened to find this one on a blog called Oh Sweet Basil. Basically, if a yellow cake and a pumpkin pie had a baby, it would be this cake. BINGO! This is exactly the type of recipe I wanted! And there are several reasons why: It only uses a few ingredients, it's an easy mix-and-bake, it's not overly spiced (so the pumpkin really shines through), plus it's a great alternative for someone who likes the flavor of pumpkin pie, but doesn't like the custardy texture. (I know, I know, I don't understand it either). The texture of this cake is very moist, and it just about melts in your mouth. SO GOOD! When I made it, I immediately got rave reviews! Oh, btw, one other thing... The original recipe directs you to bake it in a 9x13 pan, but I chose to bake it in a bundt pan. It turned out great! Regardless of which pan you use, I'm sure you'll get rave reviews too!  So add this to your fall repertoire. It's definitely a keeper!



1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 (15oz) can of pumpkin
3 eggs
1 (12oz) can evaporated milk
1 tsp salt
3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice 
1 package yellow or spice cake mix

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13" baking pan with nonstick spray. In the standing mixer, cream the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the pumpkin and mix until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing between. Add the evaporated milk. In a separate bowl, add the salt, pumpkin pie spice, and yellow cake mix. Whisk together. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat until smooth. Pour into the pan and bake for 40-45 minutes. Serve warm with fresh whipped cream.


 Tips:
If you choose to bake your cake in a bundt pan instead of a 9x13 pan, just let it bake a little longer until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Instead of serving with whipped cream, you can also glaze your cake with a fluffy cream cheese glaze (as I did) or simply dust it with powdered sugar.

Bailey's Irish Cream Cake

 This year, for St. Patrick's Day, I knew I wanted to bake something using Bailey's Irish Cream: A, because I love it, and B, because I had just enough left in the bottle to use as an ingredient. I know I already have Bailey's Cupcakes (which are amazing, btw) but I was hoping for something a little different this time. Then I found this Bundt recipe and I thought, well ok then! Let's give it a try!
 Now, it's true that I only ever bake cakes from scratch, and rarely do I ever use a cake mix, but this recipe is an exception to that rule because it uses the cake mix as an ingredient instead of just mixing it up as directed on the box, know what I mean? That still counts as baking from scratch, doesn't it? I'm standing by it!
 This cake is easy to make and is SO tasty! The pecans get all nice and toasty and the glaze is just heavenly. Actually, the glaze is one of the things that drew me to the recipe in the first place. There are many recipes that just throw 1/4 cup of Irish cream into the batter, but this recipe has 3/4 cup in the cake and then another 1/4 cup glazed over the top. If we're having a Bailey's cake, I want to be able to taste the Bailey's! And I knew having the glaze would drive that home. I made it for a group of friends and several of the group came back for seconds! It's just that delicious.
 So if you're a Bailey's fan, you should give this cake a try. It's the perfect thing to have after you have your corned beef and cabbage, or any holiday meal! Enjoy!


Cake:
1 cup chopped pecans

1 (15.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix

1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix

6 tbs flour

4 eggs

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup Irish cream liqueur

 Glaze:

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup water

1 cup white sugar
tiny pinch kosher salt

1/4 cup Irish cream liqueur

 Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan. Sprinkle chopped nuts evenly over bottom of pan. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix, and flour. Mix in eggs, 1/4 cup water, oil and 3/4 cup Irish cream liqueur. Beat for 5 minutes at high speed. Pour batter over nuts in pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then invert onto the serving dish. Prick top and sides of cake. Spoon glaze over top and brush onto sides of cake. Allow to absorb glaze. Repeat until all glaze is used up. To make the glaze: In a saucepan, combine butter, 1/4 cup water, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil and continue boiling for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup Irish cream.

Tips:

The original recipe called for an 18.25 oz cake mix. Since most brands of cake mix have been downsized to 15.25 oz, I have added 6 tbs of flour to the recipe. If you have an 18.25 oz cake mix, then by all means omit the flour. You could also purchase a second cake mix, add 6 tbs of it instead of just plain AP flour, and then save the rest in an airtight container for the next time.

Not a fan of pecans? Use a nut that you like! Hazelnuts? Walnuts? Anything is fine. Not a fan of nuts at all? Just leave 'em out!
Btw, I added a a few drops of rum extract to the batter. Why? Because I like it!

When you make the glaze, be sure to stir it constantly for the full 5 minutes. You don't want the sugar to burn. Also, be very careful when you add the Irish cream to the SCREAMING hot glaze. It'll bubble up quite a lot, kind of like when you make caramel. Be sure to use a pot that will accommodate that.

2-Ingredient Pumpkin Cake

Ok here's another amazing cake mix recipe. Remember when we made a Soda Cake just by mixing a cake mix together with a can of soda? Well, how about mixing it with a can of pumpkin instead? You'll be amazed at how moist and rich it becomes after it bakes! It seriously doesn't get any easier than this! It's so easy you don't even need a recipe!
 Simply mix together a cake mix and a 15oz can of pumpkin puree. Pour it into a greased baking pan, and bake it at 350ºF until it tests done. That's it! I made it for Sean and Casey and they LOVED it! It doesn't make a large cake, so it's perfect for anytime you're baking for a small group. Keep these ingredients on hand so you'll always have them at the ready!

Tips:
 The original recipe said to use an 11x7 baking dish, but I used a bundt pan. It also called for an apple cider glaze, which is just powdered sugar, apple cider and a little pumpkin pie spice, but I opted for  Fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting instead. You can't go wrong with either one!
 Use any kind of cake mix you like! I used a spice cake mix, but you can use yellow, vanilla, banana, even chocolate! It will all work!
 Btw, I think this cake is better when it's chilled. Just sayin!