Best Ever Cherry Cake

2 loaf pans greased and floured works well with this recipe...

Best Ever Cherry Cake

Ingredients
• 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
• 1 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup maraschino cherries
• 1 tin cream [Nestle's cream ]
• 2 1/4 cup flour
• 1 1/2 tsps. baking powder

Directions
1. Blend butter, sugar, cream cheese, cream and vanilla.
2. Add eggs one at a time. Blend well after every egg addition .
3. Add 2 cups flour with baking powder added. Add 1/4 cup flour to drained cherries.
4. Fold floured cherries into batter. Bake 1 hour at 350F or until toothpick come's out clean.

Prize Cherry Cake

I overheard a cashier in the lounge at work over Christmas talking about a customer. She was saying how when she was checking her in she started to shake her can of Nestle Fussels Cream as you would and misses practically tore it out of her hand and lectured her that she didn't need it shaken as it was for her Cherry Cake. I thought to myself that Cherry Cake must be very moist and delicious with the can cream in it.

So I started asking around at work for the recipe. It comes from an old 1974 Cream of the West Cookbook and is supposedly the best Cherry Cake going! However, there's another recipe with cream cheese in it that must be tasty as well. I will post that recipe as well seperately.

By the way, Nestle Fussels Tin Cream is sold here in Newfoundland, but I'm not sure where else. It's a very thick cream in a tin that is delicious on fruit or toast and jam, my favorite. You have to shake it before using it though which brings back a fond childhood memories fighting over who got to shake the can! Me Me Me!

PRIZE CHERRY CAKE

Preheat oven to 300. Grease a 10-inch tube pan, dust lightly with flour.

Sift together in a bowl:
4 cups Cream of the west flour - I used Favorite flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Set aside.

Cream 1 and 1/2 cups margarine (or butter)

Gradually beat in
2 cups sugar (white)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond flavoring
Beat for 2 minutes.

Blend in one at a time, until light and fluffy
5 eggs

Add your sifted flour ingredients to your creamed mixture alternately with 1 can Fussel's cream
juice and rind of 1 lemon

Make 3 dry and 2 liquid additions, combine ligthly after each one.

Coat 2 packs (8 ounces each) of candied cherries with 2 tablespoons of flour. Fold into the mixture.

Turn into your tube pan.

Bake at 300 for 1-1/2 hrs - 2 hrs. or until your toothpick comes out clean.

Cool 15 minutes, then remove from pan to finish cooling.

Cheddar Muffins with Apple Butter

These muffins are fantastic for breakfast with some sausages or bacon on the side. You won't be able to have just one, we usually eat the whole pan.

Cheddar Muffins with Apple Butter

2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (125 mL) sugar
1 tbsp (15 mL) baking powder
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
1/2 tsp (2 mL) baking soda
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) shredded Canadian Cheddar* cheese
2 eggs
1 cup (250 mL) plain yogurt
1/4 cup (50 mL) butter, melted
Apple Butter (see recipe below)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 °F (200 °C).

In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda; stir in Canadian Cheddar cheese.

In small bowl, lightly beat eggs; stir in yogurt and butter. Add to dry ingredients, all at once, stirring just until moistened. Divide batter evenly among 12 large greased muffin cups.

Bake 18 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in cups on wire rack. Remove from cups and let cool completely. Serve with Apple Butter.

Apple Butter:

Cream together 1/2 cup (125 mL) softened butter, 1/3 cup (75 mL) apple jelly and 1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground cinnamon.

Snowball Chocolate Cake

Yes, it's tastes just as good as the picture. I found this recipe in the Kraft Canada Magazine. It took a little longer to bake than the recipe said, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Just keep checking it every 5 minutes until the toothpick comes out clean.

What You Need!

1 pkg. (2-layer size) devil's food cake mix
1 pkg. (250 g) PHILADELPHIA Brick Cream Cheese, softened
1 egg
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Vanilla Instant Pudding
1/4 cup icing sugar
1 cup cold milk
2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping
1 cup flaked coconut

Make It!

HEAT oven to 350ºF.

PREPARE cake batter, in 2-1/2-L ovenproof bowl, as directed on package; scrape side of bowl. Beat cream cheese, egg and granulated sugar until well blended; spoon into centre of batter in bowl.

BAKE 1 hour 5 min. or until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. Cool in bowl 10 min. Loosen cake from bowl with knife; invert onto wire rack. Remove bowl. Cool cake completely.

MEANWHILE, beat dry pudding mix, icing sugar and milk in medium bowl with whisk 2 min. Stir in Cool Whip. Refrigerate until ready to use.

PLACE cake on plate; frost with pudding mixture. Cover with coconut. Keep refrigerated.

Substitute 3 squares (84 g) Baker's White Chocolate, grated, for the coconut. To grate, first warm the chocolate in microwave on DEFROST 1 min. for each square or until warm. Use a coarse grater for best results.

Potato Bacon Cakes

I originally seen this recipe prepared by Chef Michael Smith, Chef at Home on the Food Network. I changed it up a little and used Pancheta instead of Bacon. You can get it at Dominion at the deli in a small package already diced. Also, closer to a cup of cheese and I skipped the Smoked Salmon on top.

Potato Bacon Cakes

Ingredients

• 1 Pound of Yukon gold potatoes, quartered (6 medium)
• 4 slices of bacon, chopped
• 3 green onions, sliced thinly
• 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1 egg
• Salt and pepper

Directions
1. Steam potatoes until tender when pierced with a fork.
2. Fry bacon until crispy, strain off fat and set aside.
3. Smash steamed potatoes and add the bacon, onions, cheese and egg and season with salt and pepper. Let cool.
4. Form potato mixture into four patties. Put reserved bacon fat into a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add a touch more cooking oil if necessary. Fry potato cakes until golden and heated through.

Country-Style Omelette

I originally seen this recipe prepared on Ricardo and Friends on the Food Network. I used a stainless steel pan and I found the recipe took a little longer to bake. Almost 10 more minutes.
You'll know when it's done when the center puffs like the edges and just starting to lightly brown.

Country-Style Omelette

Ingredients
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
8 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons rendered salt pork fat (see Crispy Pork Rinds) or bacon fat
1 pinch salt and pepper

Directions
1.With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
2.In a bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. Add the equivalent of 1 egg, whisking until the mixture is smooth. Add the remaining eggs and the milk. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
3.Pour the fat into a hot cast iron skillet and add the egg mixture. Stir to combine. Transfer to the oven and bake until the omelette is golden and slightly puffy, about 25 minutes. Serve immediately, as the omelette will start to collapse after about 3 minutes.

Julie and Julia

Yesterday was our book club meeting and we decided to host a brunch. It turned out extremely well considering we tried a couple of new recipes. Champagne and Orange Juice or Mimosa to some, Maple Bacon, Stuffed French Toast, Country-Style Omelette and Potato Bacon Cakes. Julia would of been proud, lots of butter, cream and eggs.

Doris and Chantelle joined us from Ottawa via Skype for the book discussion, but unfortunately Vicki couldn't make it.

I also made a Snowball Chocolate Cake to take to Ken's dinner party later that night. WOW!

Check out the recipes!