angel lush cakes

The Littles and I try to venture North to my mom's house at least once a week throughout the Summer months to spend extended time with her. I don't get to visit as often when our little ones are in school, so I seize the lazy days of Summer to spend extra time with her.

During one of my visits she surprised me with two cookbooks.

They weren't just any ol' cookbooks though . . . they were hers!

I remember one of them from my growing up years . . . and the other was one that was given to her by her family and friends as a wedding gift. They filled it with their favorite recipes; and over the years, my mom has added her favorite recipes, too . . . and now I have them! I'm pretty sure I heard my heart sing that day!

We spent upwards of 4 hours combing through the cookbooks and loose-leaf recipe cards and papers . . . It was so much fun!

It's a treasure to have so many of my maternal grandma and great-grandma's recipes . . . and the best part is that so many of them are written in their own hand-writing!

We also found recipes from my dad's Kansas family, most of which were from his sisters. These also mean a lot to me because our family spent Summers in Kansas every year . . . so I have fond memories of all my aunts and cousins great home-cooking!

The recipe that I'm sharing with you today is one that my dad's family shared with my mom more than a decade ago, as Angel Food was my dad's favorite cake. It's fun to have a pretty and delicious twist on one of his favorites.

Although the real Angel Lush recipe calls for angel food cake, I thought I would bake a white vanilla cake instead. (I'm more of a cake gal!)

It's ridiculous how easy this cake is to prepare and assemble! And if you buy an Angel Food from your local bakery or market, then it'll be that much faster to put together.

The light and fluffy vanilla and pineapple pudding filling is delicious! The vanilla pudding 'warms up' the pineapple juices giving it a more tender sweetness, and the fresh berries brighten up the whole cake. YUM!

Since my from-scratch white cake recipe yield a crumb that's too tender for this kind of cake, I used a moist vanilla cake mix, and then added and an extra teaspoon of vanilla to the batter. And voila, you have my version of an Angel Lush Cake!

This beautiful cake can also be made into mini cakes and cupcakes . . . and topped with a single berry or combination of fresh berries. I chose strawberries because they're absolutely gorgeous and ripe this time of year!

I will be making Angel Lush Cupcakes for my mom's Annual End-of-Summer Family Gathering this weekend. I'll post a photo on Facebook or Instagram so that you can see how darling they are!

I hope I've inspired you to whip up one more Summer-inspired dessert before this beautiful season ends!

angel lush cakes

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1 20-ounce can CRUSHED pineapple, undrained

1 3.4-ounce package instant vanilla pudding   

1 8-ounce package Cool Whip whipped topping

1 10-ounce package round angel food cake, cut into 3 (or 4 layers)

fresh seasonal berries

.     .     .     .     .

Preparation

Mix pineapple and dry pudding mix in medium bowl. Gently stir in whipped topping.

Stack cake layers on plate, spreading pudding mixture between layers and on top of cake.

Refrigerate 1 hour or until ready to serve. Garnish with your favorite seasonal berries.

Enjoy!

 

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ooey gooey butter cake

Simply . . . Irresistible!

Well, my most recent dessert was a hit! So much so ~ that I’ve received phone calls and email requests for the recipe!

So here ya go . . . . and I included 10 irresistible twists off the original Ooey Gooey Butter Cake!

As many of you know, I made the pineapple version first ~ because my husband is a huge fan of tropical fruits . . .and it was amazing!!

I can’t wait to hear about the versions that you try! Be sure to forward this recipe to those you know who love to bake too!!

I guarantee that this cake will be a HIT at any event – big or small!

Thank you, Paula Deen, for another incredible dessert recipe!

Bon Appetit!

Ooey Gooey Butter Cakes

Cake
1 (18.25-ounce) box yellow cake mix
1 egg, room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Filling
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 (16-ounce) box confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine cake mix, 1 egg, and 1 stick of cool melted butter and mix well. Pat into the bottom of prepared pan and set aside.

3. Still using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth; add 2 eggs and vanilla. Beat until just combined. Sift and pour in confectioners' sugar. Beat until just combined. Reduce speed of mixer and slowly drizzle in 1 stick of cooled melted butter. Beat until just combined.

4. Pour filling onto cake mixture and spread evenly.

I highly recommend that you bake this dessert on top of a silpat lined baking sheet. To be specific, after preparing and pouring your Ooey Gooey cake mixture and filling  into the baking dish/pan, place the entire dish/pan back on top of a silpat lined baking sheet.  

5.  Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Don't be afraid to make a judgment call on the cooking time, because oven temperatures can vary. You want the center to be a little gooey, so don't bake it past that point!

6. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares. Just remember that these wonderful little cakes are very, very rich, and a little will go a long way!

Pumpkin Gooey: This variation has to be at the top of my list, especially around Thanksgiving. For the cake part, I sometimes use a spice cake mix, but I think my favorite is the basic yellow cake mix. Follow the original recipe, adding a 15-ounce can of pumpkin pie filling, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of nutmeg, and an extra egg to the cream cheese filling. Mix well. Bake as usual, remove from oven, and allow to cool. Cut into squares and top each square with a pecan half. Serve with a dollop of fresh whipped cream. I promise you'll never want pumpkin pie again!

Pineapple Gooey: Add a 20-ounce can of drained crushed pineapple and an extra egg to the cream cheese filling. Proceed as directed above.

Lemon Gooey: Use a lemon cake mix in place of the yellow cake. Add the juice (approximately 1/4 cup) and zest of 2 lemons to the cream cheese filling as a final step. Mix until combined. Proceed as directed above.

Carrot Cake Gooey: Use a spice cake mix, and add 1 cup chopped nuts and 1 1/2 cup finely grated carrots to the cream cheese filling as a final step. Mix until combined. Proceed as directed above.

Peanut Butter Gooey: Use a chocolate cake mix. Add 1 cup creamy peanut butter and an extra egg to cream cheese filling. You can sprinkle the top of batter with 1 cup chopped peanuts if you like. Proceed as directed above.

Chocolate Chip Gooey: Use either yellow or chocolate cake mix. Sprinkle 1 cup chocolate chips and 1 cup chopped nuts on top of filling. Proceed as directed above.

Banana Gooey: Use a yellow cake mix. Prepare cream cheese filling as directed, beating in 2 ripe bananas and an extra egg. Proceed as directed above.

Strawberry Gooey: Use strawberry cake mix. Prepare cream cheese filling as directed, beating 1 cup of ripe strawberries and an extra egg. Proceed as directed above.

Nutty Gooey: Use a yellow cake mix, and add 1 cup chopped nuts to the cake mixture. Proceed as directed above.

Chippy Gooey: Stir 1 cup white chocolate chips, peanut butter chocolate chips, butterscotch morsels, Heath Almond Toffee Bits or Heath Milk Chocolate Toffee Bits into filling. Proceed as directed above.