By Stephanie Williams Dean

Bless Your Spoon

 

For a Halloween themed fundraiser, I’ve served these 13 desserts, the devil’s dozen, to guests every year for over a decade. Perfect for a large group, they’re easy, quick to assemble, no fail, and feed a crowd – all while winning rave reviews.

There’s only one trick to them all – you’ll have everyone believing you’re a master baker.

As “treat” week approaches, indulge your guests by serving these wickedly tempting, sinfully decadent, and sweet concoctions – my personal party favorites. However, remember, while enjoying, expect waistlines to suffer an unmentionable fate.

With holiday season ahead, plan a party that entertains and serves others for the benefit of many.

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45.

CHESS-PECAN CAKES

4 beaten eggs

½ cup white sugar

1-lb. box light brown sugar

1 cup butter

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups sifted, all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 cup chopped pecans

Confectioner’s sugar

In a mixer, beat eggs. Add both sugars, and then butter and vanilla.  Mix well. Add flour, baking powder, and mix. Fold in pecans. Bake in a greased and floured 13x9x2 baking pan in a 300 degree oven for 45 minutes or until done. Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar, and cut in squares.

MOM’S FUDGE CAKE SQUARES

2 sticks salted butter

4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate

4 beaten eggs

2 cups sugar

1 Tbsp. whole milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

¼ tsp. salt

1 ½ cups chopped pecans

In a saucepan, melt butter and chocolate. In a mixer, beat eggs. Add sugar, milk, extract, and mix well. Add flour, salt and mix well. Fold in pecans. Grease and flour a 12×18 baking pan. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 25 minutes or until done.

PECAN PIE STICKY BARS

1 beaten egg

8 Tbsp. melted butter

1 box Duncan Hines yellow cake mix

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

¾ cup dark corn syrup

¼ cup light brown sugar

1 ½ cups chopped pecans

In a mixer, beat egg. Add melted butter. Add cake mix and mix well. Scrape down the bowl. Press the crust mixture over the bottom and ½ inch up sides of a 13 x 9 pan. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 20 minutes. In a mixer, beat eggs. Add vanilla, corn syrup, sugar, and mix well. Fold in pecans. Pour over the crust. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden and filling set. Cool.

APPLE CAKE SQUARES

3 beaten eggs

2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil (Wesson)

1 tsp. vanilla

2 ½ cups sifted, all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

4 cups peeled, chopped red delicious apples

In a mixer, beat eggs. Add sugar and mix. Add oil, vanilla extract and mix well.  Add flour, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well.  Fold in chopped apples. Bake in a greased and floured 13×9 inch baking pan in a 325-degree oven for 50 minutes or until golden and done. Ice with Vanilla Cream Cheese Icing

Vanilla Cream Cheese Icing

1 lb. box of confectioner’s sugar

1 8 oz. cream cheese

½ cup butter

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup chopped pecans

In a mixer, add sugar, cream cheese, and butter. Beat until smooth. Add vanilla and mix well. Fold in pecans.

BUTTERSCOTCH PEANUT BARS

2 beaten eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

8 Tbsp. melted, salted butter

¼ cup light brown sugar

1 box Duncan Hines yellow cake mix

1 cup butterscotch chips

1 cup chopped salted peanuts

In a mixer, beat eggs. Add vanilla, butter, sugar, and cake mix. Mix well. Spread the mixture over the bottom of a greased 13 x 9 baking pan. Sprinkle the chips and peanuts over the batter. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until done. Cool and cut into bars.

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

1 beaten egg

½ cup sugar

½ cup light brown sugar

½ cup softened butter

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 Tbsp. water

½ cup peanut butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ tsp. soda

¼ tsp. salt

In a mixer, beat egg. Add sugars, butter, extract, water, and peanut butter. Mix well. Add flour, soda, and salt. Mix well. Drop by spoonful onto a greased cookie sheet. Create a crisscross pattern with fork tines. Bake in a 325-degree oven for 18 minutes or until done.

OATMEAL WALNUT COOKIES

2 beaten eggs

1 cup light brown sugar

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup shortening (Crisco)

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. soda

1 tsp. salt

3 cups quick-cooking oatmeal

½ cup chopped walnuts

In a mixer, beat eggs. Add sugars and vanilla. Add shortening and mix well. Add flour, soda, salt, and oatmeal. Mix well. Fold in walnuts. Bake on ungreased baking sheet in a 350-degree oven for 10-12 minutes or until done.

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER BARS

2 beaten eggs

8 Tbsp. melted butter

1 cup peanut butter

1 box Duncan Hines yellow cake mix

1 pkg. (12 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips

14 oz. can condensed milk

2 Tbsp. butter

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup unsweetened, grated coconut

2 tsp. vanilla extract

In a mixer, beat eggs. Add butter, peanut butter, and cake mix. Mix well. Reserve 1 ½ cups of crust.  Spread remaining crust over the bottom of an ungreased 13 x 9 inch baking pan. In a saucepan, melt chocolate chips, add milk and butter, and stir 4 minutes while heating. Stir in   pecans, coconut, and vanilla. Mix well. Pour the mixture over the crust and spread evenly. Crumble reserved crust and scatter over the top of mixture. Bake for 20-25 minutes in a 350-degree oven until light brown and done.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE MACADAMIA COOKIES

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 beaten egg

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2/3 cup light brown sugar

1/3 cup sugar

2 sticks softened, salted butter

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

1 cup white chocolate chips

1 cup chopped macadamia nuts

In a saucepan, melt semi-sweet chips. Cool. In a mixer, beat egg. Add extract, butter, and sugars. Add melted chocolate. Mix well. Add flour, soda, and salt. Mix well. Fold in chips and nuts. Drop by tablespoons on an ungreased baking tray. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 10-12 minutes or until done.

DEVIL’S FOOD CAKE WITH MARSHMALLOW FROSTING

3 beaten eggs

1 1/3 cups buttermilk

½ cup vegetable oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 box Duncan Hines devil’s food cake mix

3 Tbsp. cocoa powder

In a mixer, beat eggs. Add buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and mix well. Add cake mix and cocoa powder. Beat until smooth. Bake in two, greased, 9 inch baking pans in a 350-degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until done. Cool. Frost with marshmallow frosting.

Marshmallow Frosting

2 large egg whites

2 Tbsp. water

½ cup sugar

1 jar marshmallow crème

In a saucepan, add egg whites, water, and sugar. Cook at low heat while beating with a hand mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Remove from heat. Add marshmallow crème to egg mixture and beat at high speed until soft peaks form. Frost any 2-3 layer cake. Sometimes I make a white icing and then incorporate marshmallow crème into it.

ORANGE CRUSH CAKE

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 cup butter

3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

2 cups miniature marshmallows

1 cup Orange Crush

½ cup buttermilk

2 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon soda

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. orange extract

1 15-ounce can Mandarin oranges, drained well and chopped, reserve liquid for icing

Orange cake coloring (such as Wilton’s)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three, 8-inch cake pans. Combine flour and sugar in a bowl, set aside. Heat butter, confectioners’ sugar, marshmallows and Orange Crush until marshmallows melt. Pour over flour mixture and mix thoroughly. Beat together buttermilk, eggs, soda, vanilla extract, orange extract and mandarin oranges; add to flour mixture and mix well. Add in small increments of cake coloring until you get desired orange color. Batter will be thin. Bake in prepared pans for a three-layer cake for 25 minutes. Start checking before the time is up. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean. Remove from pans, cool on a wire rack. Once cool, frost top of first layer, then stack second layer. Frost second layer and stack third layer. Frost top layer and sides.

Orange Crush Buttercream Icing

1 cup shortening

1 cup butter

4 tablespoons Orange Crush soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. orange extract

2 tablespoons drained juice from mandarin oranges

1 lb. confectioner’s sugar

Orange cake coloring (such as Wilton’s)

Mix shortening, butter, Orange Crush, salt, vanilla extract, orange extract, and powdered sugar until creamy. If too thick, add small amounts of reserved mandarin orange juice until desired consistency. Add Wilton’s orange cake coloring in small increments until you get desired orange color.

PINNEAPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

½ cup melted butter

1 cup light brown sugar

1 small can sliced pineapple, juice saved

1 small jar, stems removed, Maraschino cherries

3 beaten eggs

1 cup sugar

½ tsp. vanilla

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

5 Tbsp. pineapple juice

In a cast iron skillet, melt butter and blend with brown sugar. Lay pineapple slices over the entire top with a cherry in the center of each slice. In a mixer, beat eggs. Add sugar, vanilla and mix. Add flour, baking powder, salt, pineapple juice, and mix well.  Pour over pineapple. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 30-40 minutes or until golden and done. Cool. Turn upside down on a cake serving platter. Beautiful served with a bowl of whipped cream for topping. You can add coconut to the batter and rum to the butter, brown sugar mixture for a twist of flavor blends.

PUMPKIN RUM CARAMEL TRIFLE

1 box spice cake mix

½ cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

¼ teaspoon salt

2 egg yolks

1½ cups whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2½ cups heavy cream, divided use

¾ cup dark rum, divided use

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 15-ounce can pumpkin

2 teaspoons rum extract, divided use

Cinnamon (optional)

1 cup toasted hazelnuts or other nuts (optional)

About 1 cup good-quality caramel sauce (such as Williams-Sonoma)

Prepare spice cake as directed on package. Add a few teaspoons of extra spices to the mix for deeper flavor. Your choice. Let cool. Whisk together sugar, cornstarch and salt in pot. Whisk in egg yolks, milk, vanilla extract and ½ cup cream. Whisk in ¼ cup rum. Cook over medium heat, whisking until bubbling. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook, whisking, until thickened. Whisk in butter until melted, and set rum custard aside. Break apart cake layers into small pieces and pour remaining ½ cup of the rum over all of the cake, soaking it completely. Whip 1 cup of the cream and mix together with the pumpkin. Add 1 teaspoon of the rum extract. Set aside. Separately, whip remaining 1 cup cream with remaining teaspoon of rum extract. In a trifle dish, layer half the pumpkin-cream mixture, half the cake, half rum custard, and half the plain whipped cream. Then repeat with whipped cream last on top. Sprinkle with cinnamon and toasted hazelnuts, if desired. Drizzle with caramel sauce. Add more rum extract or dark rum to any mixture according to your personal taste.

Hints: On time savers, buy a really good spatula from a quality kitchen store like Williams Sonoma. These will scrape almost every drop off a mixing bowl. This allows for one dish prep work. You can move from cake batter to cake icing. You don’t need multiple bowls. Second, when making multiple desserts, you can make one and immediately follow with prep for another. No need to wash everything between dishes. Just scrape the bowl until it’s mostly clean. You can do this when cooking multiple side dishes or casseroles, too.  One bowl for everything. See how much easier that sounds? It is. Using cake mix recipes can save time when preparing desserts for large groups. I always serve a layered cake or two for a pretty presentation, but the large trays of cake squares feed a crowd.