​Cake:
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
pinch salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 ¼ cups sugar
1 cup sour cream
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

Filling:
1 ½ cups chopped pecans
¾ cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Glaze:
½ cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
 
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease a 9x13 inch dish.  Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
 
2.  In large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy; beat in sour cream until well mixed.  Beat in eggs one at a time, then vanilla.  Fold in flour mixture until just incorporated.
 
3.  In a small bowl, stir together filling ingredients.
 
4.  Spoon half of batter into prepared dish; smooth out.  Sprinkle with half the pecan mixture.  Top with remaining batter; smooth top gently.  Scatter remaining pecan mixture over batter and swirl gently with a knife or offset spatula.
 
5.  Bake until tester comes back with just a few moist crumbs, about 40-45 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  Stir together powdered sugar and milk until smooth; drizzle over cake.  Cool completely before cutting. 

​Cake:
1 cup water
½ cup butter
¼ cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
½ cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
 
Frosting:
¾ cup butter
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup peanut butter
3 ½ cups powdered sugar
 
1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a 12x17 pan with parchment paper trimmed to fit. 
 
2.  In a small pan, bring water to a simmer over medium-high.  Add butter and peanut butter and whisk until smooth and combined.  Bring just to a boil, then remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
 
3.  In a large bowl, stir together sugar, brown sugar, flour, salt and baking soda.  In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla.  Use a rubber spatula to incorporate water/peanut butter mixture and egg mixture into dry ingredients.  Transfer to prepared pan and bake until edges are slightly browned and center springs back when touched, about 15-18 minutes.  Set on a wire rack to cool.
 
4.  While cake is baking, melt butter in a small pan over medium.  Add buttermilk, vanilla, and peanut butter and bring to a boil.  Transfer to a large bowl.  Sift powdered sugar into bowl and fold into peanut butter mixture until incorporated.  Beat with a wooden spoon until smooth and glossy.  Drizzle over warm cake and gently spread to coat with an offset spatula. 
 
Revised November 2017

​1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 teaspoons baking powder
2/3 cup milk
4 cups peeled, thickly sliced peaches
1/3 cup brown sugar
¼ cup cold butter
whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for serving
 
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray.
 
2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cinnamon and baking powder; stir in milk. Pour into prepared dish. Add fruit in an even layer over flour mixture. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Grate butter over brown sugar as evenly as possible.
 
3. Bake until puffed and deep golden brown, about an hour. Let stand for ten minutes before serving. Top with whipped cream or ice cream if desired.
 
Revised November 2017

​pastry for a single crust pie
2 eggs
¾ cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ginger
¼ teaspoon cloves
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
whipped cream, for serving
 
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a pie plate with piecrust. Beat eggs in a large bowl until frothy. Stir in remaining ingredients until smooth. Transfer to prepared pie plate.
 
2. Bake for 15 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake until knife comes out clean, about 40-50 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temperature, then refrigerate until serving. Top with whipped cream.

Revised November 2017

​1 ½ cups fine vanilla wafer crumbs
3 tablespoons butter, melted
32 ounces cream cheese, softened, divided
1 cup sugar, divided
3 teaspoons vanilla, divided
3 eggs
1 tub (8 ounces) whipped topping, thawed
 
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a 9-inch springform pan, toss wafer crumbs and butter with a fork until well combined, then press onto bottom of pan.
 
2. Beat 24 ounces of the cream cheese with ¾ cups sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat on low until smooth and well-combined, scraping down sides and bottom of mixing bowl. Transfer to prepared crust and bake until slightly browned on top and the center seems somewhat set, about 60 minutes. Run knife around edge of crust to loosen. Cool completely on a wire rack.
 
3. Beat remaining 8 ounces cream cheese, remaining ¼ cup sugar and remaining teaspoon vanilla until combined. Firmly whisk in whipped topping until smooth. Spread over top of cheesecake. Chill for 4-5 hours and remove side of pan before serving.
 
Revised November 2017

​1 cup butter
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-3 tablespoons cream
pinch salt
 
1.  Beat butter in a large bowl until fluffy.  Gradually incorporate powdered sugar on low; add vanilla, 1-2 tablespoons cream, and salt. Increase mixer speed to high and beat until desired consistency is reached, adding additional cream as necessary. 
 
Added May 2018

​25 whole Oreo cookies
5 tablespoons butter, melted
1 jar (13 ounces) Nutella
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tub (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
mini chocolate chips, for garnish
 
1.  Crush the cookies to crumbs in a food processor; add butter and pulse to combine.  Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate and press evenly along bottom and up the sides.  Freeze for 30 minutes.
 
2.  Beat together Nutella and cream cheese until smooth; fold in whipped topping.  Transfer to crust and spread until smooth.  Refrigerate 4-5 hours or overnight.  Garnish with mini chocolate chips before serving.
 
Added September 2018

​3 cups sweetened condensed milk
¾ cup sour cream
¾ cup key lime juice
zest of one lime
1 prepared graham cracker crust
sweetened whipped cream and thin lime slices, for garnish
 
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Thoroughly combine milk, sour cream, key lime juice, and lime zest; transfer to crust.  Bake for 15 minutes; do not allow to brown. 
 
2.  Cool on a wire rack to room temperature before transferring to refrigerator to chill completely.  Garnish with whipped cream and lime slice before serving.
 
Added September 2018

​pastry for single-crust pie, unbaked
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
¼ cup cornstarch
2 cups half and half
4 egg yolks
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
2 ½ teaspoons vanilla, divided
1 ½ cups cream
additional sweetened flaked coconut, toasted, for garnish
 
1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a 9-inch pie plate with crust and crimp edges.  Prick bottom with a fork and bake until golden, about 15 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack. 
 
2.  In a heavy saucepan, whisk together the ½ cup sugar and cornstarch.  In a glass bowl or measuring cup whisk together half and half and egg yolks.  Gradually incorporate into sugar mixture and bring to a boil over medium, whisking constantly.  Stir and boil for 2-3 minutes and remove from heat.
 
3.  Stir in butter, coconut, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.  Let stand for 15 minutes, whisking occasionally to release heat.  Transfer to piecrust, smooth, top, and chill for 1 hour.
 
4.  Beat cream, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and remaining 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla until soft peaks form.  Spread or pipe over filling and garnish with toasted coconut before serving.
 
Added September 2018; revised January 2019

​3 cups cake flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup butter, softened
½ cup shortening
2 ½ cups sugar
5 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup milk
 
1.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees; lightly grease and flour a 10 inch bundt pan.  Whisk together flour and baking powder; set aside.
 
2.  Cream together butter, shortening, and sugar until light and fluffy.  Thoroughly beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla.  With mixer on low, add flour mixture alternately with milk, starting and ending with flour. 
 
3.  Transfer batter to prepared pan.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 80-90 minutes.  Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
 
Added May 2019

​1 can (12 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 tube (3 ounces) powdered lemonade drink mix, such as Crystal Light
8 ounces sour cream
1 prepared graham cracker piecrust
 
1.  Whisk together first four ingredients until smooth.  Transfer to piecrust and smooth top.  Cover and refrigerate 2-3 hours until firm enough to slice.
 
Revised November 2017

​1 ¼ cups sugar
¼ cup flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
 
1. In a medium saucepan, stir together the sugar, flour and salt. Whisk in milk until smooth.  Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thick, about 5-7 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.  Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, about 2 hours. 

2.  In a large bowl, beat butter until light and fluffy; gradually beat in milk mixture and vanilla.  Beat on high until very smooth and fluffy, about 5-7 minutes.
 
Revised November 2017, November 2020

​2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
¾ cup baking cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup strong brewed coffee, room temperature
1 cup milk
2 eggs
 
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees; generously grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan or 2 9 inch round pans.
 
2. In a large bowl thoroughly whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add oil, coffee, milk and eggs and beat on low until incorporated, then for two minutes on high. Batter will be thin.
 
3. Transfer to prepared pan(s) and bake until well-risen and center springs back when touched, about 45 minutes for a 9x13 inch pan and 30 minutes for round pans. Run a knife around edges and cool in pans on wire racks for 15 minutes before turning out to cool completely.
 
Revised November 2017

​4 eggs plus 2 yolks
½ cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 ½ cups butter, softened
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 cups sugar
3 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon salt
 
1.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees; grease and flour a 12-cup nonstick bundt pan.  Whisk eggs, egg yolks, milk and vanilla together in a 2-cup liquid measuring cup; set aside.
 
2.  Beat butter, cream cheese and sugar, scraping down bowl occasionally, on high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to low and in a small steady stream add liquid mixture until incorporated. Gently stir in flour, one cup at a time, and salt.
 
3.  Transfer batter to prepared pan and tap on counter to settle. Bake until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean, about 80 minutes. Cool in pan on rack for 15 minutes, then place rack on top of pan and invert to release.  Cool completely.
 
Revised November 2017

​1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla, divided
1 teaspoon almond extract, divided
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
 
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
 
2.  Cream butter and sugar until fluffy and well blended, then beat in eggs one at a time. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla and ½ teaspoon almond extract. Slowly blend in flour and salt until incorporated, then beat until combined.
 
3.  Spread two thirds of mixture evenly into prepared pan; top with cherries. Dollop remaining dough in spoonfuls over cherry layer. Bake until lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.
 
4.  Stir together remaining vanilla, remaining almond extract, powdered sugar, and milk. Drizzle over cake.
 
Revised November 2017

​1 (9 ounce) package thin chocolate wafer cookies
¾ cup butter, divided
1/3 cup water
1 ¾ cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 ½ cups mini marshmallows
4 cups heavy cream, divided
¼ cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
 
1.  Pulverize cookies in food processor.  Melt ½ cup butter and add to cookie crumbs; pulse to combine.  Transfer to a deep dish pie plate and press evenly on the bottom and up the sides.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
 
2.  Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan over medium.  Add remaining butter, chocolate chips and marshmallows and reduce heat to low; cook, stirring, until melted and smooth.  Transfer to a large bowl and set aside to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.
 
3.  Beat 2 ½ cups of cream until stiff peaks form.  Carefully and gradually fold whipped cream into chocolate mixture.  Transfer to prepared crust and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
 
4.  Whisk together remaining 1 ½ cups cream, powdered sugar and cocoa powder.  Beat until stiff peaks form, then spread over mousse layer.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to one day before serving. 
 
Revised November 2017

​pastry for single crust pie
8 cups thinly sliced apples
¾ cup sugar
1 cup flour, divided
1 teaspoon apple pie spice
¾ cup brown sugar
¼ cup butter, diced
 
1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a deep dish pie plate with pastry.  In a large bowl, combine apples, sugar, ¼ cup flour, and apple pie spice.  Transfer to pie plate. 
 
2.  In a small bowl, combine remaining ¾ cup flour, brown sugar, and butter.  Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir together until well combined and crumbs form.  Sprinkle evenly over apples.
 
3.  Cover loosely with foil and bake for 20 minutes, then remove foil and bake for another 25 minutes or until juices are bubbling and top is lightly browned.  Cool on a wire rack before serving.
 
Revised November 2017

​4 cups blueberries
4 cups flour, divided
4 teaspoons baking powder
pinch salt
1 cup butter, softened
zest of one lemon
1 ¾ cups sugar, plus more for sprinkling
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Line a baking sheet with paper towels; rinse berries in a colander, shake out excess water and spread on paper towels.  Roll around and pat dry; transfer to a bowl and toss with ½ cup flour.  Set aside.
 
2.  Whisk together 3 ½ cups flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.  Beat butter, lemon zest and sugar, scraping down sides, until fluffy; beat in eggs and vanilla. 
 
3.  Gently stir flour mixture and buttermilk, in alternate additions, until just incorporated.  Fold in blueberries and any loose flour in bottom of bowl.  Do not overmix.
 
3. Transfer batter into prepared dish and smooth top; sprinkle with additional sugar. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean, about 45-50 minutes.
 
Revised November 2017

​2 cups peeled, diced apple
2 tablespoons plus 1 ½ cups sugar, divided
2 teaspoons cinnamon, divided
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
pinch salt
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
¼ cup orange juice
2 teaspoons vanilla
powdered sugar, for garnish
 
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and generously grease and flour a bundt pan. In a small bowl, toss together apples with the 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining cinnamon, flour, baking powder, nutmeg and salt.
 
2. In a large bowl, beat the remaining 1 ½ cups sugar, oil, eggs, orange juice, and vanilla until combined. Gently fold in flour mixture just until incorporated. Spoon one third of batter into prepared pan, then top with half of apple mixture, then remaining batter. Tap pan lightly on counter to settle.
 
3. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes; place rack across top of pan and quickly invert, tapping pan to release cake. Cool completely on rack and sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving.
 
Revised November 2017