This is a recipe that is both a family favorite and a tradition.  My husband originally got it from an elderly and very sweet lady at his church.  Through the years we have played with it a little here and there by changing a few of the ingredients and the respective amounts of each and have come out with what might just be the best rum cake recipe you will ever come across! Just try it and you will see!

Dave’s Rum Cake

Ingredients:

1 stick of butter

1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or almonds

4 large eggs (I have to say this because in one of my other recipes someone asked me what size eggs to add and it is a legitimate question because when you go to the grocery store there are small, medium, large, extra large and even jumbo eggs.  For this recipe and for all the others will assume large sized eggs).

1 package of yellow cake mix

1 tablespoon vanilla extract (use the real vanilla not the imitation as there is a big difference in flavor and taste).

1 package of vanilla instant pudding mix

1/4 Cup of olive or vegetable oil

1 Cup of dark rum (some recipes call for rum syrup – to make a really good rum cake there is no substitute for the real thing and you can add more than a cup depending on how strong of a rum flavor you want to have).

1/2 Cup of water

1/2 Cup of sugar

1/2 Cup of brown sugar

Mix the cake ingredients together (sans the nuts, butter, water, sugars and half of the rum – these will be used for the delicious frosting).  If you or a member of your family are allergic to nuts you do not have to include the chopped walnuts or almonds in this recipe.  Else placed the nuts sporadically across the bottom of the pan.  Be sure and cover the bottom of the pan equally – else one slice will get all the nuts and other one won’t).  Next fill-in with the mixed ingredients. 

You can also opt to change the consistency of your rum cake by putting the nuts in with the mixed ingredients so instead of them being on the bottom of the cake they’re mixed throughout the cake.  And if you really like nuts this way you can add more to the recipe.

Bake the ingredients at 350° 55 to 60 minutes.  Now keep in mind everyone of them is a little bit different so this may differ a little with your oven.  For instance, this rum cake recipe may come out better at 325° or maybe even at 375°.  You may also have to extend or reduce the baking time a little bit.  But, as a general rule used 350° for 55 to 60 minutes.  Then let cool.

Invert the cake onto serving plate you’ll be using.  Then take the ingredients that you have not used (the sans ingrediants I listed above) and mix them together to make the frosting or glaze some people refer to it as.  You will melt the butter in a saucepan then stir in water and the sugars.  Boil for about 5 or  minutes and stir well  The remove from the heat source and add the rum.  Pour frosting or glaze all over the top of the rum cake.  Be sure and do this uniformly and evenly so it looks good.  Let cool. Serve and enjoy!

This rum cake recipe is excellent for holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving.  Some people prefer to serve this rum cake without the frosting or glaze (sans frosting ingredients above) and preferinstead to add the full amount of rum into the mix prior to baking for a stronger taste.  I, myself, prefer it just the way it is above.  Try it yourself and see…

I don’t know if my mom actually made this recipe up or if she got it from her mother.  All I know is – I love it! She made this cherry crunch pie recipe a lot.  It’s easy to make and it’s definitely been a family favorite for years.  Both kids and adults will love this pie recipe.

Mom’s Cherry Crunch Pie

Ingredients:

1 jar of pitted cherries in water (16 oz.)

1 box of yellow cake mix

1/2 cup of crushed walnuts

5 tablespoons of butter

Directions:

Butter the pie plate or spray it.  Put the whole jar of pitted cherries in with a squirt of lemon juice.  Next add dry cake mix in a bowl.  Mix with a fork and add the 5 tablespoons of hot melted butter and 1/2 cup crushed walnuts.  Mix the ingredients in the bowl with a fork and then pour over the cherries in the pie plate.  Be sure and start in the middle and then go outdoors towards the edges as you fill the pie plate.  Bake for 30 minutes at 300° in the oven.

Doesn't it look delicious? It tastes far better then it looks - Wait until you try it!

This is such a delicious recipe that when I’m in the mood to make this cherry crunch pie I almost can’t wait for it to finish baking.  I serve it with a little Cool Whip on top of each slice.  This could also be a great idea for a delicious dessert to top off a wonderful Valentine’s Day meal – husbands love this!  As they say the key to a man’s heart is through his stomach and it doesn’t get much better than my Mom’s Cherry crunch pie.  Enjoy.

Vanilla pudding cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 box vanilla pudding

1 box vanilla cake mix

Confectionery sugar for garnishing

Cupcake wrappers

Directions:

these are pretty easy to make, basically you just follow the cake mix directions that come on the cake mix box and you also follow the pudding mix directions on the pudding box.  Be sure and mix these in two separate bowls – one for the cake mix and one for the pudding mix.  Then pour the cake batter into the cupcake wrappers in a cupcake tin.

For baking simply follow the directions on the boxes.  When cooled cut out a small circular top from the cupcakes and save the top – you will use this in a second as the lid.  Pour the pudding mix in the whole and top off the cupcake with its hat or the top you just removed earlier.  Then sprinkle the top with confectionery sugar and enjoy. 

Don't they just look wonderful?

These cupcakes look great and taste great too.  As an alternative, instead of confectionery sugar, you can use a chocolate sauce or syrup like Hershey’s and this will give it more of a Boston cream type of effect.  Both ways they taste great.  And I guarantee your kids will love them too.

The Best Sweet Potato Casserole

ingredients:

5-6 sweet potatoes

1/2 C milk

1 1/4 C sugar

1/2 stick of melted butter

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1 C mini marshmallows

Directions:

Bake the sweet potatoes at 375° for one hour and a half.  Be sure and rub them with vegetable oil before baking.  The peels will slide off when finished.

Smash up the sweet potatoes in a bowl and add the half cup of milk, one and a quarter cups of sugar, one half stick of melted butter, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, two eggs beaten, and 1 cup of mini marshmallows.  Mix all the ingredients well.  Then spray large casserole dish (9″ x 13″ works well) and place the mixed sweet potatoes in the casserole dish.

Picture of sweet potato casserole prior to baking.

Next comes the topping – my kids favorite part.

Topping ingredients:

1 C brown sugar packed

1/4 C flour

1 C pecans crushed real good

*1 stick of butter melted – be sure and pour this in the bowl last*

Directions:

Mix the melted butter to the dry ingredients last after mixing the dry ingredients well with a spoon.  Then take this topping and spread on top of the sweet potatoes in the casserole dish to completely cover it.

The best sweet potato casserole after baking and ready to serve!

You can double the topping if you like.  Some people prefer the sweeter, cruncher topping. I have found, myself, that I don’t need this and the recipe is perfect as described above.

Be sure and prepare the sweet potato casserole the day before you plan on serving it.  Then bake the day you are ready to eat.  Bake for 35 minutes at 375° and be sure and bake it covered with aluminum foil. Serve this tasty dish and enjoy – it will be the talk for days.

The best sweet potato casserole already half gone at Thanksgiving and the meal has barely begun...

Doesn’t it just look yummy?  Wait until you try it.  It will be the first plate or dish that you run out of and will surely be everyone’s favorite!

Deep dish pumpkin pie

1 3/4 C flour

1/3 C firmly packed brown sugar

1/3 C sugar

1 C margarine or butter cut into small pieces

1 C chopped nuts

1 (16 oz.) can of pumpkin

1 (14 oz.) can of sweetened condensed milk

2 eggs

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp all spice (aka Jamaican pepper)

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Combine the flour, sugar, brown sugar and cut up margarine or butter until crumbly.  Stir in the chopped nuts.  Be sure and take out one cup of this resulting mixture which will be used later as the crumbly topping.

Press the remaining mixture firmly on bottom and halfway up the sides of a 12 x 17 dish.  Pour in the remaining ingredients except the other cup of the crumb mixture which you removed earlier.

Top with the remaining crumb mix and bake for 55 minutes.  Let cool, serve and enjoy.

Awesome apple crunch cake

Ingredients:

3 C flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cloves

1 tsp cinnamon

3 C peeled apples

1 C raisins

1 C walnuts

This recipe will have your house smelling inviting this holiday season.  To start, mix the dry ingredients first then the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.  Then mix all the ingredients together.

Put the mix in an angel food round cake tin.  To make the cake more decorative dust confectionary powder over top of it.  You don’t have to use a round cake tin for this recipe you can also use a 9″ x 13″ dish if you prefer.

Bake the apple crunch cake in the oven for 95 minutes to two hours.  Set the oven for 320° and keep checking after one half hours to see if it’s done.  The reason why I give you a range for the cooking time is that each person’s oven is little bit different and I found from cooking it in different kitchens and ovens that this time does vary so keep that in mind.  Most importantly, when you are done, enjoy this wonderful dessert and happy holidays!

Easy Southern Corn Pudding

Easy Southern Corn Pudding

Ingredients:

4 C. Corn

6 TBL sugar

1 tsp salt

4 eggs

2 TB flour

1 C. half n half

1 C. heavy cream

2 TBS melted butter

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.  Melt the butter and then add it to the mix.

Bake in the oven at 350° for 45 minutes.  Watch the corn pudding for the last five minutes of baking.  It should be done when the top starts to brown a bit.  Sit and let cool.  Enjoy.