But as with the Mayonnaise Cake, the taste convinced me!

Tomato Soup Cake

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 egg, well beaten
• 1 cup tomato soup
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp cloves
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder

Cream together the sugar & butter; add the egg. Mix & add tomato soup & baking soda. Add remaining spices. Add flour sifted with baking powder. Mix well & pour into greased & floured 9″ x 13″ baking pan. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

• 3 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 can pineapple (rings, chunks, or crushed), drained, 1/8 cup juice reserved
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1-1/2 tsp flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Blend the melted butter, brown sugar, & juice in a 9″ x 13″ baking dish; add pineapple. Combine remaining ingredients in a mixer bowl; mix on medium until smooth. Pour over pineapple mixture. Bake at 350 F for 25 to 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

To serve, invert each slice on the plate, so the fruit is on the top. Best served warm with whipped cream as a garnish.

Lorraine makes this cake relatively often (she’s the baker in the house) and discovered some years back that it makes fantastic cupcakes. It’s a really good cake!

Mayonnaise Cake

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1-1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup cold water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 5 Tbsp cocoa

Mix all ingredients well. Place in a greased & floured 9″ x 13″ cake pan. Bake at 350 F for 38 minutes.

This recipe also works well for cupcakes. Bake cupcakes for 15 minutes.

Eggless Cake

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup sour milk (1 cup milk + 1 Tbsp vinegar)
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup raisins

Blend sugar & butter until well mixed. Add next three ingredients. Blend sour milk & baking soda. Add to sugar/butter mixture. Add remaining ingredients & blend until smooth. Bake at 350 F for 30 to 35 minutes.

Dutch Cherry Cake

• 2-1/2 cups red cherries (#2 can) drained; reserve juice
• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 cup sugar, divided
• 2 eggs, separated & beaten
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, & 1/2 cup sugar. Combine beaten egg yolks with milk, vanilla, and butter. Add liquids to flour mixture all at once; beat until smooth.

Beat egg whites with remaining 1/4 cup sugar until stiff by not dry. Fold cherries and egg whites into batter. Pour into greased 8″ x 8″ baking pan and bake at 350 F for 40 to 50 minutes. Serve with hot Cherry Sauce.

Jay got this recipe from The Cake Bible (ISBN 0-688-04402-6), by Rose Levy Beranbaum. If you want to make serious cakes, this is THE book.

Triple Chocolate Cake

• 1 recipe Light Whipped Ganache, preferably made with extra bittersweet chocolate
• 1 recipe Moist Chocolate Genoise, top and bottom crusts removed
• 1 recipe Syrup, flavored with Frangelico
• 1 recipe Chocolate Praline Sheets

Cake Assembly:

Frost the cake directly on a serving plate, using strips of wax paper slid under the sides. Or use a 9″ cardboard round as a base. Place a dab of ganache on the base to attach the cake.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup syrup on each side of cake layers.

Place 1 layer on the plate or cardboard – support the layer when lifting it with a spare cardboard round. Sandwich the layers with 1 cup ganache. Reserve 1/4 cup ganache to attach the praline sheets and frost the top and sides of the cake with the remainder.

Applying the praline sheets:

NOTE: This was an adventure for Jay and Greg. Some day I’ll get them to comment on this.

A warm room (80-85 F) will make the sheets more flexible. Any leftovers can be remelted, re-tempered, and cut into decorative shapes.

Begin by laying each sheet on the counter and peeling off its top layer of paper. Lift up 1 sheet, side against the cake, curving it gently to mold against the side. Carefully peel away the wax paper. Place a dab of frosting near the edge of the sheet and attach a second sheet, overlapping the first.

Continue with remaining sheets until the cake is completely surrounded. Note: Only 4 sheets are needed to encase a 9″ cake so there are 2 extra in case of breakage.

If the room is warm enough the sheets will begin to curve downward toward the center of the cake. Coax them gently into graceful, undulating shapes, allowing their natural inclination to be your guide. If the cho9colate remains resolutely rigid, wave a hair drier (set on warm) briefly and evenly over the sheets. Stop before they appear to have softened and wait a few moments as it is easy to apply too much heat and melt the chocolate.

To this day this process feels slightly scary, slightly risky, and delightfully creative! A word of reassurance: Whatever happens, however it winds up looking, the sheets are always delicious.

A breath of powdered sugar contrasts nicely with the dark chocolate. For the finest possible dusting of sugar, place a few spoonfuls in a fine strainer and flick the side with your finger.