Recipes by Arlene

• 20 oz. can cherry pie filling
• 20 oz. can crushed pineapple
• 18½ oz. package yellow cake mix
• ½ cup butter, melted
• 6 oz. package chopped pecans

Heat oven to 350°. Spread pie filling and pineapple – including juice – in 9” x 13” pan. “Dump” cake mix on top. Drizzle with butter and top with pecans. Bake for 1 hour.

From the October 1955 Better Homes and Gardens Magazine.

• ⅔ cup shortening
• 2 cups sifted cake flour
• 1¼ cups sugar
• 1 tbsp. instant coffee
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. cream of tartar
• ¼ tsp. baking soda
• ½ cup water
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3 eggs
• 2 1-oz. squares unsweetened chocolate, melted

Stir shortening to soften. Sift in cake flour. Add sugar, instant coffee salt, cream of tartar and baking soda. Add water and vanilla. Mix until flour is dampened ; then beat vigorously for 2 minutes. Add eggs and melted unsweetened chocolate and beat an additional minute. Pour into paper-lined 9½ x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan. Bake in slow oven (325°) about 65 to 70 minutes or until done. Cool in pan for 10 minutes and remove from pan. When thoroughly cooled, sift confectioners’ sugar over top.

From the February 1975 Better Homes and Gardens Magazine.

• 2 3-oz. packages cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup butter, softened
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 6½ cups sifted powdered sugar
• ⅓ cup milk, at room temperature
• 4 squares (ounces) unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
• 4 tbsp. butter, softened
• 3 eggs
• 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1¼ cups milk

Cream together cheese, the ½ cup butter and the vanilla. Alternately, beat in sugar and the ⅓ cup milk. Blend in chocolate. Remove 2 cups for frosting, cover and refrigerate. Cream together remaining chocolate mixture and butter. Add eggs and beat well.

Stir together dry ingredients. Beat into creamed mixture alternately with the remaining milk. Turn into two greased and floured 9 x 1½-inch cake pans. Bake in 350° oven for 30 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove and cool on racks. Remove frosting from refrigerator 15 minutes before frosting cake.

• 1 package devils food cake mix
• ½ cup oil
• 1 8-oz. carton sour cream
• 1 4½-oz. package instant chocolate fudge pudding
• ½ cup Amaretto, Kuhlua or rum (your choice!)
• 4 eggs
• 1 6-oz. package chocolate chips

Put all ingredients (except chips) in bowl and, with a mixer, beat for 4 minutes. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour into Bundt pan sprayed with Pam and bake for 1 hour at 350°. Let cool for about 10 minutes and turn onto cake plate.

Note: This recipe originally came from Rose Kraber Brown of Alda, Nebraska. I was sorry to hear that she recently passed away.

• ½ cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¾ cup milk
• 1 cup chopped cranberries
• 1½ cup miniature marshmallows
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• ½ cup chopped walnuts
• 2 tbsp. melted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1½ cup flour
• 1 tsp. vanilla

In large mixing bowl cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and beat until well combined. In separate bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture alternately with milk and vanilla to egg mixture. Fold in cranberries. Spread butter in a greased 13” x 9” pan. Top with marshmallows and press into batter. sprinkle with brown sugar and nuts. Drizzle with melted butter. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes. Yield: 12-15 servings.

This recipe comes from Bonnie Macek, one of my mother’s best friends in Ravenna, Nebraska. The recipe is easily 60 years old if not much older.

• ½ cup butter or shortening
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 2 beaten eggs
• ½ tsp. grated lemon rind
• 2½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp. soda
• 2 cups fresh chopped apples
• ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar

Sift together white sugar, flour, baking powder and salt. dissolve soda in milk. Combine all ingredients (down to the chopped apples and except half of the milk) in mixer bowl and beat at medium speed for two minutes. Add last ½ of the milk and beat two more minutes. Add chopped apples. Pour into cake pan and sprinkle with brown sugar and nuts. Bake at 360 degrees about 30 minutes.

Cake

• 1 lb. 5 oz. package chocolate cake mix
• 3 ¾ oz. package chocolate instant pudding
• 2 cups sour cream
• ¾ cup cooking oil
• 4 eggs
• ⅓ cup Kahlua
• 6 oz. package semi-sweet chocolate chips

Topping:

• ¼ cup Kahlua
• ¼ cup powdered sugar

Combine all ingredients except chocolate chips and topping. Blend well. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into greased 10” Bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Cover with foil the last 15 minutes of baking. Let cool in pan for five minutes; then invert onto rack.

Blend Kahlua with powdered sugar in small bowl until smooth. Drizzle over warm cake.