What's cooking Suzanne?

By Staff
Suzanne Langcuster
Franklin County Times
Have you ever made a cake, pulled it out of the oven and thought, that cake needs an icing?
Even though the recipe didn't call for one, and icing would make it so special. Today we will share some easy, tried and true icings, glazes, and frosting for those delicious baked items cooks make.
You may use them on pound cakes, plain cakes, or special buns. The choices are yours. Enjoy and maybe even use for your holiday cooking.
Cream Cheese Bar Icing
1 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. granulated sugar
10(15 oz.) milk chocolate candy bars with almonds
1 (12 oz.) container of Cool Whip
Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until mixture is creamy. Chop eight candy bars finely. Fold cream cheese mixture and chopped candy into whipped topping. Spread icing on layers of cake. Sprinkle half of chopped candy bars over cake, and around cake.
Chocolate Pour Over Icing
1 (12 oz.pkg.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
2 T. butter
1 t.vanilla extract
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
Melt Chocolate chips with milk, butter, vanilla and salt over medium heat, stirring constantly to avoid burning. Remove from heat as soon as chocolate is melted. Pour over cake batter and sprinkle with nuts Crumble some of the cake better over the cake and bake. Delicious!
Glaze
2 c. powdered sugar
2 T. vanilla
4 T. milk
Stir together icing ingredients until smooth. Pour over hot cake.
Cream Cheese Frosting
1 (8oz.) cream cheese softened
1/2 stick margarine
1 box powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla
Beat cream cheese and margarine until smooth. Add sugar and mix well. Add vanilla and beat until smooth. If you like you can top with pecans.
Delicious Coconut Icing
1 stick butter
1 c. sugar
1 c. chopped nuts optional)
1 c. coconut
2/3 c. evaporated milk
Combine margarine, sugar and milk in a saucepan. Boil 5 minutes. Stir in nuts (if wanted) ,and coconut. Spread on warm cake. Good!
Old Timey Chocolate Icing
3 c. sugar
1 c. Carnation evaporated milk
1 stick margarine
1/2 c. cocoa
1 pinch salt
Put all ingredients in a pot. Boil and when it hits a good boil, cook 2 minutes. Stay with it and stir. Cook to a hard ball stage. You can test this by filling up a cup with cold water and using your spoon drop a drop of the chocolate mixture into the water. If you can form a ball that will not fall apart it is ready to remove. It you wish you can add 2 or 3 T, peanut butter before you remove it from heat. Take your pot to the sink, put a little cold water in the bottom of the sink and sit the pot in it. Don't let water get into your icing. Stir until it gets to a spreading consistency. You may want to add a little evaporated milk to the mixture to make it cool quicker.
This can also be a candy recipe. If it is for candy, pour into a buttered Pyrex and let cool and slice. If it is for your cake, remove and spread with a knife or spreader over your cake and let it cool before you slice, sp; that is if you can wait that long!
Easy Caramel Icing
1 box lt. brown sugar
1/2 c. carnation milk
1 stick margarine or butter
Put all ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes ,stirring. Cool, beat and spread on cake. Good!
Quick Chocolate Icing
1 stick margarine
1/3 c. milk
5 T. cocoa
1/8 t. salt
1 (16 oz.) pkg. confectioners sugar
1 t. vanilla
1 c. chopped, tossed pecans
In a saucepan combine margarine, milk, cocoa, and salt. Bring to boil and remove from heat. Add sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth and creamy. Spread on cake. Tasty.
Ooey gooey Pumpkin Cake
Cake:
1 (18 1/4-ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 egg
8 tablespoons butter, melted
Filling:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
Fresh whipped cream, for topping
Candy for toppings (recommended: M and M's, Reese's pieces, crushed Snickers, Heath bars, mini chocolates, peanuts)
Special Equipment: 10 (5-inch) removable bottom tart pans
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine the cake mix, egg and butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Divide the mixture into 10-equally sized balls.
Flatten each ball with the palm of your hand and gently press into the bottom of each tart pan.
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth with an electric mixer.
Beat in eggs, vanilla and butter. Add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well.
Spoon a scant 1/2-cup of the pumpkin mixture over cake batter in the tart pans and bake for about 40 minutes.