Oatmeal Prune Cake

This is an old fashioned, home made, make you feel good all over, cake.  It's absolutely delicious and my family loves it!

The original recipe calls for dates instead of prunes, and this cake works equally well with them, but sometimes they are not available in stores (seasonal item), and prunes are a little cheaper.  I also use canola oil in my recipe instead of shortening  ... keeps it a little lighter.  The recipe came from my sweet mother.  I have no idea where she got it from, only that it's a winner!

Oatmeal Prune Cake

1 cup quick oatmeal

1 cup hot water

1 cup finely cut prunes (or dates)

1/2 cup hot water

1/2 cup canola oil (or vegetable oil)

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

2 beaten eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 & 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

Mix oatmeal & 1 cup hot water in a small bowl & let cool.  In another small bowl, mix prunes & 1/2 cup hot water & let cool.  In a large bowl, cream together: oil, brown sugar & white sugar.  Add: 2 beaten eggs & vanilla.  Add:  oatmeal mixture & dry ingredients alternately.  Stir in prune mixture.  Pour into a greased & floured tube pan.  Bake at 350 degrees 50-60 or until done.  Cool slightly & remove the outer pan wall from cake.  Cool completely & invert onto cake plate.  Drizzle with icing.

Icing

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 Tablespoons butter

1 & 1/2  Tablespoons milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Bring brown sugar, butter & milk to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly.  Boil 1 minute, whisking constantly.  Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.  Gradually whisk in powdered sugar until smooth.  Immediately, drizzle the icing over cake.  (If you wait too long the icing will be too thick to drizzle.

My mother used a simple powdered sugar & milk glaze for this cake, but I prefer this praline frosting. 

Your family & friends will LOVE this cake!

I like to place the tube pan on a cookie sheet lined with foil, because sometimes the pan will leak a little batter.  

Cool completely.  Run a knife underneath the cake and invert cake onto a plate.  

Don't worry.  It tastes way better than it looks!

So moist & delicious  ... You won't be sorry.

 

Rocky Mountain National Park

Jeff & I recently spent a day in Rocky Mountain National Park.  This beautifully preserved wilderness is located near Estes Park, Colorado, and it covers an area of 265,873 acres.  It was a lovely day spent celebrating our 24th wedding anniversary.

"Hear the summons night and day

Calling us to come away.

From the heights we leap and flow,

To the valleys down below.

 Always answering to the call,

To the lowest place of all.

Sweetest urge and sweetest pain,

To go low and rise again."

~Hinds' Feet on High Places~

We saw some elk cows off in the distance.

The bulls were by themselves.

I went to get a closer look.

Mountain Man got bored with my picture taking and went for a short hike.

Triumph!

These elk were magnificent!

 Antlers in velvet are sensitive (making the elk more docile)
and can grow up to one inch in a day.

 Elks eyes are designed to detect movement.
The can see ahead, beside and somewhat behind them.

An average bull weighs 700 pounds and stands five feet at the shoulder.

 A set of antlers on a mature bull can weigh up to 40 pounds.

 Elk are herbivores, which means they only eat plants.

Their diet may include grasses, forbs, shrubs and trees.

These elk were above 11,000 feet.  
The temperature was a very pleasant 60 degrees.

 About one million elk live in the western United States.

Beauty, Power & Grace ~ Courtesy of The Creator

These elk looked much bigger & scarier in person!
I was glad I had my long lens.

 Breath Taking!



Don't forget to visit Laura's Ice Cream in Estes Park.
My personal favorite: Turtle Ice Cream served in a waffle cone
that's been dipped in chocolate & toffee. 
It's so worth the trip!



I am the bread of life:
he that cometh to me shall never hunger;
and he that believeth on me
shall never thirst.
~Jesus~

Strawberry Kiwi Cake

I "made-over" a Pampered Chef recipe (Strawberry Kiwi Torte) to create this delicious, summer time sensation.

This cakes has all my favorites:  moist white cake, a cheese cake icing, strawberry filling and fresh strawberries.  




It's a bit involved, so I only make it once or twice a year, but it's well worth my time, because the family loves it.

I often thought several of these, nicely arranged, maybe one or two on crystal, cake pedestals would make a beautiful wedding cake.  

In this video I used 2 - 9" cake pans. I decreased the jam to 1/2 cup, and I only "painted" the jam on the top sides of the 4 layers.

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HX-nAA1lWt8

Ingredients

White cake mix
3 egg whites
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water

1/2 cup water
3 oz box strawberry jello (I use sugar free)
3/4 cup seedless strawberry jam

1 - 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1 lemon (2 tablespoons lemon juice)
1/3 cup cold milk
16 oz whipped topping (cool whip) thawed
1 small box instant cheesecake pudding (I use sugar free.)

2 pints fresh strawberries
5 fresh kiwi

Directions

Prepare 2 - 8" round white cakes according to the directions on the package.  Cool.

In a small microwave safe bowl microwave 1/2 cup water on high 1-2 minutes or until boiling. Add strawberry jello and stir until dissolved.  Add jam and whisk until smooth.

Juice the lemon to measure 2 tablespoons of juice. In a mixing bowl combine softened cream cheese and lemon juice.  Mix with an electric beater until smooth. Add milk and mix again.  Spoon whipped topping over cream cheese mixture but DO NOT MIX. Sprinkle with the pudding mix first, then mix well.  The mixture will be very thick.

Carefully slice the top off of one of the cakes to make it flat.

Slice this cake in half.  You may use a long, serrated knife or a handy-dandy, cake slicer like this one ($4 at Jo-Ann's).

 Take the top half of this cake ...

... and turn it up-side down on a cake plate.

Using a pastry brush, "paint" a layer of strawberry jello filling on this layer.  

Be sure to "paint" all the way to the ends.  Freeze for 5 minutes.  If you don't have room, the fridge will do.

Divide the cream cheese icing into 5 equal parts.  Pretend it's a pie and cut it into 5 pieces. 

Spread one part of the cream cheese icing on this layer.

Next, take the "cut side" of the first cake and "paint" with strawberry filling.  Place in freezer for 5 minutes.

Place strawberry filling side down on first layer.  Press down gently.

"Paint" this layer with strawberry filling.  Freeze 5 minutes.

Place another part of the cream cheese icing on this layer.  Spread evenly.

Cut the second 8" layer cake in half.  "Paint" the very bottom of this layer with strawberry filling.  Freeze for 5 minutes.

Place filling side down on the assembled layers.  Press down gently.  Notice the two bottoms of the 2 layer cakes are now facing each other.

"Paint" with a layer of strawberry filling, and freeze for 5 minutes.

Add another part of the cream cheese icing.  Spread evenly.

You should be left with the top half of the second layer cake.

Turn it up-side down and "paint" the "cut side" with the last of the strawberry filling.  Freeze for 5 minutes.

Place this layer, filling side down, on the assembled layers.  Gently press down.  Freeze for 20 minutes.  This will help "set-up" the cake and keep it from sliding when you finish icing it.

Hull and wash strawberries and let dry completely.  (If they are not dry they will "run" into the icing.)  Set aside 12 of your best looking strawberries that are all about the same size for the top of the cake.

I use a paring knife to peel the kiwi.  Then slice into 2/8"-3/8" disks. Cut these in half.  Pat dry with a paper towel, so they won't "run" into the icing.

You should have 2 parts of cream cheese icing left.  Use one part to ice the sides of the cake.

And the last part to ice the top.

Decorate the cake with the strawberries and the kiwi.  

Cut the remaining strawberries and kiwi into small pieces to serve with the cake.  Refrigerate cake and extra fruit.  Serves 12.

 Oh ... So pretty!

Oh ... So good!

Oh ... So sensational!