CHOCOLATE OATMEAL CAKE

See UPDATE below.

This just might be the first time I have been served a dessert that I really enjoyed and a couple of days later I made it -- not once but twice in one morning. 

Friend Vicky had the group over on Tuesday for an afternoon of canasta and served this Chocolate Oatmeal Cake. She said it was one of her mother's recipes. She has served us other family recipes and they have always been delicious and just a little bit different. (Vicky is from Canada and so I don't know if that's why they always seem to be just a little bit different.)

When I decided to try the recipe this morning, I allowed my creative juices to flow and made a couple of changes. Nothing extreme. I have friends who like my recipes because they are diabetic and need to avoid the sugar. I am not diabetic, but I try to avoid using real sugar as much as I can. I do this with regular recipes so I always say you can make it using sugar if you like.

If the recipe calls for brown sugar, I just substitute my truvia (brown) sugar complete. For sugar, I substitute stevia. If the recipe calls for a cake mix, I substitute the Zero Sugar yellow or Devil's food cake mix.

Vicky served her cake with whipped topping. I thought I had some canned Zero Sugar frosting, but didn't so I left the first one plain but topped the second one with coconut and then baked it. It gave it a slight German Chocolate Cake look. I could have added some chopped pecans with the coconut, but didn't. You can also sprinkle chocolate chips on top of the cooked cake, stick it back in the oven for about 2 minutes to heat up the chips and then spread the softened chips with a knife for a thin frosting. I thought the toasted coconut looked pretty on top.

Print recipe.

CHOCOLATE OATMEAL CAKE

 1/2     cup oats (I used quick oats)

1          cup boiling water

2         tablespoons cocoa

1          cup brown sugar (I used truvia brown sugar complete)

2         large eggs

1          stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened

1          cup flour

1         teaspoon baking powder

1/2     teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt

1/4     cup water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8 - inch square baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

Measure the oats and add to boiling water. Stir. Set aside.

Combine brown sugar and cocoa in a mixing bowl until well blended.

Add eggs and softened butter. Stir until mixed together with a spatula.

Add cooled oats/water mixture. (All of the water should be absorbed.) Stir.(Forgot to take a picture.)

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together to blend. Add to the wet mixture along with the 1/4 cup of water.

Stir until well blended.

Pour into prepared pan

and bake for 30 minutes or until cake checks done with a toothpick. Cool on wire rack.

Serve with ice cream or whipped topping. You could also frost it if you liked with your favorite frosting. (When Vicky served it to us.)

The second time I made the cake, I sprinkled 1/2 cup of coconut evenly on the top of the batter and then baked it.

I took this one to our neighbors as a Thank You for allowing us to add a little bit to his load to the landfield. They were very pleased. Said it would be their dessert for the evening.

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You could add chopped nuts also if you liked. Don't be afraid to experiment.

UPDATE: I challenge you to be creative and make this recipe your own and I would love to hear from you if you did.

My husband sometimes has difficulty eating chocolate and so he told me he didn't want a chocolate cake. I really wanted to make the recipe again and so I decided to make a coconut cake, one of his favorites. I omitted the chocolate thereby just making a light colored cake. I also added a capful of coconut flavoring and 1/2 cup of shredded coconut.

After I poured the batter into the pan, I sprinkled another 1/2 cup of coconut evenly to the top.

It took longer to bake it, about 40 minutes. I just kept checking the center with a toothpick until it came out clean. (They do make unsweetened coconut, if you are making the cake for someone who is diabetic.)

We enjoyed it with our favorite ice cream. (Who says it has to be vanilla?)

CRANBERRY CHEESE BARS

 Six months seems to go by so quickly when it means going to the dentist again. I love my dentist and his staff though so it isn't as traumatic as it has been most of my life. 

I started taking them a treat each time I went at some point (I don't remember when. I have been going to the dentist office for 17.5 years.). I told them it was a bribe so they wouldn't hurt me. Dr. G always tells me to not feel like I have to bring them something every time I come, and I just tell him - "I know." But I really enjoy giving them pleasure and know they are secretly wondering what I am going to bring. Chelsea, my hygienist apologized for her stomach growling. She said she started to get some M & M's to eat, but remembered I was coming so she decided she would wait to see what I brought. I can't disappoint now.

I saw this recipe and thought it would be something tasty to take to the church for Cafe Treats. I buy bags of fresh cranberries in season and then freeze them and use them all year long. The tanginess of the berries is just perfect with the sweetness of the rest of the dessert.  I used a gluten-free cake mix but would also feel comfortable using a Zero-Sugar yellow cake mix. I do all of the time to reduce the sugar. This time I didn't have any regular powdered sugar and had to use my stevia powdered sugar. 

They turned out just perfect.

print recipe

CRANBERRY CHEESE BARS

Cake Base:

1           box yellow cake mix (I used a gluten-free cake mix - could use a Zero Sugar cake mix)

1           stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted and cooled slightly

1           egg

2          teaspoons orange zest (I used the dried orange zest)

 Filling:

1           package (8-ounces) cream cheese, softened

3-1/2   cups powdered sugar (I used stevia powdered sugar)

1          stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted and cooled slightly

3         eggs

2         cups fresh or frozen (thawed) cranberries

Topping:

1          tablespoons powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray the bottom only of a 9 x 13 - inch pan. Set aside.

In a large bowl, stir the cake base ingredients together until no dry cake mix remains.

Press evenly in the pan.

(I also keep some of the mixture aside and

drop dollops of the dough across the pan. I press the dough across the bottom not worrying about any holes or thinner places.

Once I have the dollops flattened out, I will use the dough I kept aside and then just fill in where the holes or thin places are.)

In another large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, prepare the filling. Beat the cream cheese and the powdered sugar on medium speed until blended. (You should start with it on lowest speed at first or the powdered sugar will be thrown everywhere.)

Beat in the rest of the filling ingredients except the cranberries. Scrape the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Then stir in the cranberries gently.

Pour batter evenly over the cake base.

Bake for 38 to 43 minutes or until golden brown and center is set. (Mine was only brown around the edges but at 40 minutes the center moved around as I checked it so I ended up baking mine the 43 minutes.)

Cool completely, about 2 hours before cutting to serve. (I made mine the evening before and after 2 hours just placed it in the refrigerator.)

When ready to serve, sift some powdered sugar to dust the top.

Cut in squares to serve. Store in the refrigerator. 

CHOCOLATE CHESS PIE

We like to go to Golden Corral (Buffet) because Wayne likes to "eat healthy" by eating a lot of vegetables. He won't say it is so he can get dessert too, but he always does. More than one, often. 

One dessert I really love is a chocolate pie they have often, not every time we go, but often. Earlier this year, I talked Wayne to try it and he did and he asked our server if they sold whole pies. That's how much he liked it. Thus ended a conversation with him and our server re the best way to buy it. We didn't buy it, but I decided to more diligently search for a recipe that I thought might be a copy of it.

I found a recipe that I thought might work and copied down on an envelop  (a family trait when you find a recipe you want to try and it's never a new one - always used and torn) but just didn't get around to trying it. That is until earlier this week.

I made the pie Monday and then took it on Tuesday afternoon to the canasta group for dessert. It might not have looked good (I just always have problems with pie crusts "drawing up" when they bake. I pie the rolled ones that claim to bake a 9 - inch pie crust, but they never bake nice and evenly. That's why next time I am going to try using a graham cracker crust. They always work out.) but everyone thought it was delicious. Friend Janice even said she liked it better than Golden Corral's pie. 

Well, if you have never been to Golden Corral or just never had the chocolate pie, you will have to trust me and make this one and then you will know why I am so excited to have found this recipe.

                   

                     

PRINT RECIPE.

CHOCOLATE CHESS PIE

1-1/2    cups sugar

4          tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Special Dark Cocoa)

2          eggs, lightly beaten

2/3       cup evaporated milk

1          teaspoon vanilla

pinch of salt

4          tablespoons butter, melted

1          9 - inch pie crust, uncooked or graham cracker crust

whipped cream or Cool Whip for serving

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Whisk together the sugar and cocoa in a large bowl until well blended. Set aside.

Combine the beaten eggs, milk, vanilla, salt, and butter in a smaller bowl. Mix well with a whisk.

Add the liquid mixture to the dry mixture and

mix well with a whisk.

Pour crust into pie crust.

Bake approximately 45 minutes. The center should have a little jiggle. (I baked mine 40 minutes and the "center" that jiggled was larger than I wanted. I returned the pie to the oven, set the timer for 5 more minutes, but turned the oven off. The pie looked a little dark like maybe it burned, but that's just because I used Special Dark Cocoa.)

Cool the pie on a wire rack completely. Chill before serving.

(I baked mine a day before and then added the whipped topping before serving the next afternoon.)

Update:

I made the recipe again for pi day. I used a graham cracker crust and regular cocoa and not special dark.

 

QUICK & EASY CHERRY CRISP

 

Saturday was the last Firehouse Market in Platte City for 2025. They move some of the pumper trucks out so the people can set up their products they have for sale. When it is cold, the water might free and they don't want that to happen if they get a call with a fire. Anyway we have missed the last couple of months and since it will be Christmas soon, the room was full with merchandise. I decided I was going to be generous this time to support the local merchants.

It was really fun and I did buy a number of things. Afterwards we stopped by Roxanne's for lunch which is always nice. We always enjoy seeing the desserts in the case as you come in the door. Our waitress asked us if we wanted any dessert after we finished our meal, but we told her no. As we got in the car I told Wayne I would make him something when we got home and asked him what did he want. He didn't think too long before he said Cherry Crisp. I said "fine".

This recipe is super easy and some might wonder why I would share it since it isn't anything special. Well, I decided to share it for two reasons: 1) the next time I want to make it, I can find the recipe here and 2) Easy as it is, I had to search for a recipe for the crisp part online myself.

It is really an easy crisp recipe that is one of those versitle ones that allows you to use any fruit pie filling you like. I made ours sugar free but of course you don't have to. My pie filling was no-sugar-added and I used truvia brown sugar.

I ate mine plain while still warm and Wayne added strawberry ice cream. It was the only flavor we had. He said it was good.

Print recipe.

QUICK & EASY CHERRY CRISP

1     (21 - ounce) can cherry pie filling (or your favorite)

2/3 cup brown sugar (1/2 cup would work)

1/2  cup flour

1/2  cup rolled oats

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/3  cup melted butter

1/4  cup chopped pecans (I used about 1/2 cup)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a 2 - quart baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Pour the pie filling into the dish and spread evenly. You could use any fruit pie filling. I used a No Sugar Added Cherry pie filling.

Stir together the brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon, and nutmeg in medium sized bowl. Melt the butter in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Stir if necessary to finish melting.

Pour into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir until all dry ingredients are moist.

Sprinkle the mixture over the top of the pie filling.

Chop the pecans and sprinkle over the top.

Bake for about 30 minutes. Cool slightly before eating.

Enjoy with or

without ice cream.