Karidopita (kah-ree-THOH-pee-tah) is a moist and flavorful walnut cake that is flavored with cinnamon and bathed in sweet syrup. It’s a great cake to make ahead because it will keep well covered and at room temperature.  It doesn’t hurt to top it with whipped cream or ice cream.

Cake Ingredients:

• 1 c light olive oil
• 6 eggs
• 1 c whole milk
• 1 c sugar
• 2 c all purpose flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 and 1/2 c coarsely ground walnuts plus 1 tablespoon flour 

Cake Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
3. Beat the eggs and sugar together for a few minutes until thick and pale.
4. Add the olive oil and milk.
5. Beat well to incorporate.
6. In another bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground cloves and salt.
7. Slowly add them to the egg mixture while gently whisking just until incorporated and most of the batter is smooth. Do not over mix! Otherwise your cake will not be light and fluffy.
8. Combine the ground walnuts with the tablespoon of flour and mix it. This will prevent the walnuts from sinking to the bottom of the cake.
9. Fold in the walnuts gently with a spatula.
10. Pour the batter in the already prepared baking dish.
11. Bake it for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Honey Syrup Ingredients:

• 2 c sugar
• 1 c honey (measure your honey after measuring the oil for the cake. Doing this makes the honey slide out of the measuring cup much easier.)
• 3 c water
• 1/4 tsp whole cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick

Syrup Directions:

1. While the cake is baking, prepare the honey syrup.
2. Combine all of the ingredients into a saucepan.
3. Bring it to a boil while stirring.
4. Let it continue to cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes until very slightly thickened.
5. Turn off the heat and allow the syrup to cool completely before removing the cloves and cinnamon stick.
6. As soon as the cake is done baking, remove it from the oven.
7. Poke it all over with a toothpick.
8. Pour all of the cooled honey syrup over the cake slowly, allowing it to be absorbed.

Garnish Ingredients:

• 1/2 c ground walnuts
• 1 tsp powdered sugar
• a pinch of ground cloves
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon

Garnish Directions: 

1. Combine the walnuts with the powdered sugar, cinnamon and cloves.
2. Sprinkle over the cake to garnish.

Enjoy!!

Serves:  8 -12

Source:  Dimitra’s Dishes via Cathy Painter, Allison Paintaer

This coffee cake is a St. Louis tradition, where the cake becomes the crust and holds a gooey cream cheese filling. It’s generally served for breakfast, but can easily make an appearance on any dessert table.  **DISCLAIMER: I will not be held accountable any weight that may be gained from this recipe.  Bake and eat at your own risk.

Ingredients for Cake:

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1 large egg
• 1 stick butter, melted

For Filling:

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 2 large eggs beaten
  2 c powdered sugar
• 2 c raspberries/blueberries (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°.
2. Combine, cake mix, 1 egg and melted butter.
3. Press into a greased 9×13 x 2 pan with your fingers.
4. Using an electric mixer, blend, cream cheese, 2 beaten eggs, and powdered sugar until smooth.
5. Spread over first batter.
6. Sprinkle with berries.
7. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until edges are brown.
8. Dust with powdered sugar on top after cake has cooled.

If you make this a day or so ahead of time the gooey center firms up more.

Serves:  18 – 24

Source:  Tidy Mom

You are going to love this cake! A vanilla cake, soaked with sweetened condensed milk, covered in sweet cannoli filling. Ah-mazing!  One thing to note about the topping on this cake is that it is not like a traditional icing. It is meant to be more like cannoli filling. The texture is kind of like whipped cream at the soft peak stage. If you’d prefer it to be thicker, you can do one or both of these two things – leave the sweetened condensed milk out of the topping (as it thins it out a bit) and/or add up to about 3 cups of powdered sugar (which would thicken it). 

Ingredients:

• 1 box white cake mix, plus ingredients on box
• 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk (divided use)
• 1 1/2 c ricotta cheese
• 1 1/2 c mascarpone cheese
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 c powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon, optional
• 1/2 c mini chocolate chips
• powdered sugar, for dusting

Directions:

1. Bake cake according to directions on box for a 9×13 pan.
2. Remove cake from the oven.
3. Poke holes all over the top of the cake. (Used a straw or the handle of a wooden spoon.)
4. Reserve half a cup of sweetened condensed milk.
5. Pour the rest of the sweetened condensed milk over the cake.
6. Put cake in refrigerator for about an hour to absorb milk.
7. Combine ricotta cheese, mascarpone cheese and vanilla extract in a mixer bowl.
8. Mix until smooth.   DO NOT over mix it. If mascarpone cheese is over mixed, it becomes very thin.
9. Add powdered sugar and cinnamon, if using’
10. Mix until combined.
11. Add reserved sweetened condensed milk.
12. Mix until combined.
13. Once cake has absorbed milk, spread cannoli topping evenly over cake.
14. Top with mini chocolate chips and a sprinkling of powdered sugar.
15. Cover cake and allow to set in refrigerator for 2-3 hours.
16. Cake should keep for 4-5 days.

NOTE: Do consider straining the ricotta before using, especially if it’s a particularly watery brand.

Serves:  18 – 24

Source:   Love, Life and Sugar – Life’s Better With Cake

“This recipe for Fortis Vineyards Berry-Port Cake, by Laura McCamy, is from Sunset magazine, circa 1997 or 1998. I have used it for years at holiday gatherings, or just because. It’s an easy butter cake with a fun twist using berries and port. You can use blueberries, too. This is one I get requests for, and is so easy to make, I’m almost ashamed. Almost.”

Ingredients: 

• ½ c. blackberries (use fresh or thawed berries…fresh is immensely better, however!)
• ¾ c. raspberries divided use
• ¼ c. port wine
• 1¼ c. sugar
• ½ c. room temperature butter
• 1 c. self-rising flour (1 c flour + 1 1/2  tsp of baking powder and 1/2 tsp of salt.)
• 2 large eggs
• vanilla ice cream for serving (You could use whipped topping, but…why??)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º .
2. In a large bowl, mix the blackberries, ½ cup raspberries, port and ¼ cup sugar.
3. Butter and flour a 9-inch cake pan with removable rim.
4. Using a high speed setting on the mixer, beat 1 cup sugar and ½ cup butter until well blended.
5. Add eggs and beat until fluffy.
6. Add 1 cup flour.
7. Mix until thoroughly blended and a stiff batter forms.
8. Scrape/pour batter into cake pan and smooth the top.
9. Drain wine marinade into a small bowl.
10. Spoon drained berries plus 2 tablespoons of marinade on top of the batter.
11. You won’t use all of the berries – save some to use for serving.
12. Bake at 350º until the cake pulls away from the pan sides, 50 – 55 minutes.
13. Run a thin-bladed knife between cake and rim.
14. Let cool for at least 10 minutes.
15. Remove rim.
16. Sprinkle cake with a little sugar.Cut into wedges and top with ice cream, reserved berries and marinade.

Serves: 6-8
Source:  Sunset

It’s an odd name for a cake, but the top sort of looks like a honeycomb when the chips sink a little and then melt.  Can’t beat it for easy!

Ingredients:

• 1 3 oz box vanilla pudding – not instant
• 2 c milk
• 1 box yellow (no pudding) cake mix (dry!!)
• 1 bag (12 oz.) butterscotch chips, or chocolate chips, or peanut butter chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Grease 9 x 12 pan or dish.
3. Cook pudding as directed on box (with milk).
4. Add to the dry cake.
5. Mix with wire whisk.
6. Pour into greased pan.
7. Then sprinkle with butterscotch chips.
8. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

Serves:  12 – maybe?

Source:  Kraft