Cake

"I have made this cake for more than 50 years. It was my mother-in-law's recipe. One of my sons used this recipe in a 4-H demonstration when he was a teenager and won a blue ribbon. It is a favorite dessert at our house. I make it at Christmas in a tube pan and give as gifts. It takes a little longer to bake in a tube pan. " - Courtesy of Nancy Hockman of Hagerstown, who attends Christ's Reformed United Church of Christ, the church next to the REACH building in downtown Hagertown.

Instructor Garry Swope teaches cake decorating techniques from prep to frosting to decorating from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Mondays, Sept. 24 to Oct. 15. Council for the Arts, 159 S. Main St., Chambersburg, Pa. For ages 14 and older. $40. Call 717-264-6883. Go to www.councilforthearts.net .

June's recipes are provided by members of After Hours For Women, a gathering of women pursuing individual paths leading toward "prosperity, a state of flourishing, thriving, success and good fortune. " Meetings are hosted by Shelby Penn at the downtown office of Edward Jones, 333 W. Franklin St., Suite 101, Hagerstown. For more information, contact Penn at 301-733-0625. This was a big favorite among the chocoholic members of After Hours For Women. But watch the calorie count.

Want to win a cake for Father’s Day? Join the Cake Walk at Calvary Temple, 147 S. Conococheague Street, on Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. Price is $1 per walk. Event is sponsored by the Ladies Auxiliary of Calvary Temple and is open to everyone. Leathernecks to sponsor poker run The Leathernecks Nation Motorcycle Club will hold its first annual poker run to benefit the Williamsport Food Bank on Saturday. Registration is from noon to 2 p.m. at the Williamsport American Legion Pavilion.

The Continuing Education and Business Services Division at Hagerstown Community College will offer two sessions of a new course, “Cake Decorating I.” The first session will be held on Wednesdays, Sept. 12 through 26. The second session will be held on Fridays, Sept. 14 through 28. Both sessions will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Advanced Technology Center at HCC. Instructor Mary Lemen will help participants develop their skills related to frosting, borders, stars, shells, drop flowers, leaves and writing.

1 box (roughly 18 ounces) German chocolate cake mix 1/2 can condensed, sweetened milk 1/2 jar caramel sauce 1 (12-ounce) tub Cool Whip, thawed 1 Heath bar, crumbled into pieces Prepare German chocolate cake mix as directed on the package and bake in a 9-inch-by-13-inch pan. As soon as the cake is removed from the oven, punch holes into the top of the cake using the end of a mixer beater. Pour condensed milk over top of the cake. Next, pour caramel sauce over top of the cake.

1 box angel food cake mix 1 1/4 cups water 1/2 cup pumpkin 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 12 ounces reduced-fat whipped topping Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk all the ingredients except the whipped topping together in a large bowl. Pour in ungreased, unfloured 9-inch-by-13-inch, oven-safe glass dish. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. When the cake has cooled, cut into snack-size pieces. Just before serving, top cake pieces with whipped topping.

4 cups apples, finely chopped 2 cups sugar 2 eggs, beaten 1 cup vegetable oil 2 teaspoons vanilla 3 cups flour 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped 1 cup coconut For icing: 1 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar 2 tablespoons milk 2 teaspoons vanilla Preheat oven...

Lauren Hadavand and her husband, Ali, are expecting their first child on Nov. 28. The Martinsburg, W.Va., couple attended Lauren's 20-week ultrasound together last month at Capital Women's Care in Hagerstown. An ultrasound is generally done halfway through pregancy to check for abnormalities or genetic defects. During the procedure, the ultrasound technician can usually determine the baby's gender. But rather than have the technician tell the gender of their baby, the Hadavands opted to find out in a nontraditional way - with a cake provided to them after the procedure.

A cake and pie contest and auction is Friday, March 15, at Valley Mall stage at the food court, 17301 Valley Mall Road, Halfway. Cakes and pies may be entered at 6 p.m.; judging is at 6:30 p.m.; and the auction is at 7:30 p.m. There are two age groups: ages 18 and younger, and ages 19 and older. Entrants can enter more than once and in cake and pie categories; cake or pie must be on disposable plate or pie plate; refrigeration will not be available; and entries must be wrapped in foil.

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy will host a cake baking contest in honor of its 88th birthday from noon to  5 p.m. Saturday March 2, at the ATC Visitor Center in Harpers Ferry. This event is free and open to the public. The contest will be judged in three categories: best Appalachian Trail design; best tasting; and most creative cake. The entries will be evaluated by a panel of judges and the most creative cake will be judged by the public. Prizes will be awarded. Cakes will be on display from noon to 1 p.m. and will be served to the public from 1 to 5 p.m. Judging will begin at 1 p.m., and the winners of the contest will be announced at 2 p.m. To enter a cake for this contest, email Claire Hobbs at chobbs@appalachiantrail.org by Thursday, Feb. 28, with your name, type of cake and cake dimensions, and any relevant information such as possible allergens.

I wanted to give readers a recipe that would be nice finish to any meal. This lemonade cake was something I ran across more than 10 years ago, which I've adapted. You can add an additional egg white and cut back on eggs to two, it also really makes a nice color variation to add in pink lemonade concentrate. Make sure to use clear vanilla extract and the color of the lemonade can been seen. Scott C. Anderson is associate food service director and chef with Shepherd University dining services in Shepherdstown, W.Va., and Chef Ambassador to the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

Cake Walk Specialty Cakes & Pastries did not mark its first anniversary with a celebration, but partners Katie Martin and Kathleen Murray marked its second Friday with a ribbon-cutting and open house. “It was a friendship that grew into a business relationship and the product speaks for itself - It's delicious,” Murray said. There was a need in the area for unique cakes for all occasions and other specialty confections, she said. Martin is the pastry chef, a graduate of L'Academie de Cuisine in Gaithersburg, Md., and said Murray handles the management and marketing for the bakery at 222 Oak Ridge Drive, Suite 900. Tal Ayali, a Israeli citizen living in the United States and attending L'Academie de Cuisine, is working as an intern.

A Hancock family continued a Christmas tradition this year by placing a display featuring a three-tiered birthday cake that says "Happy Birthday Jesus" in lights. The display can be seen in the yard of Shirley and Lewis Mills, on a hill across from the Park-N-Dine Restaurant. Shirley Mills and her brother, Melvin Iden, repainted and repaired the birthday cake, which has drawn compliments over the years from people who stopped to look at the display. The Millses say they hope people will look at the cake and remember the true meaning of what Christmas stands for, which is the birth of Jesus.

Just like many peoples' family Thanksgiving gatherings, there was good food, laughter and some good-natured ribbing during the Williamsport Moose Lodge's fourth annual community Thanksgiving meal on Sunday. Graham Blair, 16, ate a piece of chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting, known as “wacky cake” by his family. Asked by a family member if it was as good as the wacky cake made by his mom, Terri Blair, he said, “Yes, it is.” “How rude,” responded his mother, good-naturedly, from across the table.

My latest creation came about when playing with some espresso-ground pumpkin spice coffee.  I love the flavor and was interested in trying to coax out more flavors at breakfast, hence the Pumpkin Coffee Cake. I also wanted it to have a bite to it so that it can perk up anyone sampling the moist coffee cake.  If you desire you can easily leave out the cayenne, and add in another teaspoon of cinnamon, or nutmeg. However, be careful, nutmeg can overpower the batter if used liberally.

Instructor Garry Swope will teach cake decorating classes from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 3, at Council for the Arts, 159 S. Main St., Chambersburg, Pa. Participants learn how to decorate cakes using star-tip techniques, with a holiday theme. For ages 14 and older; all skill levels. Cost is $15, plus $5 materials fee. For more information, call 717-264-6883, or go to www.councilforthearts.net .

This is a wonderfully easy coffee cake recipe with actual coffee in the recipe.  The beauty of adding coffee into the recipe is the richness and depth of flavor it imparts to the batter. I will be trying this recipe again with a pumpkin-pie flavored coffee, but for this version I used chilled dark roasted coffee (8 ounces). In essence of time to help the breakfast cook of the house, I used packaged ingredients to help offset the time and cost needed to gather flour, baking soda, baking powder and so forth.  I also like to add applesauce to help with the moisture in the cake as well as eliminating the need for oil. Scott C. Anderson is associate food service director and chef with Shepherd University dining services in Shepherdstown, W.Va., and Chef Ambassador to the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.