Bake a cake as fast as you can

• 14-1/2 to 15 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 2 cups sugar
  
• 1/4 cup active dry yeast
  
• 4 teaspoons salt
  
• 3 cups water
  
• 1 cup orange juice
  
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  
• 4 eggs
  
• 1/4 cup grated orange peel
  
• 1 teaspoon orange extract
• 
  
• FILLING:
  
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
  
• 1/2 cup sugar
  
• 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips,
  
• melted and cooled
  
• 3 eggs
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 
  
• ICING:
  
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon orange extract
  
• 6 tablespoons milk


Directions:

In a very large mixing bowl, combine 8 cups flour,
sugar, yeast and salt. In a large saucepan, heat
water, orange juice and oil to 120*-130*. Add to
dry ingredients; beat just until moistened. Add
eggs, orange peel and extract; beat until blended.
Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.

Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead until
smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a
greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and
let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/2
hours.

In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar
until smooth. Add chocolate, 1 egg and vanilla. Beat
until blended; set aside.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured
surface; divide into eight portions. Roll each
portion into a 12-in. x 7-in. rectangle. Spread
about 1/4 cup filling to within 1/2 in. of edges.
Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side;
pinch seams and tuck edges under. Place seam
side down on greased baking sheets; pinch ends
together to form a ring.

With kitchen scissors, cut from outside edge two-
thirds of the way toward center of ring at 2-in. inter-
vals. Separate strips slightly and twist so filling
shows. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30
minutes. Beat remaining eggs; brush over coffee
cakes.

Bake at 375* for 15-18 minutes or until golden
brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.
Combine icing ingredients; drizzle over coffee
cakes. Yield: 8 coffee cakes.

Ingredients

• Nonstick spray for baking
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2-1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 6 oz. bittersweet or semisweet baking chocolate,
  
• chopped into chunks (1 1/2 cups)
• 1 15-oz. can pumpkin
  
• 3/4 cup butter, melted
• 6 eggs, slightly beaten
• Molasses Glaze (below)
• Molasses Whipped Cream (below)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. With the nonstick
spray for baking, generously coat a 10-inch square
tube pan without removable bottom or a 10-inch
fluted tube pan. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl set aside 1/2cup of the flour. In a
large bowl combine remaining flour, granulated sugar,
brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking
soda, and salt. To the reserved 1/2 cup flour, stir in
chocolate chunks; toss to coat.

3. In another bowl combine pumpkin, melted butter,
and eggs. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture; stir
until combined. Add chocolate mixture. Stir until com-
bined. Pour batter into tube pan.

4. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until a wooden toothpick
inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on
a wire rack for 15 minutes. Gently remove cake from pan;
cool 30 minutes. Brush with Molasses Glaze; cool. Served
with Molasses Whipped Cream. Makes 12 to 16 servings

Molasses Glaze: In a small saucepan melt 1/4 cup butter;
stir in 1/3 cup packed brown sugar, 1/4 cup dark-color
corn syrup, and 2 tablespoons molasses. Bring to simmer.
Cook, uncovered, 3 minutes or until slightly thickened.
Cool 5 minutes; spoon over cake.

Molasses Whipped Cream: In a chilled mixing bowl com-
bine 1 cup whipping cream, 1 tablespoon powdered sugar,
and 2 to 3 teaspoons molasses. Beat with electric mixer
until soft peaks form. Spoon into serving bowl. Sprinkle
lightly with pumpkin pie spice, apple pie spice, or ground
cinnamon. Pass with cake.

Ingredients

• 1 package 2-layer-size spice cake mix
• 1 cup milk
• 1/3 cup cooking oil
• 1/4 cup dairy sour cream
• 1/4 cup rum
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 recipe Rum Glaze (see recipe below)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Grease and lightly
flour a 10-inch fluted tube pan; set aside. In a large
mixing bowl combine cake mix, milk, cooking oil,
sour cream, rum, eggs, and pumpkin pie spice. Beat
with an electric mixer on low speed until just
moistened. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes,
scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Pour batter
into prepared pan.

2. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a wooden
toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove
cake from pan and cool completely on wire rack.
Spoon Rum Glaze over cake. Makes 12 servings.

Rum Glaze: In a small bowl combine 1 cup sifted
powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon melted butter, and 1
tablespoon rum. Stir in additional water (1 to 2
teaspoons), one teaspoon at a time, until glaze
is a thin consistency.

2. Mix desired food color into can of frosting (see
Tinting Frosting below). Frost cupcakes.

3. Place chocolate frosting into small plastic bag.
Snip off a tiny corner of the bag. Squeeze out 3 thin
circles of frosting onto each cupcake, beginning at
the center. Starting at the smallest circle, pull
frosting through all three circles using a toothpick.
Repeat at even intervals 5 or 6 times around the
cupcake.

4. For additional decorations, place purchased
plastic spider on top of cupcake, if desired. (For an
edible spider, use black gumdrop for spider body,
and pipe 8 legs of frosting around gumdrop.)

Tinting Frosting: For Purple frosting, use 5 drops
purple Neon, (assorted neon food colors) for
each 1/2 cup of frosting. For Orange frosting, use
5 drops red and 9 drops yellow , assorted food colors
and egg dyes, for each 1/2 of cup frosting. Mix until
well blended.

Ingredients

• 2 cups finely crushed butter cookies
  
• (about 30 cookies)
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1 15-1/4-ounce can unpeeled apricot halves
• 3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 eggs
• 1 10-ounce jar low-calorie apricot spread
• 1/4 cup apricot nectar

1. Preheat oven to 325 degree F. For crust, in a
medium bowl combine crushed butter cookies
and melted butter. Press mixture evenly onto
bottom and 2 inches up the sides of a 9-inch
springform pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or
until golden. Set aside.

2. For filling, drain apricot halves, reserving
3 tablespoons syrup. Coarsely chop apricots;
set aside. In a large mixing bowl beat cream
cheese, sugar, the reserved syrup, and vanilla
with an electric mixer until combined. Add
eggs all at once, beating on low speed just until
combined. Stir in chopped apricots. Pour filling
into crust-lined pan. Place on a shallow baking
pan in oven. Bake about 50 minutes or until
center appears nearly set when cheesecake is
gently shaken. Cool in pan on a wire rack for
15 minutes. Loosen crust from sides of pan and
cool cheesecake 30 minutes more. Remove the
sides of the pan; cool cheesecake completely.

3. For glaze, in a small saucepan melt apricot
spread over low heat. Remove from heat; stir
in the apricot nectar. Spread over cheesecake.
Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 4
hours before serving. Makes 16 servings.

INGREDIENTS