Slice of Heaven Spice Cake --- and an Award

This cake has become one of my favorite cakes because it is so full of flavor and yet so easy to put together. I found it on the back of the Lucky Leaf Apple Pie Filling can a few years ago and have been making it regularly since. It uses a spice cake mix, which I usually stock up on in the fall when stores more reliably stock them and put them on sale. I suppose if you are the type adverse to using cake mixes, you might use the dry ingredient part of whatever spice cake recipe you like and follow the remainder of this recipe as the instructions direct. The other magic ingredient is apple butter, both in the cake and in the icing. This is a great dessert anytime of the year!

Ingredients:
     Cake:
1 package (18 oz.) spice cake mix
1 can (21 oz.) apple pie filling
3 eggs
1/3 cup apple butter
     Icing:
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 Tbsp apple butter

Directions:
     Mix cake mix with pie filling, eggs and 1/3 cup apple butter (do not add oil or water). Spoon into 13x9 inch baking pan coated with non-stick cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes, or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool. 
     Meanwhile, blend remaining ingredients; spread over cake. 


Servings: 10-16

So about a week ago, I was surprised to see that I had been awarded the Liebster Blog Award by Balvinder at Gluten Free Food.

A Liebster Blog Award is given to talented and loved bloggers who have less than 200 followers.

There are a few rules that go with accepting the award:
-Thank your Liebster Blog Award presenter on your blog.
-Link back to the blogger who presented the award to you.
-Copy and paste the blog award on your blog.
-Present the Liebster Blog Award to 5 blogs of 200 followers or less who you feel deserve to be noticed.
-Let them know they have been chosen by leaving a comment at their blog.

So in following the award instructions, I wanted to thank Balvinder for thinking of me! She is such a sweet person and writes lovely blog posts about yummy gluten-free food that she makes. I have really enjoyed reading and learning about gluten-free cooking from her and seeing that it really is not as hard as it would seem to make gluten-free dishes. It seems that everywhere we turn, more people are being diagnosed with gluten sensitivities. So it is a good thing to have some tested and tasty gluten-free recipes to go to when cooking for these people. And as Balvinder says, "it is good for everyone." Her Lentil Byriani and the Lemon Roulade sponge cake are a couple that I intend to make very soon. Be sure to stop by and check her out!

Now here are the 5 blogs that I have chosen to pass this award on to- be sure to stop by and check out their food and leave some comments. I think you will find them interesting and full of wonderful recipes!

Kimberly at Random Tips on Healthy Eating
Ashley at Sugar Mama Bakeshop
Red at Momma Butterbean's Cookshack
Eating Deliciously
Nadia at Delights Of Culinaria
Susie at Earning My Cape
Pin It

More Awards!

   

   

Well, earlier this month one of my favorite bloggers sent some more awards my way. She is really too kind. Since I have been gearing up for and finally getting back into a more regular part time work schedule, as well as trying to keep up with the family and all the work that goes along with that, I have not had as much time to blog about food. I appreciate Tina's interest and encouragement in keeping me going. Be sure to head on over to check out her lovely and very well-done blog, Pinay Cooking Corner In Texas- all about Filipino (Pinay) cooking with some interesting cultural information and stories thrown in.

So I am passing this on to 15 bloggers who I think are worth reading. If there are some repeats from my past award baton-pass, then that is because I feel they continue to do an amazing job and deserve more awards again.

• 1.   Skip To Malou 
• 2.   My Creative Flavors 
• 3.   Indian Simmer
• 4.   Mediterranean Inspired Food
• 5.   eCurry
• 6.   Spoon and Chopsticks 
• 7.   The Hungry Mouse
• 8.   Tes At Home
• 9.   Blog of CheapCooking.com
• 10. Noble Pig 
• 11. Spicie Foodie 
• 12. Frieda Loves Bread 
• 13. Mother Rimmy's Cooking Light Done Right 
• 14. Colorful Palate 
• 15. A Seasonal Cook In Turkey 

Enjoy checking out these lovely blogs and be sure to post a comment of one (or more) of their posts, including maybe even follow them, if you feel inclined. 

Meanwhile, I'll be cooking up some great food from these talented bloggers-- oh, and trying to catch up on the never-ending pile of laundry! ;)

An Award!! and More

Wow! I was very surprised when I received the note from a fellow food blogger at Dulce Dough that she was passing on the Stylish Food Award to MOI-- among other people. What an honor- just 2 months into my blogging adventure! Thanks SO MUCH!!!  If you have not checked out her blog- be sure to head on over to Dulce Dough.  She has some wonderful recipes, as well as pictures, and I am hard-pressed to pick a favorite. However, I think the Black Forest Cake with Chocolate Ganache looks so good!

I really consider myself a newbie and still have so much to learn. It has been a fun journey, and I am continually amazed at what a bunch of talented people there are blogging and photographing their food. They have been so helpful and supportive and willing to share tips. When I first started blogging at the end of December, 2010, I was pretty naive and uneducated in food blogging. It was not until I started spending more time checking out other bloggers' sites that I realized I really needed to have at least one picture for my entries (imagine that!- on a food blog!!!). So now I am in the process of working through my early recipes and posting pictures for each one. (My poor husband's diet is really being sabotaged!) Anyways, I guess food is my new obsession. While I have always enjoyed food, cooking and looking at recipes, I never dreamed a couple years ago I would think about food all day-- and night, much less be writing and photographing it! I must give some credit to a post that has been such an incredible help with learning photography of food- check it out at Vegan Yum Yum . (I still have way too much to learn, but I'm having fun along the way.)

Well, back to the business at hand-

Following the rules of the award, I have to:

1.  Thank them, make a post, and put a link back to the person/s who gave me this award.

2.  Share 7 things about myself.

3.  Pass the award to 10 recently discovered great bloggers.

4.  Contact these bloggers and personally tell them about the award.

7 random things about myself:


1. I was home schooled for about 5 years until high school, then graduated as valedictorian-- out of a class of only one other person.


2. I love walking through cemeteries- to think, exercise without a lot of traffic and gawkers, as well as wonder about the people who are buried there.


3. I am the oldest of 5 children.


4. My husband and I (with the help of a few good men friends and family) spent about 2 1/2 years remodeling a house before we actually moved in-- and we are still together!!!!


5. My husband and I were initially introduced by a combined effort of mutual friends from New Zealand and Wellsboro, PA- we lived over 250 miles apart.


6. I have a tendency to be a procrastinator and have many unfinished projects.


7. I love to cook, but wish I had a magic wand to clean up all the mess.




10 blogs that I have recently discovered and want to pass on the award to:


(I follow so many blogs and would give this award to many, many different ones. However, I have tried to pick either newer blogs or some other ones I really like, and that have not received this award- as far as I can tell.)

Inspired By The Mediterranean

Tes At Home

 One Creative Kitchen

 A Touch Of Rojo

Foods Is Love
 D*lish

 Cranberry Jam

Pinay In Texas Cooking Corner

 A Seasonal Cook In Turkey

 Spoon and Chopsticks

I'm excited about all the great people I have met and will meet in the future. Happy cooking!!!