Crazy Cake Variations

Apologies for not posting in the past couple months; I just got back from Costa Rica, and will have a few more recipes posted within the next few days. I also have a couple months of no responsibilities, so pending funding for food, I fully plan on exploring some new recipes in that time. For now, I have some variations to Crazy cakes that I've been working on for a while.

Like most people who get introduced to Crazy Cakes, I got a tiny bit obsessed with them. And wanted to try out other flavors. A couple of these were already developed by others, but they have been tested by yours truly, and they are quite good. The instructions for all are essentially the same, so I'll put those at the bottom.

Almond Crazy Cake
Original recipe

1 3/4 cups flour
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
5 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup water

Spiced Crazy Cake
Adapted from Sweet Little Bluebird

1 1/2 cups + 2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice or spice mix
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup water

Pumpkin Spice Crazy Cake
Adapted from Crazy Cake Recipes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1 Teaspoon baking soda
1 Teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/4 Cup Pumpkin Puree (mix in with oil)
1/3 Cup vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla extract
1 Cup Water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. You can mix the ingredients directly in an 8" square baking pan, or you can do it in a bowl first. Mix the dry ingredients together until well blended. Make 3 depressions in the dry ingredients--two small, and one larger. Pour vinegar in one depression, extracts in another, and vegetable oil in the largest. Pour water over all. Mix well until smooth. Pour into prepared pan if mixing in a bowel.

Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Top with a dusting of powdered sugar, or your favorite icing.

My Notes:
Play around, mix and match--have fun with all these. There are endless possibilities here!

Cornbread

Cornbread
Originally found at Coupon Closet

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix all dry ingredients until well combined. Add egg, milk, and oil, and mix until just combined. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

My Notes:
Not the dairy-free version I was hoping for, but it's a step in the right direction. The dry ingredients can be pre-mixed and stored in an airtight container, and used in any recipe requiring 'cornbread' or 'Jiffy' mix.

Southwest Egg Rolls

I have been eagerly awaiting the day when I could make these. I had the hardest time finding egg roll wrappers at my grocery store, but I randomly found them one day. I have yet to see them there again. I wonder if someone requested them...

Southwest Egg Rolls
Originally found at Emily Bites

2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups shredded cheese
4 scallions (green onions), chopped
1 (4 oz) can of green chiles, drained
1 t ground cumin
½ t chili powder
¼ t cayenne pepper
1 package egg roll wrappers

Preheat the oven to 425. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except egg roll wrappers. Stir to combine.

For your assembly station, you'll need a flat, clean, dry surface; your filling; a bowl of water; and your oven sheet for baking. For instructions on how to roll an egg roll, see this link. Use a few heaping tablespoons of filling per wrapper. Do not overfill.

When all egg rolls are assembled, lightly brush or mist the tops with olive oil. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn and brush or mist the other side with oil. Bake another 5-10 minutes, until wrappers are golden brown. Serve warm.

My Notes:
I omitted the spinach in my version, because I didn't feel like taking the time to wilt the fresh spinach I had on hand to mix it in with the rest of the filling. As a result, I had far less filling than Emily did, and only managed to fill about 14 wrappers (I also think I was a little more generous with my filling than she was at first). You can also go crazy and fry these, just make sure they're sealed reallly good, because you don't want oil splattering everywhere if they burst open. Baking does change the texture a little--they're not quite as chewy and much more crunchy than crispy, but they're still good.

Crockpot Chocolate Peanut Clusters

Last one of the holiday recipes. I had an issue getting all my pictures downloaded, which is why it's taken this long for me to get them all up.

Crockpot Chocolate Peanut Clusters
Originally found at Redbook Magazine

1 lb (36 oz) salted dry-roasted peanuts
2 oz (2 squares) German's sweet chocolate
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 lb white almond bark

Pour peanuts over bottom of 2-quart slow cooker. Layer the chocolate over the peanuts. Set temperature to low and cook for 2-3 hours. Mix well and drop by tablespoonful onto a greased cookie sheet. Allow to cool completely, then store in airtight container.

My Notes:
This recipe was initially doubled for a 4-quart slow cooker, but this produces a lot of clusters. Great if you plan on giving them away, not so great if you plan on eating them yourself. I ended up bringing home a giant container of them because my stepmom and dad were intending on starting a diet after the new year. They are quite good--nice and smooth and creamy.

Toffee Crack

You though I was kidding with the bajillion recipes this month. My stepmom really likes to bake, so I have a number of new baking recipes for you. None of them very good for you, but oh, so delicious. A few of the names are changed, because I just don't feel right naming something "Christmas Crack" when I don't really celebrate Christmas.

Toffee Crack
Originally found at Toffee Crack

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 sleeve Saltine crackers
12 oz. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a saucepan, combine the brown sugar in the butter and bring them to a boil. Boil for three minutes. Meanwhile, cover a jelly roll pan with aluminum foil. Arrange crackers over the pan. Pour the caramel mixture over the crackers, spreading the caramel as necessary to cover the crackers. Bake for 10 minutes.

Sprinkle chocolate chips over crackers and allow to soften. Spread with a spatula. Allow to cool completely, then remove from foil-lined pan and break-up into bite-sized pieces. Store in an airtight container.

My Notes:
The original recipe asks that you freeze the mixture to cool it, and then keep it in the fridge. While this may be necessary for preventing the pieces from sticking together, they are certainly safe to keep out on the counter. I have not made them by allowing them to cool naturally, so if you do and they never really harden, please let me know and I'll adjust the directions accordingly.

This is a very sugary, typical holiday treat. Eat with caution.