Coca Cola Salad

When the warm weather hits, I think of two things: getting a Brazilian and sipping an ice-cold Coca Cola. Cakers love Coke almost as much as we love Cream of Mushroom soup. We pour Coke over our roasts, we plop ice cream into it and we use it as mouthwash. Some of us even use Coke in science experiments with our baby teeth. (See the comments section for Coke Roast.)

In fact, cakers and Coke seem to go hand-in-hand. Maybe it’s the sugar. Or that we enjoy belching.

In any case, here’s a ruby-hued salad that packs all of summer’s sweetness into a single bowl. It’s got cherry JELL-O, cherry pie filling, Dream Whip, a can of you-know-what and about 4296 calories.

Why is there a can of Coke in this? Who knows? A caker might say it adds flavour. I think it’s more about adding another 10 teaspoons of sugar. I should've been a caker dentist.

1 large package cherry JELL-O
1 ½ cups boiling water
1 10 ounce bottle Coke (1 can)
1 can cherry pie filling
1 can crushed pineapple, drained
1 package Dream Whip (see note)
1 package cream cheese
½ cup icing sugar

Dissolve JELL-O in boiling water. Add Coke and allow to thicken slightly. Stir in cherry pie filling and pineapple. Chill until set. Beat cream cheese. Add icing sugar. Fold in Dream Whip. Put on top of JELL-O. Decorate with cherries.

I made mine look real purdy-like.

Note: Make the Dream Whip as per the package instructions before adding it in.

Source: The Best of Enbridge

Overnight Cinnamon Buns

When it comes to brunch, most cakers make one thing: reservations. Brunch simply involves too much coordination too early in the morning. We have to toast the Eggos and then take out the Aunt Jemima syrup and then make Tang and, well, there are only so many hours in the day.

So imagine my angst over having ten people for brunch last Sunday. Ten Italians. One of whom was my mother-in-law. And it was Mother's Day.

It took some big caker balls to make these buns for the Italians. But sometimes in life, you just have to snip the dough, boil the ice cream and trust that the good women of the Canadian Bible Society will see you through, even if what you're putting into the fridge looks like chunky brown vomit. (See below.)

I had nothing to doubt, of course. These buns were sticky, gooey and made my house smell like a food court Cinnabon. Best of all? My mother-in-law had two servings.

Score one for the cakers.

2 packages of frozen bun dough (See note)
½ cup butter
¾ cup white sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
1 cup vanilla ice cream

Take slightly thawed bun dough and with kitchen scissors snip them into walnut sized pieces and place into a large sprayed cake pan. In saucepan, bring the butter, white sugar, brown sugar and ice cream to a boil. Remove from heat. Cool slightly. Pour mixture over dough and sprinkle with cinnamon. Cover and let sit in fridge overnight. In the morning, bake for a 20-30 minutes at 350°.

Note: I couldn’t find frozen bun dough, so ended up buying a five-pack of frozen loaf dough. I used about 2 ¾ loaves, but packed the pieces in too tightly, so the centre came out uncooked. If you go with bread loaf dough, 2 loaves should do it.

Source: Celebration Cookbook, Canadian Bible Society

Suzanne’s Peanut Candy Bar Cake

Get out the Captain Morgan and Bits & Bites – it’s Caker Cooking’s first year anniversary!

It seems like, well, only a year ago I picked up a can opener, some coil-bound cookbooks and set out on my caker journey. And what a dark fascinating journey it’s been! There have been a few highs (like this), a few lows (like this) and a few WTFs (er, like this.)

As with most celebrations in my life, I’m spending my anniversary with a stranger. I don't know who Suzanne is, but make no mistake – this lady knows her way around a 9x13 like nobody's business. Her Peanut Candy Bar Cake kicks butt. It’s sweety, salty, crunchy, chewy, cakey and squarey. In other words: deliciousy.

Thanks to everyone who visits Caker Cooking. If I've helped you come to accept your caker heritage, I can only hope that flag is waving proudly.

1 package yellow cake mix
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 egg
3 cups miniature marshmallows
2/3 cup light corn syrup
¼ cup butter
2 cups peanut butter chips
2/3 teaspoon vanilla extract (See note)
1 ½ cups crisp rice cereal
2 cups salted peanuts

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine cake mix, 1/3 cup butter and the egg. Press into greased 9”x13” pan and bake in the preheated oven for 14 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with miniature marshmallows. Bake for 1 minute more or until the marshmallows start to puff.

In a saucepan over medium heat, cook corn syrup, ¼ cup butter and peanut butter chips until melted. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, cereal and peanuts. Spoon mixture over top of marshmallow-topped cake and spread to cover. Allow to cool before serving.

(Note: I've never heard of a 2/3 teaspoon before. Either it's a typo or Suzanne has the world's most comprehensive measuring spoon set.)

Source: Royal Canadian Legion Branch 99

Tuna Casserole

When it comes to the Caker Hall of Fame, Tuna Casserole is right up there with meatloaf, mock apple pie and the neon-green coleslaw from Kentucky Fried Chicken. But there are dozens of Tuna Casserole recipes and I’ve been suffering from performance anxiety. I couldn’t decide which recipe would be [insert echo effect] The Mother of All Tuna Casseroles…roles….roles….roles…

So when a family friend approached me recently, promising me that she had in her possession the “best tuna casserole recipe ever,” I told Carmelle to send it along and I’ve give it a whirl.

I’m thrilled to report that Carmelle’s version is not only the Mother of All Tuna Casseroles; it’s the father, the kids, the in-laws and your web-fingered third cousin. In short, it's got everything: canned vegetables, crushed potato chips, French Fried onions and a sodium content so high, you’ll be sticking your head under the bathtub faucet two hours later.

Thanks, Carmelle!

Think your tuna tops this recipe? Post it or email me at cakercooking at gmail dot com.

1 can Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup
½ cup milk
2 cans of tuna
1 cup green peas
1 ¼ cup crushed potato chips
1 can sliced mushrooms
½ can French Fried Onions

Empty soup into a small casserole. Add milk and mix thoroughly.  Add tuna, 1 cup potato chips, peas and mushrooms. Stir well. Sprinkle top with remaining ¼ cup of potato chips. Bake at 350º for 30-35 minutes. Five minutes before end, sprinkle with onions.

Source: Caker Carmelle