About 1 to 2 quarts strawberries, roughly chopped or sliced
1/2 cup sugar (use less if using the lower amount of berries or berries are very sweet)
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg
1/2 cup cold milk
1 cup heavy cream
Powdered sugar to tasteIn a large bowl combine the fruit and sugar. Marinate at room temperature for 1 hour.

For the whipped cream: put a mixing bowl and the mixers in the refrigerature.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. (375 if using convection)

Into a large bowl, sift the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the butter to the dry ingredients. Mix well with fingertips or a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the egg and milk, and mix just until it comes together to form a sticky dough.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drop the batter onto the sheet in generous 1/4-cup dollops. Leave two inches between each shortcake. If desired, smooth using the back of a spoon. Bake until a tester inserted into the middle comes out clean, 12 to 15 minutes.

In your chilled bowl, whip the cream to very soft peaks. Add some powder sugar and whip until desired stiffness. Keep cold until ready to use, or make just before serving.

Transfer the cakes to wire racks to cool. Carefully split the shortcakes horizontally and place the bottom half on each of 6 dessert plates. Top with a heaping tablespoon of berries and cream, then top with the remaining shortcake halves. Top with the remaining berries and cream. Serve immediately.

Makes six shortcakes.

1 ¼ cups butter, softened
2 cups sugar
1 cup cocoa
4 large eggs
1 ¾ cups pumpkin
½ cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
½ tsp. cloves
½ tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. soda
2 2/3 cups flour
Caramel icing

Heat oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease and flour bundt pan. Beat butter, sugar and cocoa until creamy. Add eggs and beat until mixture is fluffy. On low speed beat in pumpkin, milk and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients and add, beating just until blended. Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake 55 to 60 minutes until pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes. Invert pan on rack and tap to release cake.

Cool completely. Spoon icing over cake so it runs down sides.

For altitudes of 3,5000 to 6,500 feet.

3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. cloves
½ tsp. nutmeg
¼ tsp. allspice
¾ cup water
1 cup sour cream
¾ cup butter, softened
1 ½ cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup chopped pecans
½ cups raisins
Icing sugar

Heat oven to 375°F. Grease and flour oblong pan, 13×9x2 inches, or two 9-inch or three 8-inch round layer pans. Beat all ingredients in large mixer bowl on low speed, scraping bowl constantly, 30 seconds. Beat on high speed, scraping bowl occasionally, 3 minutes. Pour into pan(s).

Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, oblong 65-70 minutes, 9-inch layers 50-55 minutes, 8-inch layers 40-50 minutes; cool. Frost with Brown Butter Frosting.

Cupcakes, Bundt Cake:
Use 2/3 of recipe. Bake at 375°F for 45 minutes;

1 box of German chocolate cake mix
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 – 12.25 oz. jar of caramel topping
4 Skor bars
2 cups cream, whipped

Prepare and bake cake according to box directions in a 13 x 9 pan. Combine milk and caramel together. While cake is hot, poke holes all over top of cake with a fork. Pour milk and caramel mixture over the top of cake.

When cake is cool, cover with whipped cream and sprinkle crushed candy bar over top. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

¾ cup sugar
2/3 cup butter
1 tsp. Vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup milk
2 ¾ cups flour
2 ½ tsp. Baking powder
½ tsp. Salt
2 cups blueberries
1 cup chopped nuts

Cream sugar and butter. Mix in vanilla and eggs. Combine dry ingredients. Add alternately with milk. Beat 2 minutes. Fold in blueberries and nuts. Pour into greased 9 x 13″ pan. Bake at 350º F for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack.

2/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups sifted cake flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. soda
½ tsp. salt
½ cup sour milk*
1 ¼ cups mashed very ripe bananas
Jam

Cream Cheese frosting
1 ½ cups finely chopped pecans
or
Cream Cheese frosting
1 ½ bananas

*To sour milk, place 1 Tbsp. vinegar in a measuring cup. Add fresh milk to the 2/3 cup level.

Grease bottom and sides of two round cake pans (8″). Line bottoms with circles of greased waxed paper. In large mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla together until very light and fluffy at high speed.

Sift dry ingredients together. Stir sour milk into bananas and mix until smooth. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture, alternately with the sourmilk-bananas at high speed.

Spoon and spread in pans and bake at 350°F for 25-35 minutes or until centers are set. Cool five minutes then run knife around edges and invert. When cooled, sandwich with a thin layer of jam and frost with cream cheese frosting. Cover sides with finely chopped pecans, pressing firmly to the sides. Or fill with cream cheese frosting and a layer of banana slices.

Bundt Banana Cake:
Replace ½ cup flour with 1 cup oats. Add 1 cup chopped nuts. Bake at 350°F 35-45 minutes. Glaze.

1 cup flour
¾ cup sugar
2 Tbsp cocoa
2 Tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
½ cup milk
2 Tbsp oil
1 tsp vanilla (optional)
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

1 cup brown sugar
¼ cup cocoa
1 ¾ cups hot water
ice cream

Heat oven to 350º F. Combine flour, sugar, 2 Tbsp cocoa, baking powder and salt. Mix in milk, oil and vanilla until smooth. Stir in pecans. Spread in ungreased square pan, 8×8x82 inches. In a small bowl combine brown sugar and ¼ cup cocoa. Sprinkle over batter in pan. Pour hot water over batter. Bake 40 minutes. Serve warm, topped with ice cream. Spoon sauce from pan onto each serving.

1 qt. Fruit with juice
4 tsp. soda
2 cups sugar
4 cups flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cloves
1 cup oil
1 cup nuts
1 cup raisins or dates (optional)

Add soda to fruit and juice. Combine dry ingredients and add to fruit mixture and mix well. Add nuts and raisins. Bake in 9×13 inch pan at 350º for 40 minutes.

½ cup plus 1 Tbsp. cocoa
¾ cup butter, softened
1 ½ cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup water
2 ¼ cups flour
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 cup sour cream
Sour Cream Icing

Cream cocoa, butter and sugar. Add eggs and beat well. Add sour cream and beat. Combine dry ingredients. Add alternately with water and flour mixture. Mix. Put batter in two 8 inch round layer cake pans, greased and flour. Bake at 350ºF for 35 to 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on wire racks. Frost with chocolate icing.

1 chocolate cake mix
2 eggs
1 can (21 oz.) cherry pie filling
¾ cup chopped nuts
¾ cup chocolate chips
½ cup brown sugar

Mix together cake mix, eggs and pie filling. Put in greased 9×13″ pan. Sprinkle with nuts, chocolate chips and brown sugar on top. Bake 30-35 minutes at 350º.