This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of the author’s latest release, the romantic thriller Beautiful Dangerous.
Butter Cake and Fudge by Becky Flade
I am a very good baker. Not a bad cook, don’t get me wrong, but I slay at baking. Every year, I bake throughout the holiday season. Friends and family alike look forward to receiving my baked treats. And debate on what is better: My Butter Cake or My Fudge.
Everyone knows what fudge is, but not until two years ago, did I learn butter cake, as I know it and make it, is regional to northeast Philadelphia.
What makes the Philly butter cake distinctive is the bottom cakey layer and the top gooey layer. Oh yeah, I said GOOEY. My butter cake is award winning – sure it was the office Christmas party bake–off but it took first place, so it counts.
Becky’s Butter Cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease a 13×9 baking pan with butter (I often use a disposable tin with lid for easy gifting)
Bottom layer:
1 box of yellow cake mix (I prefer Duncan Hines Butter Golden)
1 stick (or 8 oz) softened, salted butter
1 large egg (room temperature)
Top layer:
1 package softened Philadelphia Cream Cheese
1 stick (or 8 oz) softened, salted butter
2 large eggs (room temperature)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 16-oz box of confectioner’s sugar
The toothpick test DOES NOT WORK. This cake is done when the corners are golden and crusty; the center should be jiggly. Cool completely in the tin and serve from same.
It can be halved to make two 8×8 square tins. I recommend baking them both at the same time on the same shelf and checking it 5-10 minutes sooner.
If you’d like to compare and contrast my 2 most popular holiday bakes – here’s the fudge recipe:
Becky’s Fudge
Line a 9×9 pan, tin, etc., with parchment paper (I use a glass casserole dish)
1 14-oz can sweetened, condensed milk
18 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
Dash of salt
1½ tsp vanilla extract
The trick is to stir the chocolate constantly. Never let it sit. It will burn.
I’ve mixed this up with peanut butter chips and mint chips in the past (1 part flavored to 2 parts chocolate). You can also add toppings, like caramel sauce drizzle or crushed candy canes. The sky is the limit. Obviously, a lot of people add nuts. I like to blitz Werther hard candies in my food processor and sprinkle them over the top before completely cooled. Yum.
Store both the cake and the fudge in air-tight containers. Christmas themed tins are an excellent option for gifting. But a plain tin with a pretty ribbon & bow are just as effective. And doesn’t require washing when the goodies are gone.
If you’re ever in the market for a gingerbread cookie recipe which doesn’t suck, hit me up. I’ve got one. And my shortbread biscuits are pure heaven.
What’s your favorite holiday goodie? Comment below for a chance to win my latest book.
If you try one of, or both of, the recipes above, please send me an email or find me on FB, Twitter, etc., and let me know what you think.
Happy Holidays!
It’s exquisite torture watching you. For your sake, I hope you meet my expectations… Public Defender Hannah Patel is being stalked by a man obsessed with her. Detective Doyle Murphy hopes to redeem himself by protecting Hannah, but neither expect their forced closeness to create genuine feelings. Their burgeoning romance pushes her stalker over the edge. Will love or madness win?
A city girl, born and bred, Becky tends to set her stories in and around southeast Pennsylvania, or at least has a character or two from the area. She wrote her first book in kindergarten and even then, her style leaned toward suspense. In addition to being a mother and grandmother, she works as a legal professional when she’s not writing, reading, or dancing. And Becky’s proud to tell people she’s making her own dreams come true…one happily ever after at a time.
Buy the book at Amazon.
My favorite is almost anything with chocolate.
I’m sure this will be a surprise (haha) but Diana Hardt is my winner