Ingredients

one small turkey cookie cutter
Pound Cake
• 2 (16 ounce) boxes Betty Crocker Pound Cake mix
• • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided, softened
• • 4 eggs, divided
• • 1 1/3 cups milk, divided
• • brown food coloring or cocoa powder
Vanilla Icing
• • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• • 2 1/2 tablespoons milk
• • 1 teaspoon butter, melted
• • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• • 1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 9×5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
2. Prepare your first pound cake: combine 1 box of cake mix, 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) softened butter, 2 eggs, and 2/3 cup milk in a large bowl. Whisk together with an electric mixer or by hand. Add in your food coloring until you reach the desired color (I think I used 25 drops.) or use 2 TB of cocoa powder.
3. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 8-10 minutes less than instructed on box (about 50 minutes.) Let cool, remove from pan and refrigerate for up to 4 hours. Cut cold cake into slices the thickness of your cookie cutter. Cut turkey shapes from the slices. Set aside.
4. Prepare your second box of pound cake mix the same as the first, except omit the food coloring. Coat a 9×5 loaf pan with cooking spray and pour just barely enough batter to cover the bottom. Align your turkey cut outs down the center, keeping them tightly together. Poor the remaining batter over the heart cut-outs in the pan, making sure to cover the sides and tops. (Careful the batter doesn’t overflow.) Bake according to the directions on the box, about 1 hour. Let cool when done.
5. Meanwhile, prepare your icing. In a medium bowl, mix all of your ingredients together until combined and creamy. Add more powdered sugar if it appears too runny or more milk if it seems too stiff, until you reach the consistency you like.
6. Remove baked and cooled pound cake from pan and top with icing. Let set; cut into slices and enjoy!

Ingredients

Spice Cake
• 3 cups cake flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
Pumpkin Filling
• Mix the following for a yummy filling: 4 oz softened cream cheese 1/2 cup powdered sugar then mix in 1/2 cup canned pumpkin 1 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp nutmeg and 1/4 tsp vanilla. Once mixed slowly add 1/2 cup whipping cream. Beat for 1-2 minutes. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Great to make ahead of time. Do not try to freeze. I did this and it was not a good idea.
Cream Cheese Frosting
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups milk (I used 1%)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 4 ounces cream cheese

Instructions

Spice Cake
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour 2 (8-inch) round cake pans.
2. In a small mixing bowl whisk together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground nutmeg, ground cinnamon, ground ginger and ground cloves.
3. Cream the butter, sugar and salt until light and fluffy with an electric mixer. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the dry ingredients and the buttermilk alternately beginning and ending with the dry.
4. When the batter is well mixed and smooth, divide it amongst the 2 prepared cake pans and bake about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes come out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes then turn out to cool completely. If the cake layers have domed a little during the baking process, slice off the tops with a long serrated knife so they are flat and even.
5. Torte both cakes so you have four even and level cakes.
6. Place the first layer, cut side down, on a cake pedestal or serving plate. Spoon about 1 cup of pumpkin filling onto the center of the cake. Spread it almost to the very edges with an offset spatula. Repeat with the remaining 3 layers.
7. Let sit in the refrigerator for one hour to allow the filling to set.
8. Crumb coat the cake, and let sit in refrigerator for 20 minutes. Finish with last layer of frosting and garnish with pecans if desired.
Cream Cheese Frosting
9. Place the sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt in a small pot and whisk to combine.
10. Gradually whisk in the milk, ensuring there are no lumps.
11. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring often, until thickened.
12. Pass the mixture through a fine mesh strainer, and into an airtight container.
13. Refrigerate for about an hour, or until completely cooled.
14. Place the cooled mixture in a large mixing bowl, along with the lemon juice and vanilla, and whip on high speed.
15. Whip in the cream cheese, a tablespoon at a time.
16. Whip in the butter, a tablespoon at a time, until fluffy.
17. Transfer to an airtight container and chill until ready to use.
18. note: if you would like the frosting thicker, add more cornstarch and allow frosting to sit in refrigerator before using.

Ingredients

• 2 boxes Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge cake mix
• 2 2/3 c. water
• 1/2 c. vegetable oil
• 6 large or extra large eggs
• 16 oz. sour cream
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp instant coffee

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Prepare cake pans by spraying generously with original Pam.
3. Add cake mix, flour, sugar, and salt to mixing bowl and stir with a whisk to mix and de-clump the cake mix.
4. Dissolve coffee granules in room temperature water.
5. You may also use 2 2/3 cups cooled strong black coffee in place of the water and instant coffee if you prefer.
6. Add remaining ingredients to mixing bowl and mix on low speed for one minute. Stop, scrape bowl, and mix for 2 minutes on medium speed.
7. Pour into prepared pans and bake on middle rack of oven.
8. Your cakes are done with a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a bit of crumb clinging to it, and the cakes are just starting to pull away from the sides of the pans.
9. Let cool for half an hour in the pan, then invert onto cooling racks to cool to room temp.
10. Wrap cakes in plastic wrap after cooling to prevent cakes from drying out. These cakes freeze really well. Wrap cakes well with plastic wrap and then with foil, and place in freezer. For long-term storage (more than 2 weeks), place wrapped cakes in a paper grocery sack. The paper sack will keep freezer odors out of your cakes. When you are ready to thaw them, remove cakes from paper sack and leave on counter overnight in plastic/foil.