Millie's Cakes

There won't be any pictures to these recipes because once the cakes were made, they were eaten!!!

As a kid we used to spend the first two weeks of July at a small resort in Northern Minnesota called Sunset Bay. There were only 6 cabins, plus the owner's house and about 13 trailers on the property. It was a magical time for us kids. The favorite blue bedroom faced the lake and when we settled down into our bed (because we had to share) we would open up the windows and hear the loons calling out their beautiful song.

Every summer the resort would put on some sort of big picnic. It was a pot luck and of course, I always had my eye on Millie's cakes. I got the recipes from her almost 30 years ago and they are still my go to cake recipes. Even the most ardent "I hate cake" eaters gobble it down with crumbs and frosting sticking to their face.

Many years later, my parents along with 3 other couples (Including Millie and her husband Carl) purchased the resort. The cabins are now homes for each of the aging owners.  Sadly, there hasn't been any potluck big picnics for years. Just incredible memories so that I'm grateful I got the cake recipes from Millie all of those years ago!!

I'd love to hear any memories of Sunset Bay and the picnics if anyone reads this post.

Millie’s Dark Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting

Ingredients

1 ¾ C Flour (I would use cake flour)

2 C Sugar

¾ C Hershey Cocoa (or any good cocoa)

1 ½ tsp baking soda

1 ½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 C Milk

½ C Oil

2 tsp Vanilla

1 C boiling water

Directions

●     Combine dry ingredients in large mixing bowl

●     Add remaining ingredients (except boiling water)

●     Blend well in mixer

●     Add boiling water (batter will be thin)

●     Pour into greased & floured cake pan

Bake

●     Layer cake: 30-35 mn

●     13x9: 35-40 mn

FROST CAKE IMMEDIATELY - 5 mn Frosting

Ingredients

6 Tbl butter

½ C Hershey’s cocoa

2 ⅔ C Powdered sugar

4-5 Tbl Milk

1 Tbl Vanilla

Directions

●     Cream butter until soft and fluffy

●     Add cocoa and blend well

●     Gradually add powdered sugar

●     Alternating w/milk & vanilla

●     Beat to spreading consistancy

●     Drop on cake in globs, its easier to spread if you let it warm up to the cake

Millie’s Mandarin Cake with Pineapple Frosting

Ingredients

1 Yellow Cake Mix

3 oz package of Instant Vanilla pudding mix

3 eggs

¼ C oil

1 can 11oz Mandarin Oranges (don’t drain)

½ tsp Orange extract

Directions

·         Mix & Bake cake according to cake box directions

·         Cool cake completely

Frosting (while cake is baking)

1 8oz container of cool whip (or make your own from scratch)

3 oz package of Instant Vanilla pudding mix

16 oz can crushed pineapple (don’t drain)

Directions

·         Mix all ingredients together in a bowl

·         Store in a covered container in the refrigerator

·         Spread onto cooled cake