Orange Upside Down Cake

2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 oranges, peeled, sliced into cartwheels

2 cups raw cranberries 

1/2 cup shortening

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 cups sifted flour

1 teaspoon baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon soda

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice

2 teaspoons freshly grated orange peel

Cover bottom of 13x9x2" baking pan with melted butter; Top with an even layer of brown sugar. Cut orange slices in half; place in rows on top of sugar. Sprinkle over cranberries. Set aside. Cream shortening and sugar together until fluffy; beat in eggs until smooth. Sift together dry ingredients; add to cream mixture alternately with milk and orange juice, beating until smooth. Stir orange peel into batter. Pour over cranberry-orange mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes. Immediately turn out onto platter or tray. Serve warm or cool.  

 

Poppy Seed Cake

Soak one cup poppy seeds in three-fourths cup milk over night.

Batter- Cream one-fourth cup butter, one and one-half cups sugar, add three-fourths cup milk, two cups flour, three teaspoons baking powder, poppy seeds, and fold in beaten whites of four eggs. Bake in three layers.

Custard for filling- One-half cup sugar, one cup milk, yolks of four eggs, six teaspoons cornstarch, piece of butter size of a walnut, and one teaspoon vanilla. Boil until thick enough to spread between layers.

Submitted by Miss Marie Springer 

Easy Apricot Upside Down Cake

This cake has dried apricots for the topping that are cooked in a carbonated beverage. Flavor of the beverage adds subtle tartness to the brown sugar sauce topping. Ingredients include: 1 bottle 7-Up, 1 cup dried apricots, 1 package white cake mix, 1 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup butter or margarine. Simmer beverage with apricots 20 minutes. Meanwhile mix cake according to package directions. Stir brown sugar and butter into apricot sauce and continue cooking to melt butter. Pour sauce over bottom of 9x12x2" baking pan. Top with batter. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 45 minutes. Invert and serve upside down.

From The Dallas Times Herald 1958 

Favorite Chocolate Cake

1 box yellow cake mix

1 package instant chocolate pudding

Mix together.

Add: 1/2 cup cooking oil, 3 eggs, 1 cup milk

Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees

 

Topping:

1/2 cup nuts, 1 stick margarine, 1/2 cup evaporated milk, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Simmer until sugar melts---- pour over hot cake.

Contributed by Nell Queen