Sara Recipe Reviews (Pg. 1) - Allrecipes.com (1997766)

New Duchess Spice Cake with Maple Buttercream Frosting

Reviewed: Feb. 11, 2008

Spice cake is my favorite cake, as well. I have been wanting to try this recipe, but was worried the high ratings were more for the frosting than the cake. Not to worry! I did make a few changes, but nothing that substantially changed the recipe. Most of my changes were in the directions because I'm really anal when it come to preparation. First I sifted the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cloves, but not the white sugar. I substituted unsalted butter for the shortening and creamed it with the white and brown sugars. I then beat in the eggs (one at a time, as directed), as well as a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Finally, I added the flour mixture (in fourths) alternately with the buttermilk (in thirds), beginning and ending with the flour mixture. I know this sounds complicated and time consuming, but it really isn't. I baked my cake in a 13x9 pan for 35 minutes. 45 minutes is too long. I always use an oven thermometer, so I know my oven is correct. Anyway, I frosted it with a traditional cream cheese frosting, and my husband and I both thoroughly enjoyed it! So, thank you Stephanie, from both of us!!

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18 users found this review helpful

Easy Cajun Jambalaya

Reviewed: Mar. 1, 2006

I'm really glad we tried this recipe for Fat Tuesday! All the ingredients were readily at hand, it was incredibly easy to fix, and it had a depth of flavor that I didn't expect!! I was especially surprised at the smokiness that the kielbasa brings. Also, the author is modest about the heat. It's not scorching, but it does warm your mouth considerably.

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2 users found this review helpful

Slow Cooker Lancaster County Pork and Sauerkraut

Reviewed: Jan. 2, 2006

This recipe was an unqualified success for us. Last year I tried the Overnight Pork Roast With Cabbage and was quite disappointed, but I did love the rub that that recipe uses. So, this year, I used that rub and then just put the roast in the slow cooker with the sauerkraut. The roast was falling apart tender! What an incredibly delicious and easy recipe!!

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2 users found this review helpful

Overnight Pork Roast With Cabbage

Reviewed: Jan. 2, 2006

This rating applies to the rub only. I tried this recipe last year and loved the rub. I found the rest of the recipe to be disappointing. I prefer my sauerkraut white and sour. All the beef broth, beer, and molasses made it too brown and sweet. I did like the carrot and onion, but they couldn't make up for the rest of it. The extra caraway in the sauerkraut gave it an oddly spicy taste. Not to mention the house became incredibly smokey when browning the roast. We had to open the house up! Not a good thing on New Years Day in Ohio!!

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Turkey a la King

Reviewed: Nov. 27, 2005

This recipe was exactly what I was looking for. I wanted something fast and easy for my leftover Thankgiving turkey. I, too, doubled the recipe and it worked out perfectly. I served it over mashed potatoes. Instant comfort food!

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2 users found this review helpful

Homestyle Turkey, the Michigander Way

Reviewed: Nov. 25, 2005

This turkey was great! I can't tell you how long I've looked for the perfect turkey recipe. I did make a few changes, but nothing radical. I used chicken broth instead of boullion and I used fresh onion and parsley (1/4 cup each, plus more in the cavity). This way, not only did I cut back on the sodium, but I didn't have to buy anything special or have anything left over. The turkey was literally falling off the bones!!

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2 users found this review helpful

Blue Ribbon White Bread

Reviewed: Aug. 8, 2005

I, too, double the yeast and use melted butter instead of shortening. I have found that using butter not only improves the flavor, but it also eliminates the need to butter the crusts altogether. I also don't bother with the pan of water. No need! It is wonderful without the fuss!! The milk, butter, and honey give the bread the depth of flavor that we were looking for. The texture is perfect, and I love that it makes two 9x5 inch loaves. To make wheat bread, I just substitute whole wheat flour for the first 2 cups of bread flour. I can't believe that this recipe isn't more highly rated!!

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32 users found this review helpful

Becky's Chicken Salad

Reviewed: Jul. 5, 2005

We made this for the Fourth of July and served it on homemade sandwich buns. It was very good and very refreshing! My husband loved it!! We will definately be making this recipe again.

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Basic Cream Cheese Frosting

Reviewed: Mar. 24, 2005

I have been making cream cheese frosting like this for years except that I only use 1 teaspoon vanilla. I tried this recipe on a banana cake that I made and, although it is very good, I think I still like my recipe better. For those who thought this recipe was overly sweet, it may very well have been the vanilla. As my husband put it, it kind of gets you in the back of the throat. I think it may be the alcohol in the vanilla extract. Anyway, it did lessen as the frosting aged and it did complement the banana cake very well, but I'd prefer a stronger cream cheese flavor, especially if using it on a carrot cake.

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Mother's Applesauce Cake

Reviewed: Jan. 24, 2005

Wow! This cake is great!! I've been on an applesauce cake kick lately, but my search ends with this recipe. It makes a large cake using what I've come to think of as the traditional applesauce cake spices, cinnamon and cloves. I love its use of brown sugar, both the flavor it adds and the color it brings. It also uses much more applesauce than others, so not only is it incredibly moist, but you can actually SMELL and TASTE the applesauce, imagine that! I did omit the dates and raisins, out of personal preference. I baked mine in a bundt pan and then just dusted it with confectioners' sugar. Believe me, it doesn't need any frosting!!

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26 users found this review helpful

Amish White Bread

Reviewed: Nov. 9, 2004

This recipe makes a good specialty bread, but it is too sweet for basic white bread. I've tried cutting the sugar in half, but with just water and oil, there isn't much else going on in the way of flavor.

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1 user found this review helpful

Applesauce Cake IV

Reviewed: Aug. 31, 2004

I'm not sure if I've ever even had applesauce cake before. I know that I've never made one, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Boy, am I glad that I started with this one. I omitted the raisins, but otherwise I followed the recipe exactly. I can't believe how moist it is!

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1 user found this review helpful

Carrot Cake III

Reviewed: Jul. 27, 2004

I should have reviewed this recipe months ago. I always wanted to make a carrot cake for our anniversary because we had a carrot cake for our wedding cake. Well, eleven years later, I finally did! I chose this recipe because it was a pure, unadulterated, carrot cake - no coconut, pineapple, or raisins. I cannot imagine how a carrot cake could taste any better (it was even better than our wedding cake, which was baked by a professional chef)!

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4 users found this review helpful

Blueberry Crumb Bars

Reviewed: Jul. 8, 2004

Wow! Phenomenal!! The only change I made was to substitute butter for the shortening and I used the optional salt and cinnamon. They could not have turned out any better. This is by far the best blueberry dessert I have ever made! Berry delicious!!

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1 user found this review helpful

Cinnamon Bread I

Reviewed: Apr. 5, 2004

I have mixed feelings about this recipe. It was tasty and we did eat it, but it wasn't what I expected. It wasn't cinnamon bread, but rather "cinnamon batter". I was hoping for a sweet white quick bread with cinnamon swirls. Instead, the bread was as dark as wheat bread and the cinnamon pockets were virtually nonexistent. I even swirled in half again as much of the cinnamon-sugar mixture as the recipe calls for. If I were to make this again, I would leave the cinnamon out of the batter, triple the cinnamon-sugar mixture, and layer it in thirds. Hope this helps!

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1 user found this review helpful

Blueberry Buckle

Reviewed: Apr. 28, 2003

I absolutely love blueberries, so I was thrilled when I saw this recipe. After I tried it, however, I found that you really can have too much of a good thing. I followed the recipe exactly with the exception of substituting butter for the shortening, but the baking time was way off! I left it in for 45 minutes and the bottom half was still undercooked. Two cups of blueberries is just too much for an 8x8 inch pan. Next time I'm going to try the Blueberry Coffee Cake II recipe - it's virtually the same recipe, but with only 1 cup of blueberries.

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1 user found this review helpful

Spiced Yogurt Pound Cake

Reviewed: Apr. 22, 2003

I absolutely love spice cake and make one for my birthday every year. This year I chose this recipe because of the amount of spices it uses. I was not disappointed! It was the best I have ever made. I did substitute buttermilk for the yogurt and I frosted it with a cream cheese frosting. Next time I'm going to try the Allspice Cream Cheese Frosting just to "kick it up another notch".

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0 users found this review helpful

Irresistible Irish Soda Bread

Reviewed: Mar. 18, 2003

I've never had Irish Soda Bread before, let alone baked it, so I don't know whether this bread is traditional or not. I do know that it is fabulous. I followed the directions exactly, baked it for 70 minutes, then wrapped it in foil overnight. It turned out moist, dense, and delicious. It was like eating pound cake! I can't wait to make it again.

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1 user found this review helpful

Banana Banana Bread

Reviewed: Mar. 14, 2003

I just had to write another review after trying this recipe with the following modifications: I substituted white sugar for the brown, reduced the banana to approximately 2 cups (4 bananas), and added 1 cup chopped walnuts and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Wow, it truly is the consumate banana nut bread! I only wish that I could give it 10 stars!!

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2 users found this review helpful

Bread and Celery Stuffing

Reviewed: Jan. 21, 2003

This recipe is exactly what I was looking for. It's a great, simple bread dressing that is flavorful, but not overly seasoned. I used a whole can of chicken broth, and baked it in a casserole. Fantastic! Thank you, Carlota.

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3 users found this review helpful