Pecan Valley Pecans

2 cups granulated sugar
½ cup margarine
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 cups apples; sliced thin
1 cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces1. Preheat oven to 325ºF.
2. In a large mixing bowl cream margarine and sugar. Add beaten eggs and vanilla extract and whisk to blend well.
3. Combine baking soda, salt, flour and cinnamon; add to egg mixture and beat until thoroughly mixed.
4. Add peeled and thinly sliced apples along with the chopped pecans to batter. Blend only enough to spread apples and nuts throughout batter.
5. Grease and flour a 13-inch-by-9-inch-by-2-inch pan. Pour in the batter.Bake in a preheated oven for 1 hour.

1½ cups vegetable oil
2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour; sifted
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
1¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground mace
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 cup whole-wheat flour; sifted
4 cups Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
1¼ cups coarse chunks of peeled and cored apples
3 tablespoons Applejack Apple Cider Glaze

1. Preheat oven to 325ºF.
2. In a large bowl, beat vegetable oil and sugar until thick and opaque. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. Sift together flour, cloves, cinnamon, mace, baking soda and salt, and then stir in whole-wheat flour. Add to oil and egg mixture and mix until well blended.
4. Add pecans, apple chunks and applejack all at once and stir batter until pieces are evenly distributed. Pour batter into a greased 10-inch round cake pan.
5. Bake in a preheated oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Applejack Apple Cider Glaze
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar; firmly packed
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons applejack or apple brandy
4 tablespoons sweet cider
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons heavy cream1. Melt butter in a small saucepan and stir in both sugars.
2. Add remaining ingredients, stir, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat slightly and cook for 4 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Pour while still warm over warm cake.

Makes 1½ cups glaze

4 cups apples; peeled; chopped
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs; slightly beaten
½ cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
Lemon Butter Frosting

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. In a large mixing bowl stir together apples and sugar; let stand 5 minutes.
3. In another bowl, stir together eggs, oil and vanilla.
4. In another bowl, sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Blend in egg mixture.
5. Fold in apples and pecans, mixing well. Pour batter into greased and floured 13-inch-by-9 baking pan.
6. Bake in a preheated oven for 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
7. Cool and frost with lemon butter frosting.

Lemon Butter Frosting
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons waterIn a large mixing bowl, combine butter, sugar, lemon juice and enough water for spreading consistency; beat well.

2 cups granulated sugar
1½ cups vegetable oil
3 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt
1½ teaspoons vanilla
3 cups granny smith apples; peeled and finely diced
¾ cups flaked coconut
1 cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces1. Preheat oven to 325ºF.
2. Mix sugar and oil, add eggs and beat well. Combine flour, soda and salt.
3. Add flour mixture to beaten egg mixture. Stir in vanilla, apples, coconut, and pecans. Mix well. Spoon batter into a greased tube pan.
4. Bake in preheated oven 1 hour and 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
5. Allow cake to cool to room temperature before removing from pan.

1 package butter recipe golden cake mix
½ cup unsalted butter; softened
1⅓ cups applesauce
3 eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2½ ounces Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
1 recipe Mocha Frosting1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Grease and flour 2, 9-inch-by-1½-inch round cake pans.
2. Put dry cake mix, butter, applesauce, eggs and cinnamon into large mixer bowl. Beat for 4 minutes at medium speed.
3. Stir in pecans. Turn batter into pans and spread evenly.
4. Bake in a preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
5. Frost with Mocha Frosting.

Mocha Frosting
4 large egg whites
¾ cups sugar
2 tablespoons water
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla
¾ pounds unsalted butter (3 sticks)
1 tablespoon instant coffee crystals
1½ teaspoons water
2 ounces chopped semisweet chocolate squares1. Whisk egg whites, sugar, 2 tablespoons water and cream of tartar in a large, stainless steel bowl.
2. Set the bowl in a large skillet filled with 1 inch of simmering water. The depth of the water should be as high as the depth of the egg whites in the bowl.
3. Beat the egg whites at low speed until the mixture registers 140ºF on an instant-read thermometer. Do not stop beating at any time while the bowl is in the simmering water.
4. Beat the mixture at high speed until it just reaches 160ºF, about 2 to 4 minutes.
5. Remove the bowl from the skillet.
6. Add vanilla and beat at high speed for 3 to 5 more minutes to cool the mixture.
7. Using another bowl beat the butter until creamy.
8. Take a large scoop of the egg white mixture and beat it into the butter until it is well combined. Continue to beat in about half of the egg white mixture in large scoops.
9. Scrape the remaining egg whites into the mixture and beat until fluffy. Set aside.
10. Melt semisweet chocolate in the top of a double boiler over boiling water. Let cool to lukewarm. While the chocolate cools, dissolve instant coffee in 1½ teaspoons water and stir into frosting mixture.
11. Stir cooled chocolate into frosting with a rubber spatula. Use frosting immediately.

8 eggs; separated
1½ cups granulated sugar
2½ cups Pecan Valley Pecan Meal
10 Uneeda Biscuits; crushed
1 whole lemon rind; grated
1 pint heavy cream
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup apricot jam1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. In a large mixing bowl beat egg yolks with 1½ cups sugar until light lemon-colored.
3. Add nuts, biscuit crumbs and lemon rind.
4. In another bowl beat egg whites until dry and fold into nut batter.
5. Grease two 9-inch cake pans lightly, line them with wax paper and grease and flour the wax paper. Pour batter into pans and let stand 5 minutes.
6. Bake in a preheated oven for 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
7. Remove pans from oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on racks.
8. In a large mixing bowl, whip cream until stiff. Beat in ¼ cup sugar gradually; add vanilla and beat.
9. Spread jam on top of one layer cake. Place second layer cake on top. Cover sides and top of cake with whipped cream. Sprinkle with additional nuts, if desired.

⅔ cups banana; mashed
⅓ cup margarine
6 egg whites; large
¾ cups water
2 cups cake flour; unbleached
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
½ cup raisins1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat together mashed bananas and margarine until creamy.
3. Add egg whites and water. Beat well.
4. Stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Beat until smooth.
5. Add pecans and raisins. Spoon batter into a 9-inch-by-13-inch baking pan, sprayed with vegetable oil spray.
6. Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool and cut into 3-inch-by-3-inch squares.

1 package Snack Cake Mix
1 egg
⅓ cup vegetable oil
½ cup ripe banana; mashed
½ cup buttermilk; milk or water
½ cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Pour snack cake mix into an ungreased 8- or 9-inch square baking pan.
3. In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients, beating with a fork to blend.
4. Stir into Snack Cake Mix until blended.
5. Bake in a preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on rack.

1 cup brown sugar; firmly packed
¼ cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
¼ cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
4 large ripe bananas; peeled and cut diagonally; ¼ inch slices
1 cup cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¾ cups granulated sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter; at room temperature
1 large egg
½ teaspoon vanilla
6 tablespoons milk
Sweetened whipped cream; optional1. Preheat oven to 325ºF.
2. Combine sugar and butter in heavy medium saucepan; stir over low heat until butter melts and mixture is well blended.
3. Pour into a 9-inch diameter cake pan with 2-inch high sides. Spread to coat bottom of pan.
4. Pour maple syrup over sugar mixture.
5. Sprinkle nuts evenly over.
6. Place banana slices in concentric circles on nuts, overlapping slightly and covering bottom. Set aside.
7. In a large mixing bowl stir flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; stir until mixture is well blended.
8. In another bowl beat sugar and butter until creamy.
9. Add egg and vanilla; beat until light and fluffy.
10. Beat in flour mixture alternately with milk in three additions. Spoon batter over bananas.
11. Bake in a preheated oven for about 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
12. Transfer cake to rack. Run knife around pan sides. Cool cake on rack for 30 minutes.
13. Place a plate over pan; invert cake. Let stand 3 minutes, and then gently lift off the pan.
14. Serve warm with whipped cream.

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 14-ounce can crushed pineapple; divided
3 eggs
1½ cups oil
2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 6)
1½ cups Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
2 tablespoons vanilla
1 recipe Pineapple Pecan Icing

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in large bowl.
3. Add 1 cup pineapple, eggs, oil, bananas, pecans and vanilla. Mix just until thoroughly combined. Turn into greased and floured 10-inch cake pan.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 70 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean.
5. Cool on rack 20 min. Then remove from pan and cool completely.
6. Spread Pineapple Pecan Icing on top and side of cake.Servings: 12

Pineapple Pecan Icing
⅓ cup crushed pineapple, drained
¼ cup margarine, softened
3 cups sifted powdered sugar
2 tablespoons to 3 tablespoons pineapple juice1. Drain reserved pineapple well.
2. Whip margarine, powdered sugar and pineapple juice together until smooth. Fold in pineapple.