Holiday Flavors: Readers dish up their favorite dessert recipes

This is the first part of our annual Holiday Flavors recipes. Today’s recipes focus on everybody’s favorite — Desserts. On Sunday, we’ll have recipes for Party Food. Thanks to those who also submitted photos of folks enjoying their holiday favorites.

MOTHER’S ITALIAN CREAM CAKE

Kelly Wesselman

Cake: What you need

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

1 stick margarine

1/2 cup shortening

2 cups sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

5 eggs, separated

2 cups flour

1 cup pecans

1 cup coconut

What you do …

Preheat the over to 350 degrees. Add soda to buttermilk. Cream margarine, shortening and sugar. Add vanilla and egg yolks. Mix well. Add butter and flour alternately. Add pecans and coconut. Fold in stiffly beaten eggs whites. Bake in greased and floured cake pans for 25 minutes

Icing: What you need

1 stick margarine

1 box powdered sugar

3/4 cup finely chopped pecans

1/2 cup coconut

1 tsp. vanilla

8 oz. softened cream cheese

Cook’s note: 1 cup of raisins added to icing makes the cake spectacular.

OLD-FASHIONED CHOCOLATE CAKE

Barbara Akridge

For cake: What you need

2 cups self-rising flour

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup oil

3 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 cups sugar

For Icing: What you need

1 stick melted butter

1/4 cup cocoa

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup milk

What you do

For cake: Mix well and pour into a greased and floured 9-by-13-inch pan at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes. While cake is baking, prepare the icing.

For icing: Begin cooking the icing with 8-10 minutes left on cake baking time. Mix icing in a large pan. Bring to a boil and let it boil for 3 minutes. (I usually cook on medium or a little higher. If you cook too high, it will scorch the chocolate.)

As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, slice into squares or poke holes in the cake with wooden spoon handle. Pour the hot chocolate icing all over the cake and let it soak in.

Cook’s tip: I prefer Hershey’s cocoa. If you prefer the cake warm, you can pop it in the microwave for a few seconds.

BANANA PUDDING

Annie Ruth Flanigan

What you need …

4 eggs (save 3 whites for toppings)

3 tbsp. plain flour

1 tsp. vanilla

4-6 bananas

1 cup sugar

3 cups milk

1 box vanilla wafers

What you do …

Mix eggs, sugar, flour and milk in double boiler and stir until thick (not too thick). Add 1 tsp. butter and vanilla. Layer wafers, bananas and pudding mixture. For topping, beat egg whites until stiff. Fold in 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla. Put on top of pudding and brown.

CHOCOLATE CHIP PEANUT BUTTER PIE

Annie Ruth Flanigan

What you need

Roll of chocolate chip cookie dough

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup powdered sugar

8 oz. cream cheese

12 oz. Cool Whip

Mini Reese’s Cups

What you do

Press cookie dough into a 9-inch springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees about 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool, then pour cream cheese mixture on top. Cream peanut butter and cream cheese. Add powdered sugar and mix well. Fold in Cool Whip with spatula. Pour on cookie dough. Cut mini Reese’s Cups into small pieces and put on top and chill.

COCA-COLA CAKE

Annette Collier

FOR THE CAKE: What you need …

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup margarine

1 cup Coca-Cola

1/2 cup buttermilk

3 tbsp. cocoa

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. soda

What you do …

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix flour, sugar and marshmallows.

Bring margarine, Coca-Cola and cocoa to a boil. Pour that over flour mixture. Stir in marshmallows until almost melted. Add buttermilk, eggs and soda. Mix well, but don’t beat.

Pour into greased and floured 9-by-13-inch pan. Bake 35-40 minutes.

FOR THE ICING: What you need …

1/2 cup margarine

6 tbsp. Coca-Cola

2 tbsp. cocoa

1 box 4X powdered sugar

1 cup chopped pecans

What you do …

Bring margarine, Coke and cocoa to a boil. Remove from heat. Add sugar and nuts. Frost cake when its cooled.

COCONUT POUND CAKE

Annie Ruth Flanigan

What you need …

2 ticks butter

1/2 cup Crisco

3 cups sugar

5 eggs

3 cups Swanson cake flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 cup milk

1 tsp. coconut flavoring

7 oz. can of coconut

1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

What you do …

Cream butter and Crisco at medium speed about 2 minutes. Gradually add sugar, beating at medium speed for about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at time, beating just until yellow disappears. Combine flour and baking powder; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix at lowest speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in coconut, flavoring and pecans. Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan. Bake at 325 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours or until a toothpick comes our clean. Let cool in pan for a few minutes before removing. Two loaf pans may be used instead of one tube pan.

EARTHQUAKE CAKE

Marideane Maxwell

What you need:

1 cup flaked, sweetened coconut

1 cup chopped pecans

18.25 oz. German Chocolate cake mix (plus ingredients to prepare )

1 stick butter, melted

16 oz. confectioner’s sugar

8 oz. cream cheese

1/2 tsp. pure almond extract

What you do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 13×9-inch pan.

Spread coconut and pecans on bottom of pan. Mix cake according to directions on box and pour over coconut and pecans. Mix sugar, butter and cream cheese and spread over cake (or drop by spoonful over cake). Bake for 45 to 50 minutes. Serves 16 to 20.

LBJ’s PECAN PIE

Doris Jones

What you need …

1 cup sugar

1 cup corn syrup

1 stick butter

1/2 tsp. sea salt

3 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 cups chopped pecans

1 pie crust

What you do …

Mix together syrup, sugar, butter and salt. Cook until dissolved. meanwhile, beat eggs until foamy. Mix all ingredients together. Pour into an 8- or 9-inch pie crust. Bake at 325 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

MILKY WAY CAKE

Annie Ruth Flanigan

For Cake: What you need …

8 regular sized Milky Way bars

3 sticks butter

2 cups sugar

4 eggs, well beaten

2 1/2 cups flour

1/4 tsp. soda

1 1/4 cup buttermilk

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup pecans, chopped

powdered sugar

For icing: What you need …

2 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup evaporated milk

1 stick butter

1 cup marshmallow cream

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup chopped pecans

What you do …

For the cake: Melt Milky Way bars with 1 stick butter. Remove from heat, let cool. Cream remaining 2 sticks of butter with sugar. Add beaten eggs and cooled Milky Way mixture. Sift flour and soda together. Add alternately flour and buttermilk into the batter, blending well. Add vanilla and nuts. Grease and dust with powdered sugar three 9-inch cake pans. Bake at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes.

For the icing: Combine sugar and milk. Cook to soft boil stage. Remove from heat. Add butter, marshmallow cream and chocolate chips, stirring until all have melted. Add pecans and spread onto cake.

Cook’s note: You may use any kind of icing you want.

OATMEAL-COCONUT COOKIES

Annie Ruth Flanigan

What you need:

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon soda

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cups uncooked oats

3/4 cup coconut

1 cup melted Crisco

1 well-beaten egg

What you do:

Sift together flour, soda, sugar and brown sugar

Add oats and coconut and mix well

Add Crisco and egg and mix

Shape into small balls

Place on ungreased baking sheet

Press lightly with a fork

Bake at 325 degrees about 10 minutes.

YIELD: 5-6 dozen

7-UP CAKE

Annie Ruth Flanigan

For cake: What you need …

1 box lemon cake mix

1 pkg. instant vanilla pudding

2/3 cup oil

10 oz. 7-Up

4 eggs

For icing: What you need …

1 stick butter

1 1/2 cup sugar

8 oz. crushed pineapple

7 oz. can coconut

2 tbsp. flour

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup pecans, chopped

What you do …

For the cake: Mix cake mix, pudding and 7-Up. Beat in eggs. Add oil. Beat well. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Makes three layers.

For the icing: Combine sugar, flour and eggs, and beat well. Add pineapple, butter and vanilla. Cook until thick. Let cool. Add coconut and pecans. Spread on cake.

TURTLE PUMPKIN PIE

Annie Ruth Flanigan

What you need …

1/4 cup, plus 2 tbsp. caramel ice cream topping, divided

2 pkgs. (3.4 oz.) vanilla instant pudding

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 graham cracker crust

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. chopped pecans divided

1 cup cold milk

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

8 oz. Cool Whip, divided

What you do …

Pour 1/4 cup caramel topping into crust. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup nuts. Beat pudding mixes, milk, pumpkin and spices with whisk until blended. Stir in 1 1/2 cups Cool Whip. Spoon into crust. Refrigerate 1 hour. Top with remaining Cool Whip, caramel and nuts just before serving.

Cook’s note: Sweet potato may be used instead of pumpkin.