Have a family event coming up? Why not whip up a devil's food cake, a real crowd pleaser that's oh, so simple to make! 

This recipe is slightly adapted from one by Divas Can Cook. There's no butter to cream - this uses a reverse creaming technique - similar to a box mix. Only the egg and milk need to be at room temperature, and they're easy to warm up without a long wait. We used a combination of regular and dutched chocolate, which gave the cake extra depth of chocolate flavor. You should try this one!

Details:  We made a two-layer 6-inch cake plus 12 cupcakes from this cake recipe. You can also make it to bake a 13 x 9 cake. Our cake was frosted using our chocolate cream cheese  frosting recipe, which you can find here. We frosted our cupcakes with a peanut butter frosting recipe that we were testing. It's not yet ready to share!
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This dense, flavorful pound cake loaf is perfect with coffee or tea, and makes a delicious addition to brunch. And - hint, hint - it's a perfect cake to make for Mom on her special day this weekend. Best of all, it is surprisingly easy to make. You may already have the ingredients in your kitchen.

This recipe, slightly adapted from the book Bake From Scratch, makes two 8.5" x 4.5" loaves. As a small family, we usually halve the recipe. If you have a good scale, we recommend that you weigh the ingredients. That way you're assured of a good loaf. 

The recipe also has you make your own strawberry preserves filling. We used a purchased mixed berry jam in ours (our favorite is an all-natural French jam). If you use jam you bought, choose one that is a looser style, not a jelly for best results. We also added a simple glaze to the top and decorated with a few dried raspberries we had on hand. It's just as delicious naked!

We highly recommend that you read through this recipe before you make it. The mixing instructions are a little different than normal. ​You should always do this, but we have to confess - we often don't! 

​We'll post a VIDEO soon!

• 1/2 pound (225g) fresh strawberries, hulled
• 2 Tablespoons (30g) water
• 1 Tablespoon (8g) cornstarch
• 3 Tablespoons (36g) granulated sugar

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1. In the work bowl of a food processor, pulse strawberries until smooth, about 1 minute.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together water and cornstarch until smooth.
3. In a medium saucepan, stir together pureed strawberries and sugar over medium-high heat. Whisk in cornstarch mixture. Bring to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 1 minute.

Will yield about 1 cup.

There's always room for a new chocolate chip cookie in your recipe collection. This version, with extra-large chocolate chips, toasted pecans and chunks of caramel is worth a spot! These cookies are soft with a slightly crispy exterior. Sprinkled with a pinch of sea salt - it's cookie perfection.

Our recipe is slightly adapted from one from one of our favorite recipe creators, Sally's Baking Addiction. You should try it. Please chill the dough before baking. It makes a difference in the flavor and the thickness of the cookies.

​Makes about 2 dozen average size cookies. 
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1. In your stand mixer with SideSwipe or your paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until fluffy and light in color.
2. Mix in egg and vanilla extract under well combined.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Add to mixer bowl.
4. On low speed, slowly mix into the wet ingredients until just barely combined. It is ok if there are small streaks of dry ingredients. They will be mixed when you add the next ingredients. The cookie dough will be thick and somewhat sticky.
5. Add the chocolate chips and pecans, then mix until evenly distributed. You can add some caramel chunks at this stage, but save some to stud the top of the cookies just before baking.
6. Cover dough tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour and up to 4 days. Chilling is mandatory for this cookie dough so the cookies don't over-spread.
7. Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
8. The cookie dough will be slightly crumbly, but will come together as you roll into individual balls with your hands. (We used a 1.5 Tbl cookie scoop and did not roll by hand) Roll balls of dough, about 1.5 Tablespoons of dough each, and arrange 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Press a few pieces of caramel onto the tops of the cookies and sprinkle each with sea salt.
9. Bake for 10-11 minutes, until barely golden brown around the edges. The centers will look soft.
10. Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

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Make ahead tip: Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week. You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Allow to come to room temperature then continue with step 3. Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw.

We're giving away a SideSwipe for Mother's Day! No need to be a mom to enter.

To participate do one or more of the following:

1. Follow us on Instagram (@sideswipeblade)
2. Like us on Facebook (SideSwipe Beater for KitchenAid Mixers)
3. Tag a friend in the comments
4. Sign up for our newsletter at www.sideswipeblade.com. You will receive a coupon if you choose to do this.
5. For 5 entries, repost this giveaway on your account or story - be sure to tag us!

Deadline for entries is Wednesday, May 1 at 11:59pm ET. Instagram does not endorse or sponsor this giveaway. Valid in US only.

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