Candy Cane Loaf- Cookie Allred

Ingredients
2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream
1/2 cup warm water (110° to 115°)
2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 eggs, beaten
5-1/4 to 6 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1-1/2 cups (12 ounces) finely chopped dried apricots
1-1/2 cups finely chopped maraschino cherries

ICING:
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons water
Directions
In a saucepan, heat sour cream until lukewarm. Set aside. Dissolve yeast in warm water. In a large bowl, add sour cream, butter, sugar, salt, eggs and 2 cups flour. With an electric mixer, beat until smooth. Stir in just enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down; divide into 3 equal parts. On a lightly floured surface, roll each part into a 15-in. x 6-in. rectangle. Place on greased baking sheets. With a scissors, make 2-in. cuts at 1/2-in. intervals on the long sides of rectangle. Combine apricots and cherries; spread half of the mixture down the center of each rectangle. Crisscross strips over filling. Stretch dough to 22 in. curve to form cane. Let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake at 375° for 15-20 minutes. While warm, brush canes with butter. Combine icing ingredients and drizzle. Yield: 3 coffee cakes.

30-36 Servings Prep: 40 min. + rising Bake: 15 min.

Zucchini Brownies

Ingredients

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup margarine
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.
In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Fold in the zucchini and walnuts. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until brownies spring back when gently touched. To make the frosting, melt together the 6 tablespoons of cocoa and margarine; set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, blend together the confectioners' sugar, milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in the cocoa mixture. Spread over cooled brownies before cutting into squares.

Chocolate cake

Ingredients

2 cups white sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
5 1/3 cups confectioners' sugar
2/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 inch cake pans.
Use the first set of ingredients to make the cake. In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, mix for 3 minutes with an electric mixer. Stir in the boiling water by hand. Pour evenly into the two prepared pans.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to cool completely.
To make the frosting, use the second set of ingredients. Cream butter until light and fluffy. Stir in the cocoa and confectioners' sugar alternately with the milk and vanilla. Beat to a spreading consistency.
Split the layers of cooled cake horizontally, cover the top of each layer with frosting, then stack them onto a serving plate. Frost the outside of the cake