This recipe is one I make this time of year for birthdays, not necessarily Christmas. A very luscious chocolate cake, but inexpensive. It can be kept plain or filled and decorated as you like. BOILED CHOCOLATE CAKE: Into a saucepan, put 4oz Butter 1Cup Water, 1 Cup Sugar and 2 tablespoons of a good Cocoa Powder. Bring to the boil and simmer for three minutes. Let cool. Then mix in 2 eggs 1 1/2 Cups of Self Raising Flour 1 teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda. Put in whatever tin you like, eg:can be made into a slab or a conventional cake in an 8" tin. Bake in moderate oven until firm. We are on a dairy-free diet, so instead of cream as a filling, I make cooked filling with soy milk. For birthdays I make a white custard and a choc-custard and layer the cake with them then cover with icing. It is just delicious. For Christmas I make a 'traditional' Christmas Pudding. The recipe has been handed down through generations of my past husbands family. I have modernised it somewhat. I don't boil it in a cloth and I use a good quality margarine instead of 'suet'. Also add other dried fruits too if I have them, eg: dried apricots and dates. This recipe is a large quantity, can be broken down to half or a quarter. AUNTY ELSIE'S CHRISTMAS PUDDING 1 1/2 lbs Plain Flour 1 teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda 1 lb fresh breadcrumbs 21b suet (any shortening will do, butter or margarine) 3 lb sultanas 3lb raisins 3lb currants 1 1/4 lbs sugar (can mix white and brown) 1 Cup Milk 20 Eggs Brandy, Whiskey or Fruit Juice Chop the raisins and mix fruit, sugar and put some in liquor/fruit juice to moisten and leave to meld overnight or several days occasionally giving it a stir through. Mix in all other ingrediants and put into well greased tins or bowls and cover with greased cooking paper or a lid and tie the top. Put into a pan of boiling water that just comes up two thirds of the way of the side of the recepticle. Boil gently for five hours, replenishing the water with boiling water every hour or so. This can be made days or weeks before Christmas. To reheat we just slice and heat in the microwave! In the old days they used to reboil it. Probably a good idea when done in a pudding cloth. Is just fine reheated in the microwave though. Can be served with a brandy custard or last year I glazed ours with a caramel sauce as well. For Christmas lunch before the pudding, and some cold sweets too, we usually have a roast, pork and turkey or duck and fresh vegetables from my Dad's garden. A very Merry, Happy Christmas and New Year to everyone, Joylene.

I always use the method from "The Cake Mix Doctor" (and use it for ANY flavor cake mix): BASIC YELLOW BUTTER CAKE 1 yellow cake mix (18-1/4 oz.) 1 stick butter (8 Tblsp.) butter, melted (do not use margarine) 1 cup milk (2% or whole  not skim) 3 large eggs 2 tsp. Vanilla extract Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans. In large mixing bowl, combine ingredients listed above. Beat just until blended, and no lumps remain. Pour into pans and bake at 350° F. for 27-29 minutes or until cake tests done. If making cupcakes, bake for 20 minutes.

A little Bundt Pan history... The cast-iron kugelhupf pan is common in Europe and in 1950, a group of Minneapolis women asked Nordic Products owner H. David Dalquist to make an aluminum version of the pan. Ten years later, the new Good Housekeeping Cookbook showed a pound cake baked in one, and suddenly every woman wanted a Bundt Pan. The 1966 Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest was won with the "Tunnel of Fudge Cake". If you would like that recipe, I'll be happy to post it. In 1972 the grand prize winner in the Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest was a Bundt Streusel Spice Cake and 11 top winners also called for a bundt pan. I'll see if I have that booklet in my collection. So the Bundt cake pan is a newcomer in kitchens with more than forty million pans in existence in America. Generally, cakes that have too much sugar in them to have good structure are used in recipes using a tube or Bundt pan. Which is different from a standard cake. I located a few recipes at King Arthur (see link below). -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: Bundt Cake Recipes - King Arthur Flour

All of these are tried and family approved :-) The banana cake doesn't start with a mix, but I'm sending it anyway since you say he loves bananas. Becky * Exported from MasterCook * Death By Chocolate Recipe By :Tamara Chatham Serving Size : 12 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1 box chocolate cake mix 1 small package instant chocolate pudding mix 12 ounces chocolate chips 4 eggs 1 cup sour cream 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup oil Mix all ingredients, except chocolate chips. Dust chocolate chips with flour. Remove excess flour, and fold into cake mixture. Bake in greased and floured bundt cake pan at temperature indicated on cake mix box. Dust with powdered sugar. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NOTES : Tamara likes to refrigerate the cake before serving, as the texture becomes denser and the cholcolate chips harden. * Exported from MasterCook * Italian Love Cake Recipe By : Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1 box fudge marble cake mix (or chocolate) 2 pounds ricotta cheese 1 cup sugar 4 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 box instant chocolate pudding -- (3 3/4 oz.) 1 cup milk 8 ounces non-dairy whipped topping -- thawed Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cake as directed on box and pour into greased and floured 9 x 13 pan. In separate bowl, combine ricotta, sugar, eggs, and vanilla; mix well. Spoon over unbaked cake. Bake cake for 1 hour. Cool. Mix instant pudding with milk; fold in whipped topping. Spread over cake; refrigerate. Yield: 12 servings. Source: "http://busycooks.about.com" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - * Exported from MasterCook * Chocolate Thunder Cake Recipe By : Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1 box German chocolate cake mix 1 can sweetened condensed milk -- (14 ounce) 1 jar fudge ice cream topping -- (8 ounce) 1 container frozen whipped topping -- (16 ounce) thawed 2 8 ounce Heath candy bars -- crushed Bake cake in a 9-by-13-ounce pan as directed on package. Let cool 25 to 30 minutes. Poke holes in cake with wooden spoon handle. Pour on sweetened condensed milk; spread evenly. Wait 5 minutes. Spread fudge topping over cake. Wait 5 minutes. Spread whipped topping over cake and sprinkle with crushed candy bars. Chill thoroughly before serving. Makes 16 servings. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - * Exported from MasterCook * Banana Cake Recipe By : Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 3/4 cup butter 2 1/8 cups white sugar 3 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups buttermilk 2 teaspoons lemon juice 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas Frosting: 1/2 cup butter -- softened 1 package cream cheese (8 ounces) -- softened 3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar (1 lb box) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract DIRECTIONS: 1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. In a small bowl, mix mashed bananas with lemon juice, set aside. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. 2. In a large bowl, cream 3/4 cup butter and 2 1/8 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Stir in banana mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan. 3. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place directly into freezer for 45 minutes. This will make the cake very moist. 4. For the frosting: In a large bowl, cream 1/2 cup butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add confectioners sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high until frosting is smooth. Spread on cooled cake. Source: "www.allrecipes.com" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NOTES : I had to cook this for more than hour to get it cooked through, but it was very moist. Toasted chopped walnuts on top would be a nice addition. Use a metal pan (not glass) to bake it in if you're going to put it in the freezer! * Exported from MasterCook * Grandma's Rum Cake Recipe By :Teri Morrison Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1 package Duncan Hines yellow cake mix 1 package vanilla instant pudding (4 serving size) 1/3 cup oil 1 cup water 4 eggs 3/4 chopped pecans Glaze: 1/2 cup butter 1/4 cup water 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup Bacardi Rum (80 proof) Mix together cake mix, pudding, oil, water and eggs in large bowl until well blended. Spread evenly chopped nuts on the bottom of greased Bundt pan. Pour prepared cake mix into pan and bake as directed on cake mix box in a 350* oven. Cake is done when toothpick inserted in center of cake comes clean. While cake is cooling. Melt butter in saucepan, stir in water and sugar. Boil for 5 minutes while stirring constantly. Then stir in rum. After cake cools for 10 minutes pour glaze over cake letting it run down all the sides and center. Let it soak into the cake for a while. Let cake cool until you can handle cake pan to invert. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NOTES : I like to use Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum. This cake really tastes best after it's had a couple of days for the flavors to blend.