Lori, that cake does sound delicious, and other than the corn syrup and the sugar (which I can substitute Splenda for in the recipe), it would be perfect for our low-carb diet. Would anyone have any ideas as to what I could possibly substitute for the corn syrup? I'd really like to surprise my hubby with it (he loves his dessert).

Because of this thread, I bought and cooked corned beef brisket last week. It was wonderful!! Very tender and very flavorful. I wondered why I don't cook them more often. Because of this thread I learned to buy a "flat." Until this thread, I did not know there was a difference, or even a choice. I opted for the long simmer in the oven, rather than the bake. I wanted something that would take little of my attention because I was in the middle of making the "car bomb" cupcakes. Rather than cooking the veggies with the brisket, I cooked them separately, mainly because I wanted to make skillet-roasted potatoes (not a fan of boiled potatoes). We got 2 meals out of it, then I got a corned beef sandwich and to finish up the "crumbs," I made a dab of corned beef salad to munch on with crackers. I ♥ CF

There's a flag at our front door that says "Lucky To Be IRISH", and we have hosted some really fine St. Patrick's Day Hoolies (parties) over the years. Lots of great food to prepare over a couple weeks of marathon baking... The first two recipes are desserts I made from a class I took years ago on Irish Cookery: BROONIE (Irish Gingerbread) 2 c. flour 1-1/2 t. baking soda 1 t. cinnamon 1 t. ground ginger 3/4 t. salt 1/2 c. butter, softened 1/2 c. sugar 1 egg 2 egg yolks 1 c. molasses 1/2 c. quick-cooking oatmeal 1 c. hot water Measure flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Sift together onto waxed paper. In mixing bowl, combine butter with sugar until well blended. Add the egg plus the two additional egg yolks. Beat mixture until fluffy. Stir in molasses. Add sifted dry ingredients, oatmeal and hot water (1/4 at a time) to egg and molasses mixture, stirring after each addition. Pour mixture into a greased 9x13" baking pan. Bake in a 350°F. oven 20-25-minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when tested. Cut into squares and serve warm. Kerry Apple Cake 1-1/2 c. flour 1/2 c. sugar 1 t. baking powder 1/2 t. cinnamon 1/4 t. ground cloves 1/4 t. salt 1/2 c. butter 1 egg, slightly beaten 1/3 c. milk 3 medium size apples, peeled and thinly sliced, (about 2-1/2 cups) 1/4 c. brown sugar Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and spices. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture is coarse crumbs. Add egg and milk and blend well to a stiff batter. Mix in apple slices and spread in a greased 9" square baking pan. Sprinkle top with brown sugar, bake in a 375°F oven 25-minutes. Serve warm, with whipped cream if desired. ----------------------------------- A traditional Irish cake from "Classic Irish Recipes": IRISH WHISKEY CAKE 1-3/4 c. golden raisins Grated rind of 1 lemon 1/2 c. whiskey (Irish Mist) 12 T. (1-1/2 sticks) butter, softened 3/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar 3 eggs 1-1/2 c. all-purpose flour pinch of salt pinch of ground cloves 1 t. baking powder Icing: Juice of 1 lemon 1-3/4 c. confectioners' sugar a little warm water crystallized lemon slices to garnish (optional) Put the raisins and grated lemon rind into a bowl with the whiskey and let soak overnight. Grease a 7-inch deep cake pan and line the bottom with wax paper. Preheat a moderate oven to 350°F. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Separate the eggs. Sift the flour, salt, cloves and baking powder together into a bowl. Beat the yolks into the butter and sugar one at a time, including a spoonful of flour and beating well after each addition. Gradually add the raisins and whiskey mixture, alternating with the remaining flour. Do not overbeat at this stage. Finally, whisk the egg whites until stiff and fold them into the mixture with a metal spoon Turn into the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for about 1-1/2-hours, or until well risen and springy to the touch - test with a skewer, which should come out clean, if you are uncertain. Turn out and cool on a wire rack. Meanwhile, make the icing by mixing the lemon juice with sifted confectioners' sugar and just enough warm water so that you can pour the icing. Put a dinner plate under the cake rack to catch the icing. [Grainlady Note: I baked this recipe in a fluted Bundt pan. Check the cake for doneness after 30-minutes.] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Last, the least traditional, and the most popular.... KILLARNEY CHERRY CAKE (I've posted this recipe so many times on the Internet over the years that you can now Google it and find the recipe. I found this recipe in a cookbook that was compiled by Home Ec. Teachers in the "Foreign Section". How authentic to Ireland it is somewhat doubtful - although cherries are an Irish favorite - but this cake is always a hit and easy to make.) 1-lb. 2 1/2 oz. pkg. chocolate fudge cake mix 1/4 c. plus 3 T. creme de menth or 1 1/2 t. peppermint flavoring 1/2 c. chopped red or green Maraschino cherries 1 1/2 c. heavy cream 2 T. confectioners sugar (powdered sugar) 1/4 c. whole green (or red) Maraschino cherries* Chocolate curls (take a potato peeler to a cold or frozen Hershey Chocolate Candy Bar) Prepare cake according to package directions, substituting 1/4 c.creme de menthe for 1/4 c. water or adding 1 t. peppermint flavoring and using the same amount of water as called for on the box (Grainlady note: I prefer the peppermint flavoring to the creme de menthe - creme de menthe tends to burn the cake). Stir in chopped cherries; pour into two greased 9-inch layer pans. Bake as directed on cake mix package. Cool. Whip the cream with remaining creme de menthe or 1/2 t. peppermint flavoring and confectioners sugar. Spread one-third of the whipped cream between cake layers. Heap remaining whipped cream on top. Arrange whole cherries on the top of the cake (Grainlady note: *drain and blot the cherries on paper towels first to prevent cherry juice dripping on the whipped cream), add chocolate curls over whipped cream. Note: If you want to save time and money, frost the cake with a tub of Cool Whip (regular or Extra Creamy, the Low-fat stuff doesn't hold up well) with either creme de menthe or peppermint flavoring in it instead of whipping the cream. Make sure this cake is refrigerated until time to serve.

If you know the ingredients of mayonnaise it really shouldn't make you queasy to put it in cake. Mayonnaise is a flavor carrier, it can go sweet or savory. That's why I like it better than Miracle Whip, which has already committed to sweet . . . if I want a sweet condiment I'll add sugar to mayo . . . My big concern with a mayo chocolate cake would be keeping qualities. Moist desserts tend to mold on us before we can eat them all. Fruity cakes and pies often go moldy or languish way too long in the fridge to be at their best at our house. But freezing cupcakes would be a good way to go with this cake, preserving it longer because we don't eat sweets at a fast pace with just the two of us here who watch our diets pretty closely. My friend only made the cake because she was having a party, she also watches her diet, but entertains more than I do because she has a huge family and local circle of friends. They had a small outdoor socially distanced campfire gathering taking advantage of the short Indian summer weather we had last week.