Cake Week Begins!

**This giveaway now closed.**

Welcome to Cake Week! I'm so glad you're joining me - there's plenty of cake to share all week. If you have a spare 4 minutes, 43 seconds - watch my Cake Week Preview Video! If you think about it, it's just long enough to casually unwrap and eat a candy bar - so you could do that while you're watching and then you won't have wasted any time in your day! :) If you have any trouble watching it here, you can go watch it at newbaby.com.



Stop by every day this week for a new cake recipe and picture. On Wednesday, you can link up your favorite cake recipes - from your archives or new! And on Friday, you can link up chocolate posts as usual. Oh, and there are giveaways of course!

You could win this great cake recipe book! Lots of great recipes for you to try!

You could win a fabulous chocolate apron to wear while baking cakes! Check out my friend Kim modeling the one that she won! It's from An Occasional Chocolate - a chocolate supply company. Go check it out - lots of ideas on how you can make your own fabulous chocolate gifts, not to mention the cutest chocolate aprons!


And I HAD to add a third prize because this was just so perfect! It's a glass tile charm pendant that says "Let them eat cake" from an Etsy shop - Our Daily Chocolate! Go take a look at all the cute and affordable things over there!

I read an interesting post recently by my friend Mel at A Box of Chocolates about giveaways and how complicated they're getting. Though I am a fan of the extra entries, I decided to keep this giveaway simple for a change of pace. So just leave a comment on this post to be entered! That's it! I'll keep the giveaways open through Sunday 5/24 and will announce 3 random winners the following week.

It should be said though that it does make my day whenever you comment, submit a post to Stumbleupon, subscribe to my blog, follow me here, follow me on twitter, link up, post my cake week button, etc. If you've done any of those things, consider yourself "virtually" hugged! :)

Before we move along to today's cake recipe, I want to let you know that after you get your piece of cake, you will want to head out to a big party! I am happy to provide the cake for Like a Warm Cup of Cofffee's 1-Year Blogaversary Party! It's a huge party - lots of fun and fabulous giveaways! Stop by and say hi to Sarah Mae (finish chewing your bite of cake first though).

OK, on to the cake! Today's recipe is one of my family's favorites. I got the recipe from a co-worker years ago when she brought the cake to a potluck. I was hooked! I think you'll love it too - so moist and how can you possibly go wrong with a cream cheese frosting??

German Apple Cake

Beat until fluffy: 2 large eggs
1 cup oil

Add: 2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Whip ingredients together.

Add: 2 cups flour
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups sliced apples (I use Granny Smith)

Mix ingredients together and put into a greased 9x13 pan. Heat oven to 325 degrees F for a glass pan or 350 for a metal pan. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour - toothpick should come out clean. Cool and frost.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Beat together: 1- 8 oz. package cream cheese
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
(Enough to frost one 9x13 cake.)

Frost cake. Store in refrigerator.
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I hope you enjoyed the first day of Cake Week!! Let me know what you think, comment to enter the giveaways, head out to another party, and come back tomorrow for more delicious cake!