MARSHMALLOW FUDGE CAKE: Vintage Ad with Recipe "Just in time for Thanksgiving"

I love Vintage Ads with recipes. This Vintage advertisement is from Good Housekeeping November 1926. The recipe for Campfire Fudge Cake is still perfect 100+ years later for Thanksgiving 2025. 

I've always loved the Campfire Brand! So here are three recipes for your holiday! Marshmallow Fudge Cake, Campfire Apple Mallows, and Sweet Potatoes Southern. Of course the Marshmallow Fudge Cake is the one I'm making! 

Happy Thanksgiving!

PECAN PIE BROWNIES: Thanksgiving

Thinking about Pecan Pie for Thanksgiving? How about Pecan Pie Brownies instead? This recipe from Betty Crocker for Pecan Pie Brownies is easy and delicious. The recipe calls for a brownie mix, but you can always make your own from scratch brownie recipe and adde the topping (recipe below). Want to make totally home-made Pecan Brownies? Scroll down for a link to an amazing recipe from The Food Network below.

PECAN PIE BROWNIES

Brownies
1 box Brownie mix; Water, vegetable oil, and egg called for on brownie mix

Pecan Topping 
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans

Directions
Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Line 9-inch square pan with foil, allowing some to hang over edges of pan. Grease bottom and sides of pan with shortening or cooking spray. Make brownie batter as directed on box. Spread in pan.
Bake 28 to 31 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from side of pan comes out almost clean. 

In 1-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Stir in flour until smooth. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup, and 1 egg until well blended. Increase heat to medium; cook 2 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly, until mixture just begins to boil. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and pecans.
Spoon pecan topping evenly over baked brownie.

Bake 13 to 17 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling along edges. Cool completely on cooling rack, about 2 hours. 

Using foil to lift, remove brownies from pan, and peel foil away. 

Cut into 4 rows by 4 rows. If desired, garnish each brownie with a pecan half.

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And amazing Brownies from Scratch..  I made a batch of these, and I have to say they are outstanding.. 

PECAN PIE BROWNIES FROM SCRATCH (recipe from The Food Network)

 https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/pecan-pie-brownies-9380797

Happy Birthday, Mickey! Cookies & Cream Mickey Mouse Cupcakes

Happy Birthday, Mickey (and Minnie!)  Mickey Mouse's birthday is celebrated on November 18 because he made his first appearance in the Walt Disney classic 'Steamboat Willie' on November 18, 1928. FYI, Minnie was in this cartoon, too, running along the banks of the river, so it's officially Mickey & Minnie Mouse Day. 

From the National Day Archives (a great resource):

From a whistling boat captain in black and white to the full color Sorcerer’s Apprentice in Fantasia, Mickey has captivated the world with his charm and his antics. Mickey Mouse Day celebrates this classic cartoon character’s birthday.

Mickey Mouse took to the screen on November 18, 1928 with slapstick, plot twists, and a full lineup of comedy gold. Walt Disney left Universal Studios with a cartoon rabbit named Oswald, who became a mouse named Mortimer, who eventually became the Mickey we know and love.

Who could have guessed a rodent would become the most well-known character in the world? Mickey may be more globally recognizable than Santa. The first Mickey Mouse Club appeared in 1929, and now kids attend these clubs across the nation. 

Mickey inhabits a world with Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, his nemesis, Pete, and many other memorable characters. It’s a world we can go back to time and time again for a good laugh.

So to celebrate National Mickey Mouse Day, here's a great recipe for Mickey Mouse Cupcakes from The Unofficial Disney Parks Cookbook. This Cookbook will bring a bit of the Walt Disney magic into your own kitchen. The cookbook features 100 Disney-inspired recipes ranging from the classic Dole Whip and Mickey Pretzels to new favorites like blue milk from Star Wars land and Jack Jack’s Cookie Num Nums from Pixar Pier. 

The cookbook is organized by park — from Disneyland to Epcot, Hollywood Studios to Disney’s Animal Kingdom — and showcases recipes for some of the amazing foods you can find from Main Street USA to Galaxy’s Edge. With The Unofficial Disney Parks Cookbook, you can explore every delicious nook and cranny the parks have to offer, all without leaving the comfort of your own home. 

And, since this is a Chocolate blog, here's one of my favorites from the cookbook:

Cookies & Cream Mickey Mouse Cupcakes

Main Street, U.S.A., Disneyland

Candy Palace on Main Street, U.S.A., was renovated in 2012 and given a very sweet interior. Many of the features are meant to look edible, such as the chandelier that seems to be dripping ice cream, and the exit sign shaped as a wrapped candy. And among its actually edible creations are delectable, supersweet Cookies and Cream Mickey Cupcakes. Topped with the iconic mouse ears, these popular treats are easy to whip up and sure to please.

 

YIELDS 24 CUPCAKES

For Cupcakes

3 tablespoons salted butter, softened
1 1⁄2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1⁄3 cups all-purpose flour
1⁄4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
3⁄4 cup cocoa powder

1⁄4 teaspoon salt

1 cup whole milk

To make Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two standard muffin tins with cupcake liners and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add butter and sugar. Using the flat beater attachment, cream together well. Add eggs and vanilla. While mixer is running, add flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt; continue mixing until well combined. Add milk slowly.

‌Scoop batter into prepared muffin tins, filling cups just above halfway.

Bake 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely, about 1 hour, before frosting.

For Frosting

1⁄2 cup salted butter, softened
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons heavy cream
10 chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed
48 mini chocolate sandwich cookies, whole

 

To make Frosting: 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add butter, confectioners’ sugar, cream cheese, and heavy cream. Using the flat beater attachment, whip until light and fluffy. Add crushed cookies and mix until combined.

Scoop frosting into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Swirl a generous amount of frosting on each cupcake, creating a pointed mound. Stand a mini sandwich cookie upright on either side of pointed mount to create Mickey Mouse ears.

MIX IT UP

Frosting swirls are adorable, but if you prefer less frosting on your cupcakes, you can just use a knife to spread a thinner layer of frosting on top of the cupcakes—enough to push in the mouse ears.

***

Excerpted from The Unofficial Disney Parks Cookbook by Ashley Craft. Copyright @2020 by Simon & Schuster, Inc. Photography by Harper Point Photography. Used with permission of the publisher, Adams Media, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. All rights reserved.

Helga’s Super Easy Triple Chocolate Trifle + Caramel Topping: Guest Post by Daryl Wood Gerber

Daryl Wood Gerber is the Agatha Award-winning and nationally bestselling author of the Literary Dining Mysteries, Aroma Wellness Mysteries, Fairy Garden Mysteries and Cookbook Nook Mysteries. As Avery Aames, she penned the popular Cheese Shop Mysteries. In addition, Daryl writes suspense novels, including the well-received Accidental Murder, The Son’s Secret, Girl on the Run, and the popular Aspen Adams trilogy. Daryl has published a standalone Christmas romance, Hope for the Holidays, and her short stories have appeared in numerous anthologies. You can learn more on her website: https://darylwoodgerber.com

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Daryl Wood Gerber:

Hi, everyone.  Below is a recipe I included in Murder on the Page, the 1^st Literary Dining Mystery.  It came out in October 2024. It’s simple. Delicious. And you’ll want to have others around when you make it, or you might want to eat the whole darned thing. Kid you not! 
 
In the story, Allie, a caterer, and her friend Tegan, a clerk at Feast for the Eyes bookshop, put on a party featuring the novel Pride and Prejudice. Why they put on the party is for you to find out when you read the book. Allie and Tegan invite attendees to dress for the party in the costumes of the era, and the guests will enjoy foods from the era. The shop will post quotes from the book around Feast for the Eyes. In the book, Allie makes a strawberry trifle as one of her dishes. Oh, yum.
 
For fun, Helga, the chef and housekeeper at the inn owned by Tegan’s mother, decides a chocolate trifle would be a nice addition to a meal for the guests at the inn. This trifle would NOT have been served during the Regency Era. It includes candy bars. 
 
Let it be noted, this trifle looks pretty loosey-goosey when you serve it up. Will you care? I think not.
 
Enjoy. 
 
Helga’s Super Easy Triple Chocolate Trifle + Caramel Topping
(Yield: 8 portions)
 
Ingredients

1 brownie mix, prepared and cooled, cubed (*may be gluten-free)
1 4-ounce chocolate instant pudding, prepared
½ cup caramel topping, store-bought or homemade *see recipe below
2 Snickers candy bars, chopped
2 Heath or Skor bars, chopped
1 16-ounce frozen whipped topping, thawed
 
Directions

In a large glass trifle dish or a glass bowl, layer 1/3—1/2 of the cubed brownie, then half of the pudding, then half of the caramel topping, then 1 of the chopped Snickers bars, and 1 of the chopped Heath bars. Top with half of the whipped topping.
 
Repeat the layers in the same order, reserving a few bits of the Snickers and Heath or Skor bars for decoration on top of the final layer of whipped topping.
 
Refrigerate at least 6 hours.

***

Homemade Caramel Topping
(Yield: 2–3cups)

 
Ingredients

2 cups brown sugar
1 cup dark corn syrup
1 can sweetened condensed milk
½ cup margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 
Directions

In a heavy saucepan, combine the brown sugar and corn syrup. Cook over medium heat until the mixture reaches 235 degrees F on a candy thermometer.
 
Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the sweetened condensed milk, margarine, and vanilla.
 
Return the pan to the stove and cook, over medium, stirring frequently until the mixtures comes to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool slightly.  
 
Store unused caramel topping in a  jar in the refrigerator. Heat before reusing. May be heated in the microwave on medium low level. Do not boil.