Margarita Cake with Tequila Lime infused frosting

Not giving you enough notice, but this is a great recipe for Cinco de Mayo!

1 boxed white cake mix
3 egg whites
3/4 cup bottled margarita drink mix
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 container Cool Whip
1 tablespoon tequila (optional)
2 tablespoons lime juice (fresh or bottled)  (if using fresh, zest the lime and add that too!)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray, and flour it. (if using the spray for baking, omit the flouring).
In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, egg whites, drink mix, water, and oil, and mix for 1-2 minutes on medium until smooth.  Pour into prepared cake pan.
Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Mix the tequila and lime juice into the Cool Whip until combined, and use to frost the cake once it has cooled.
Store in the refrigerator.

My review:  Yum!  This tasted really good, and the margarita flavor wasn't overwhelming like I thought it would be.  Make without the tequila if you're having an underage crowd, or people who won't enjoy the taste.

Apple Cake in an Iron Skillet, à la Pioneer Woman

I've had a brand new cast iron skillet (made by Paula Deen!) sitting around just begging to be used.  When this recipe showed up on Pioneer Woman this week, I knew it was meant to be...  And I know it's a lot of butter, but you just have to trust P-Dub.

4-5 small Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 6 equal wedges.

1 3/4 sticks butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 stick butter, softened

2/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

2 large eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 Granny Smith Apple, peeled, cored, and chopped finely

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the 1 3/4 sticks butter in an oven safe (9-10 inch) skillet, on low/medium heat.

As soon as the butter is melted, stir in the the 3/4 cup of sugar.

Place the apple wedges in wedge side down.  Don't pack too tightly or leave too many large gaps.

Allow to cook over medium/low heat while you mix up the batter.

Mix the butter and sugar together until fluffy.  Add the vanilla and eggs.

Add sour cream and mix well.

In a separate bowl, mix flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.

Gradually add flour mixture to batter until just combined.

Stir in the chopped apple.

Remove the skillet from the heat, and drop globs of batter evenly over the apples.  Then, using a spatula or table knife, spread the batter evenly across the apples.

Bake for 25 minutes, until golden brown.

Let the cake sit in the skillet for 5 minutes, then invert onto a plate or cake stand.

Eat warm, with a side of vanilla ice cream, for pure decadence.

My review:  YUM!  what a perfect fall dessert.  This was every bit as good as it sounded and looked on PW's website.  I need to find a few friends to share mine with, as 2 3/4 sticks of butter will not look good on me.... :-)