St. Patrick's Day Desserts

Irish Sweet Potato Candy

St.Patrick's Day always makes me think about Irish Sweet Potatoes. In Philadelphia it was it only time of the year that you could buy these little treasures. Even after we moved away from there, my Mom would always make these for St. Patrick's Day. It was a family tradition for us. Irish Sweet Potatoes in Philadelphia on St. Patrick's Day, wow does that bring back childhood memories.

• 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
• 1 (7oz) bag coconut
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 ½ Tbsp. mashed potatoes
• 4 Tbsp. butter, softened
• ¼ cup ground cinnamon
• 2 tsps. cocoa

Put the mashed potatoes in a large bowl with the butter, mash and mix well. Add powdered sugar a little at a time. Then add vanilla and coconut. Knead until soft. Shape into little balls. Mix cinamon and cocoa together in a small bowl, then roll the candy balls into the mixture. Place candy in an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to eat.


Green Velvet Cake

Happy St. Patrick's Day! St. Patrick's Day is an enchanted time - a day to begin transforming winter's dreams into summer's magic. --Adrienne Cook. Everybody wants to go green on St. Patrick's Day and this is a perfect way to do it. This recipe cheats and uses a doctored up cake mix. You will be surprised how delicious and how easy to is to make. Whether you bake a cake or cupcakes that is up to you, but this recipe is sure to please the Irish in you. Enjoy and most of all have fun too.

• 1 pkg. Duncan Hines Fudge Marble Cake mix
• 1 ¼ cups buttermilk
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• ¼ cup (2oz.) green food coloring
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. white vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Do not follow ingredients list on cake box.

Mix together white cake mix pack (set aside chocolate pack) with buttermilk, eggs, and oil. Blend cake mix on low for 30 seconds, then mix for 2 minutes on medium speed.

Separately in a small bowl mix together chocolate pack and green food coloring with a wire whisk until well blended. Then add green mixture to white cake mix in mixer and beat on medium, making sure color is evenly blended.

Then mix together vinegar and baking soda (will foam up), add vinegar mixture to cake mix and blend well. Bake according to package directions.

Green Velvet Icing

• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup milk
• 6 Tbsp. Crisco
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup sugar, super fine
• 3 Tbsp. flour

Ice cake when it is completely cooled. Cream butter, Crisco, & sugar together on high. Add milk & vanilla, then add flour 1 Tbsp. at a time on low slowly increasing speed to high. Then beat 12 minutes with an electric mixer on high. When you first add liquid it will look almost curdled, don't worry it will blend and fluff up to a light icing.

If you do not have buttermilk you may make your own by adding 1 Tbsp. plus ½ tsp. white vinegar to the milk, stir well and let set at room temp for 10 minutes. You may also use red food coloring instead of green to make a red velvet cake. Also there is just enough icing to frost this cake. If you like alot of icing you may want to double the icing recipe.

And here's an interesting article from the Frederick News Post.