Easy Mexican Dessert Recipes: Mexican Cakes and Cookies

Children as well as adults love to eat cakes and cookies, and when they are baked at home, you can be sure that even the crumbs won't remain. Mexican desserts are popular in most Mexican celebrations, like weddings and festivals. Following are some easy Mexican dessert recipes that make use of time-saving ready-made cake mixes.

Mexican Fruit Cake

Ingredients for the cake:

• Flour, 2 cups
• Sugar, 2 cups
• Eggs, 2
• Baking soda, 2 tsp
• Chopped pecans, 1 cup
• Oil, ⅓ cup
• Crushed pineapple, 1 can

Ingredients for the icing:

• Confectioners' sugar, 2 cups
• Vanilla, 1 tsp

Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, and stir continuously until blended well. Pour into greased and floured baking pan, and bake until inserted toothpick comes out clean. For the icing, mix together sugar and vanilla. Top it with icing, after cake has cooled down.

Mexican Chocolate Cake

Ingredients for the cake:

• Devil's food cake mix, 18¼ ounces
• Mini semisweet chocolate chips, 1 cup
• Ground cinnamon, 2 tsp

Ingredients for chocolate butter cream frosting:

• Unsweetened cocoa powder, ½ cup
• Softened butter, 1 cup
• Marshmallow cream, 7½ oz
• Confectioners' sugar, 1 cup

Preheat oven to 350º F, and grease and line two cake dishes with wax paper. Prepare cake mix as per directions given on its package, and add cinnamon and chocolate chips to it. Evenly divide and pour batter into prepared pans and bake until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool both cake layers on wire racks and invert; remove wax paper.

Beat butter in a large bowl until creamy. Add cocoa and marshmallow cream, confectioners' sugar and beat well, until light and fluffy. Place one cake layer on a serving plate and spread with ¾ cup frosting on it. Place the remaining cake layer on it. Frost sides of both layers and top of cake with remaining frosting.

Mexican Cookie Rings

Ingredients:

• All-purpose flour, 1½ cup
• White sugar, 2/3 cup
• Butter, ½ cup
• Baking powder, ½ tsp
• Egg yolks, 3
• Vanilla extract, 1 tsp
• Multicolored sprinkles or chocolate chips, 5 tbsp

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Using an egg beater, cream together butter and sugar, gradually adding in the egg yolks and vanilla. Beat until light and frothy. Add sifted flour. Shape into 1-inch balls, and push your thumb through center of each ball to shape the dough into a ring. Press top of each ring in multicolored sprinkles or chocolate chips. Place cookies onto the greased baking sheets. Bake at 375° F until golden brown. Remove from the baking sheets and let it cool on racks. Serve with a warm glass of milk.

Authentic Mexican Wedding Cookies

Ingredients:

• All-purpose flour, 1¾ cup
• Softened butter, 1 cup
• Ground pecans, 1 cup
• Confectioners' sugar, 1½ cup
• Grated German sweet chocolate, ½ cup
• Coco powder, ¼ cup
• Vanilla extract, 2 tsp
• Ground cinnamon, ¾ tsp
• Salt, 1 pinch

In a large bowl, cream the butter and ⅓ cup confectioner's sugar until light and fluffy, and add vanilla extract to it. In another bowl, combine the flour, ground pecans, ½ cup ground chocolate, cinnamon and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed butter mixture. Knead into dough and wrap it in plastic, until firm.

Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and place them pressed down, 1 inch apart on baking sheet. Bake in a preheated oven to 325° F, until the cookies are firm to the touch. Transfer to a wire rack and let it cool. Mix remaining of the confectioner's sugar and cocoa powder into a shallow bowl. While cookies are still warm, roll them, until coated from all sides.

The use of chocolate and vanilla in the cakes and cookies makes them rich and indulgent, and melting butter turns your dessert into one mouth-watering sumptuous treat.