Plum Spice Cake

<style>body { background: url("http://static-p4.fotolia.com/jpg/00/07/56/65/400_F_7566547_20ifdfgQw0rkaJfAXx2GIyTtmoXCBOn4.jpg");background-repeat: repeat; }</style> I have changed my name! Formerly Heidi in Seattle but I moved to the burbs so it doesn't quite fit anymore. Besides the name I have chosen is my handle in many places and holds special meaning to me. Invictus is a peom by William Ernest Henley which I discovered whilst in the darkest depths of despair. To this day it is a source of inspiration for me: OUT of the night that covers me, Black as the Pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloody, but unbowed. Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms but the Horror of the shade, And yet the menace of the years Finds, and shall find, me unafraid. It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul. I absolutely love to cook and bake. I am not a chef by any means and don't desire to be one. I simply love to cook for myself, my husband, and my two kids. My spare time is filled with checking out cookbooks from the library, devouring them,planning meals, and of course being in the kitchen! This site is amazing and I love being able to enter in a few ingredients that I have in my kitchen and come across a wonderful meal for my family. That has saved me a trip to the store more than a few times. The gameroom has introduced me to outstanding recipes that I would not have otherwise tried, and I am happy to say that my family has never eaten better. My tried and true don't make nearly as often of an appearance at my dinner table. We now have so much variety. I post recipes in spurts as I feel the urge to check out a new cookbook from the library. I go through a book once, tag anything that looks tasty and interesting and then go back through again asking myself "is this a realistic recipe that I would make, that my family may enjoy?" and if it is I post it. These days I am saving my recipes privately until I try them. I only want the really good ones to be stamped with my name. :) Gone are the days of typing out recipes in Word and saving them to my hard drive, making photocopies, or worse yet handwriting them on various scraps of paper. On occasion I will repost a recipe I found on another site but that won't happen often. Many of my earlier posted recipes I have not tried but I am making it my mission to change that. I still have a ways to go but I will eventually make each and every last one of them. Regarding reviews: I won't take it personally if you don't like something I have posted......even if it is a personal favorite. We all have different tastes! Please be honest but respectful with your review. A one or five star review that has no comments or a comment that isn't helpful really doesn't do anyone any good. What worked for you what didn't? How did you manage to fix an issue in the recipe? Recently I have found that I have tightened up my rating system a bit. 3 stars is a good rating and though I was once reluctant to dish out a 3 star rating for fear of hurting feelings it is becoming more comfortable for me to do so. I won't go back and adjust previous rating but from here on out this is how I rate my recipes: 1 star - Something was fundamentally wrong with the recipe, how it was written, the technique used, ect. The recipe was disastorous in one way or another and was inedible. 2 stars - The recipe itself seemed to be well written or at the least I feel that I understand the intended result. Even so, it isn't anything that my family would ever eat again and chances are we went for takeout instead of enjoying dinner. 3 stars - A good recipe that I may or may not add into my recipe box and I will say why or why not in my review. The recipe wasn't a show stopper by any means but it was an adequate meal that my family ate. 4 stars - A recipe that my entire family enjoyed and one that will be repeated often. 5 stars - A true show stopper that enticed my tastebuds with every bite! As recipes posters, please never feel the need to thank me for reviewing one of your recipes. My review is in thanks to you for sharing your recipe. Thank you for posting it so that I may experience something new. In return I do not personally thank individuals who have reviewed my recipes. Afterall cooking is why we are here! So thank you in advance for taking the time to read my page, try one of my recipes, and being kind enough to review. Other than food I love to read, craft, bargain shop and spend time with my family. Five days a week you will find me doing some form of exercise to try and combat all those years of not moving and spending all my time in the kitchen. I am happy to say that it has paid off and I can finally fit into my jeans again! <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/PAC08Main.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"> <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/adoptedspring08.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"> <img src="http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r317/j_welcome/pics2/food/PRMRcopy.jpg"> <img src="http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj81/HokiesLady65/zaarcookbooktaggame.jpg"> <a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"> <a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"> <a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w115/bugh8er/food%20and%20swaps/4811_26133_t.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"> <img src="http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b158/bella_donata/My%20Art/Recipezaar/goldsparkle.png" border="0" alt="Made by Bella14ragazza"> <a href="http://www.rapidcounter.com/signup.php" target="_top"><img border="0" alt="Free Website Counters" src="http://counter.rapidcounter.com/counter/1232768049/party"; ALIGN="middle" HSPACE="4" VSPACE="2"></a><a style="font-size:12" href="http://www.rapidcounter.com/" target="_top">Free Website Counters</a> <img src="http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg271/MrsTeny/Permanent%20Collection/PACSpring09Iwasadopted.jpg"> <img src="http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg271/MrsTeny/Permanent%20Collection/PACSpring09Participation.jpg"> [IMG]http://i425.photobucket.com/albums/pp340/northwestgal/bannerzwt5.jpg[/IMG] <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/participantbannerzwt5.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket">