Guest Blogger

The time is drawing near now where I will be on maternity leave from my blogs. I am due any day now and, with a newborn around, I don't expect to be doing much blogging in the month to follow. So in order to keep this blog still active, I've requested the help of my best friend and fellow foodie, Katie Schwager, to be a guest blogger until I am ready to step back in. I can say first hand that Katie's cooking is absolutely delicious, bubbling over with unique worldly flavors, and prepared with a true passion for food. I have no doubt that she will have a lot to bring to the table (lame pun totally intended!).

In the mean time, I will keep blogging until I pop. But since I don't know when that will be exactly, I figured I should give my readers a heads-up that there will be a guest blogger in the near future. I hope you enjoy her recipes as much as I have!

Below is the recipe I used to announce our pregnancy to my parents. It's good for a laugh.--It's titled "Sunshine buns" after the nick name "Sunshine" we had for our son before we knew the gender.

Sunshine Buns

Ingredients:
1 Joe
1 Jen
1 fresh egg
1 tablespoon of salt
A large bed of flour

Take your Joe and Jen (making sure your Jen is extra ripe) and bring them to a full boil, stirring occasionally.

When both Joe and Jen are thoroughly heated, peal them down and place them gently into a bed of flour.

Mix Joe and Jen rigorously, adding the egg and the tablespoon of salt into the mixture right at the precise moment.

When at least one grain of salt has been successfully added to the egg, place the mixture into the oven, preheated to 98 degrees.

Bake for 9 months. The mixture will puff up gradually. When the bun is plump and reaches a nice pink color, remove from the oven and love unconditionally.

Vegan Apple Cake

This last weekend, my husband and I attended a potluck picnic. Knowing that a couple of the friends there were vegan, I decided to bring a vegan dish so as not to leave anybody out. Unfortunately, I didn't have all the ingredients I needed to make my favorite vegan chocolate cake, so I set to work on finding a new recipe I could try. All week I tested different recipes on my husband, making him my official taste-tester. It wasn't until I discovered a recipe for sourdough apple cake that I was struck with an idea. Looking over the recipe, I scribbled away on my notepad on ways to convert the recipe to be vegan friendly in addition to a few of my own unique ideas.

Of course, I had to test it out before I brought it to the potluck. So I called over our two best friends, whom are luckily foodies much like us, and I served up a generous amount of my experimental cake to everyone. Through the "oohs" and "aaahs" I knew I had created a recipe I would be happy to share.

When the time of the potluck came, I set to work on making the cake again. It turned out great, although I probably could have let the middle set a little longer than I did, but we were already running a little behind. So the middle of the cake was more like pudding, but that wasn't exactly a bad thing. It still tasted great. I was happy to see that there was only a fraction of the cake left to take home after the picnic, so I'm going to count this recipe as a success!

Vegan Apple Cake

Ingredients:
*1 cup of sourdough starter
1/4 cup soy milk
1 cup flour
1 cup applesauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1/2 cup of brown sugar
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup applesauce
chopped apple

Ingredients for cake top:
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup brown sugar
Thin apple slices

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium size bowl, combine sourdough starter, soy milk, flour, and 1 cup applesauce. Set aside until ready to use (do NOT put in the fridge. Leave out at room temperature so the yeast in the starter can help the dough to rise).

In a large bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients (not including the cake top ingredients). Fold in the sourdough mixture until well combined.

In a small bowl, stir together the cake top ingredients (except for the sliced apples), mixing until all of the brown sugar is moist. Spread evenly on the bottom of a non-stick or greased cake pan. Arrange thin apple slices on top of the brown sugar mixture in the bottom of the pan. Pour the cake batter over the top of the apple slices.

Bake in the oven for about 45-50 minutes.

Allow the cake to cool for about 5-10 minutes. Then place a plate on top of the cake and flip the cake over. Gently pull the cake pan up, revealing the "upside down" cake, so that the apple slices on the bottom of the cake are now on top.

Serve warm with soy ice cream, or chill in the refrigerator for about an hour and serve cold.

*Sourdough starter consists of yeast, flour, sugar, and water. Here is a link for making your own sourdough starter: http://whatscookingamerica.net/Bread/SourdoughStarter.htm

Tater Tot Casserole

In most places, summer vacation means long sunny days filled with trips to the beach and hosting backyard barbecues. But here in Seattle, "summer vacation" means that the summer season itself has taken a vacation far away from here. The days blur together from one shade of gray to the next as the temperature struggles to keep its head barely above 70 degrees. At 75 degrees, you can find the classic Seattleite proudly walking around in a strange mix of shorts and sweatshirts, silently rebelling against the looming clouds over head. But as the bi-polar temperatures wreak havoc on our wardrobes, I too feel the pain of confusion in the kitchen. Will it be too hot to be baking in the oven? Will tomorrow be another "June-uary" day that calls for hot soup and grilled cheese? Who's to say? With the way this summer has been so far, I find myself gravitating more towards fall recipes rather than the classic light summer foods. And, although the Northwest is absolutely breath-taking when it is sunny, the constant grey days often call for some of the best comfort foods that fall has to offer. So in spite of the season being what it is, more and more of my cold-weather recipes are finding their way back on to my plate.

This recipe is yet another childhood favorite of mine. It is the absolute epitome of comfort food, complete with starches, cheese, and meat. It is by no means a low-calorie meal. So if you're looking for something healthy, look elsewhere. But if you're looking for a delicious, easy-make meal, this is it! Another great thing about this recipe is that it is a perfect meal to pre-make and freeze for future dinners.

You will find that this recipe obviously calls for Tater Tots. But if you don't have any, or are just not a fan of Tater Tots, you can easily substitute Tater Tots with regular, plain, sliced baked potatoes. Simply stab a couple potatoes with a fork a few times before microwaving them until they are mostly soft (stabbing the potatoes will prevent them from exploding in the microwave). Allow the potatoes to cool slightly before slicing them into disks and layering them over the top of the casserole. You will see in the picture below that I used the potato method rather than Tater Tots simply because I ran out of Tater Tots. Both versions of the dish are just as delicious in my opinion. It may not be the most attractive looking dish, but it is sure to leave you feeling happy and full.

Tater Tot Casserole

Ingredients:
2 lbs. ground beef
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 10oz can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 32oz package frozen tater tots
Chopped onion
1 10oz can of green beans

Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray.

Brown ground beef. Add in onions and sauté. Season with salt and pepper, while browning. Drain.

Spread ground beef and onions in the prepared baking dish. Mix together soup, sour cream, green beans, and one cup of cheese. Spread over ground beef in an even layer.

Top with tater tots. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the tater tots.

Cover with tinfoil and bake 30 minutes. Remove tinfoil and bake another 5-10 minutes until cheese is melted and golden.

Let cool for about 5-10 minutes. Serve hot.

*If you're making this dish to freeze for a future meal, simply assemble the dish and freeze before baking. When you're ready to cook, allow the dish to thaw completely and follow normal baking instructions.

Curry Potato Pancakes with Yogurt Sauce

Each year, when my birthday would come rolling around, my mom would let me choose whatever I wanted for my birthday dinner. Since it was my birthday dinner, I also got to use the decorative plate that my grandma had made for our family that had "It's your special day!" painted along the rim of the plate in a colorful, confetti like fashion. I always thought it was such a brilliant idea that she didn't limit it to being just a birthday plate, but rather a special day plate. For Father's day, Mother's day, birthdays, you name it; the "special day" plate loudly called attention to the person of honor at the dinner table as its bright colors stood out among the average dinner plates.

But I wasn't like most children. Rather than fill my special day plate with pizza, extra cheesy macaroni, or chicken nuggets; each year for my birthday I requested my all-time favorite dinner: potato pancakes. How could they not be every child's dream? They were starchy, savory, golden goodness that I would smother in ketchup and devour in the blink of an eye. But as delicious as they were, my mother made them all of two times a year: for my birthday and for my brother's birthday (he too had a love for potato pancakes). So because of the scarcity of my beloved meal, potato pancakes quickly rose up in status from a mere "special day" dinner to rare oddity that I cherished.

As the years passed, still holding potato pancakes in high regard, I found myself living with my husband in our little apartment, craving the comforts of home cooking. And above all else, I had a hankering for, of course, potato pancakes. Now that I was older and more experienced in the kitchen, it dawned on me that I could finally learn how to make potato pancakes and have them at my disposal for whenever I pleased. --Oh the joys of being an adult!-- And so I called my mom up to get the recipe and, for the first time since moving out, I proudly sat at the table with a stack of childhood memories steaming on my plate.

With yet another leap in time, I am now a potato pancake pro, making them at least once a month for dinner. No longer do I have to wait for my birthday to enjoy one of my favorite meals. And although the words "special day" do not surface from underneath the smears of ketchup as I mop up the last few savory bites, a day with potato pancakes is still a special day to me.

However; recently, out of sheer boredom and curiosity, I decided to mess around with the recipe a bit. Since my husband and I have been on a bit of a curry kick lately, I thought it could be fun to try and create a recipe for curry potato pancakes. The result was surprisingly delectable. Although I think I will always be partial to the classic version of potato pancakes, my husband and friends raved about the new twist. My best friend, Katie, also helped me to create an amazing yogurt sauce to drizzle over the pancakes that really brought all the flavors together. I figured ketchup wouldn't taste so good with curry so I asked that she help me create a yogurt sauce that would be more suitable.

I do have one disclaimer though: the recipe below follows the technique I normally use for making potato pancakes by using shredded potatoes. When I made the curry potatoes that you will see in the picture, however, I didn't actually have any potatoes on deck so I just substituted with instant mashed potatoes. They were tasty, but not as delicious as using actual shredded potatoes. So if you want a really quick version of it, you can make them with instant mashed potatoes. But if you're really wanting the full effect of potato pancakes, you have to use actual potatoes.

Someday I promise to post the original recipe for potato pancakes that I came to love. But for now, enjoy the curry potato pancakes. They truly are unique and delicious!

Curry Potato Pancakes

Ingredients:
5 large potatoes, pealed and rinsed
1 small onion, chopped fine
1 egg
1-2 cups of instant pancake mix
1/4-1 cup of hot water (depending on how much moisture you need to reach the desired consistency for the batter)
1-2 tablespoons curry
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon crushed bay leaf
3-4 cloves garlic, crushed

Using a food processor or cheese grater, shred/grate the potatoes into small strips.

In a large bowl toss the shredded potatoes and chopped onions together.

Fold the egg in with the potatoes and onions so everything is evenly coated.

Add in the instant pancake mix one tablespoon at a time. The moisture from the eggs and the potatoes will start to moisten the pancake mix. At this point, you may not even need to add in the hot water to the mixture but this all depends on how moist the pancake batter is with the potatoes and onions. You don't want the batter to be too runny or to thick. If it seems too thick, add in hot water one tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency. Or, if your mixture is too thin, add in more instant pancake mix one tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency. I find that it's better to have the batter more thick than thin. If it's too thin, the batter will run and you'll get really thin pancakes that are hard to flip.

Mix the remaining ingredients into the batter.

Using a large skillet, coat the bottom of the skillet with a thin layer of vegetable oil or butter. Heat the pan up to medium-high heat and spoon out about 1/4 cup of batter into the pan. Cook the pancake for about 1-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown, adjusting the temperature as needed.

Serve warm.

Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients:
2 cups plain yogurt
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon dried dill
1/2-1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 dried cilantro
1/4 dried mint

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl, adjusting amounts until you reach your desired flavor. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Drizzle over hot curry potato pancakes.

Trail Mix Cookies

This is just a fun twist on the classic chocolate chip cookie. My friend and I made them last night and they turned out both colorful and delicious. When our guys came home, they scarfed several cookies on the spot! The cookies are loaded with lots of protein goodness from all the nuts in the trail mix, so that's a bonus. And they could be a fun treat to bring on a hiking trip with the family. Otherwise, there isn't much else to say except: mmmm.....cookies......

Trail Mix Cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

3-4 cups of trail mix (the trail mix I used was just a combination of: almonds, cashews, peanuts, raisins, and M&Ms)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl.

Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Gradually beat in flour mixture and then stir in trail mix. 

Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Banana Pudding Trifle

If you are looking for a quick and simple dessert that looks like you slaved away for hours, look no further. This banana pudding trifle not only looks beautiful, but it tastes like banana cream pie! I whipped this up last night for my husband to take to the potluck game night at his work and I was happy to see that only a tiny little blob of it came back home by the end of the night. It seriously took me all of 20 minutes to cook it and put it all together! Refrigeration time took a couple hours, but honestly, you could serve this dish while it's still warm and it would probably taste just as good. Who doesn't like warm, sweet, creamy goodness, right? But as a cold dessert, it makes for a fantastic sweet treat for all to share.

Banana Pudding Trifle

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cans (12 fl. oz. each) evaporated milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten 

3 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

5-7 ripe but firm bananas, cut into 1/4-inch slices

3 cups crushed gingersnaps (or you could use vanilla wafers too if you'd prefer)

Combine sugar, cornstarch and salt in medium saucepan.

Gradually stir in evaporated milk to dissolve cornstarch.

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to thicken. Reduce heat to low; bring to a simmer and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract. Let cool slightly.

In a tall glass bowl (I actually used a clean flower vase since I didn't have a clear glass bowl), begin to layer in the following order: pudding, sliced bananas, and crushed gingersnaps. Continue to repeat the layers until you reach the top of the bowl, or until you run out of supplies.

Cover and chill for about 2 hours.

When ready to serve, decoratively arrange a few gingersnaps on top.

*Only decorate with additional cookies when you're ready to serve. If you add the cookies on top too early, they'll get really mushy.

Popeye's Pesto

If there's one thing I love, it's a quick and easy dinner! And with my son on the way, something tells me I'm going to love simple dinners all the more. This recipe not only meets the need for a quick-made dinner, but it is both delicious and nutritious! The recipe itself actually takes a little time to make. But it will spare you lots of time with future dinners.

Here's the glory of this recipe: it is a sauce that you can make and freeze. That way, if you want a delicious dinner in minutes, all you have to do is take the sauce out of the freezer in the morning, and when you're ready to cook dinner, simply heat up some pasta and mix in the sauce. That's it! You don't even have to heat up the sauce. It warms up just by the heat of the cooked pasta. I have used this recipe many times when I have had last-minute guests stop by for dinner and it has saved me a lot of stress and panic. It's as simple as cooking up a box of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese except that it's way healthier and tastier.

There are two variations to this pesto recipe. One way you can make it is by using basil leaves only, using 3 cups of basil leaves total. That will give you a classic pesto sauce. The variation I have created uses a combination of basil leaves and spinach leaves. This not only sneaks in some more healthy vegetables into your dinner (for all those picky eaters out there), but it also cuts down the cost of supplies. Buying a bag of spinach is way cheaper than buying a ton of fresh basil leaves. By combining the two greens, you cut your cost of supplies down significantly while still maintaining that classic pesto taste.

So here is my spinach pesto recipe, or as my brother has coined it: "Popeye's Pesto." I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Popeye's Pesto

Ingredients:
1 cup of fresh basil leaves
2 cups of spinach leaves
4 cloves garlic
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups pine nuts or walnuts
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Process basil, spinach, garlic, and nuts together in a food processor or blender until finely chopped. With machine running, pour in the olive oil in a thin, steady stream. Add the cheese and salt. Process until fully blended and smooth. Pour the pesto into a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use. Or freeze in an air tight container until ready to use. My mom would often freeze the pesto in an ice cube tray. Once the cubes of pesto were completely frozen, she would transfer them into a gallon freezer bag and keep them in the freezer until ready to use. That way, you don't have to defrost the entire batch each time you want some pesto. You can simply remove a few cubes from the bag and keep the rest in the freezer.

*There is actually one other variation to this recipe that you can do to make a unique and savory sauce. Rather than using basil or spinach in this recipe, substitute with fresh sage leaves. Sage pesto has a rich flavor that goes great with any poultry. Mix in with scrambled eggs and Swiss cheese. Or spread on top of raw chicken breasts before baking in an oven at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until cooked all the way through.

Chocolate Brownies

For quite some time now, I had been searching for the best chocolate brownie recipe I could find. But much to my disappointment, most of the brownies turned out either too dry, or too chewy. It seemed near impossible to find a recipe that had the kind of soft and moist consistency I was looking for. And I'd be damned if I had to succumb to using a boxed brownie mix! But at long last my prayers to the brownie gods were answered! I finally came across a recipe that lived up to the brownie I had been dreaming of. This is the kind of brownie that can't make up its mind whether it would rather be a cake or fudge. It is absolutely rich and moist beyond any other brownie I have made up to this point. I made a few adjustments to the recipe as I went and the end result was pure heaven! So from my kitchen to yours, here is one of the best brownie recipes you'll find out there!

Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients:

10 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups sugar

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cold large eggs

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 325°F with rack positioned in the lower third of the oven. Line the bottom and the sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with foil or parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides to make it easier to lift the brownies out of the pan when they are done.

Combine the butter, cocoa, sugar, and salt in a medium pot. Set the medium pot in a larger pot of barely simmering water (creating a double broiler effect). Stir the butter cocoa mixture from time to time until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth and hot enough that you want to remove your finger quickly after dipping it in to test. Remove the medium pot from the larger pot and set aside briefly until the mixture is only warm, not hot.

Using a spoon, stir in the vanilla extract. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring quickly after each one. When the batter looks shiny, thick, and well mixed, add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, then beat for 40 strokes with the spoon. Spread the batter evenly in the lined pan.

Bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out just slightly moist with batter, 20 to 25 minutes. Let the brownies cool completely on a rack. Lift up the ends of the foil or parchment paper liner, and transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Cut into 16 or 25 squares.

Meatball Curry Soup

This recipe is simply a variation of my chicken curry recipe. It's an easy crock pot dinner for a cold rainy day! I don't really have a story to go with this recipe. I simply wanted curry for dinner however, I didn't have any yogurt to make the curry sauce, and I didn't have any chicken. But I did have a surplus of organic chicken broth and some homemade meatballs, thus a soup was born! My only warning is, when making this into a soup, the spiciness can be even stronger! So if you don't want it to be ridiculously spicy, I suggest going easy on the cayenne pepper.

Meatball Curry Soup

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
7 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon crushed bay leaf
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon sugar
salt to taste (I added about 1 teaspoon)
5-10 meatballs
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 whole can coconut milk, including the cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2-3 teaspoons cayenne pepper (I used 3 teaspoons and it was extremely spicy! If you don't want it really hot, only add 1/2 teaspoon
4 cups chicken broth
4 cups water

Combine all the ingredients into a crock pot and turn on to high heat. Allow to cook for about 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally. After 2-3 hours, turn the temperature to warm/low until you are ready to serve.

*This can easily be altered into a vegetarian friendly version by substituting chicken broth for vegetable broth and by using meatless meatballs.

Vegan Chocolate Cake

This is a recipe I have had for years. Long ago, in my early college years, I pretty much became a vegetarian for awhile. I never went full fledged vegetarian but what I called "flexitarian," meaning I still had meat from time to time but very rarely. I also had a close friend who was a die-hard vegan. It still amazes me the dedication and creativity that vegans have when it comes to their diets! This friend of mine opened up a whole new world of foods to me including the glory that is soy milk and even some delicious and healthier variations of some of my classic favorite foods. To this day, I still love to make tofu pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, and soy milk has become a dear friend of mine.

So in order to learn more about vegan cooking, I found a great vegan cookbook hidden away on a back self in a used book store. On the front cover was a picture of a moist dark slice of chocolate cake. Immediately I knew I had to own this book. Eagerly I took it home and set to work on tagging all the recipes I wanted to try. At the time, my parents weren't huge on vegan and vegetarian foods. And, in fact, my family would often give me a good ribbing about all of the soy and tofu products I would buy. Of course, these days, they're all about organic foods and have gained a new appreciation for soy products. But at the time, they jestingly called me "Jensoy" and even still, the nickname has lingered around.

Anyway, as I flipped through the many tempting recipes, I came across the recipe for chocolate cake. Being the absolute sweet freak that I am, I had to make it! But since my family wasn't huge on the whole vegan idea, I decided to convert the measurements to make a small single serving cake just for myself. It was amazing! I had no idea how rich and moist a vegan cake could be! How could something without the richness of butter, milk, or eggs be so soft and flavorful? Pretty soon it became a late night ritual for me to sneak into the kitchen after everyone had gone to sleep and whip up a single serving of vegan chocolate cake to satisfy my sweet craving.

After years of sitting on the book shelf, I finally dug out my favorite vegan cookbook the other day so I could revisit my old friend the vegan chocolate cake. I had a hankering for some cake but we hadn't gone grocery shopping yet so I was low on butter, milk, and eggs. So I thought, hey! Why not make a vegan cake? Not only is it a really simple recipe, but it is a perfect recipe to use if you're low on normal baking supplies. Even if you don't follow a vegan diet, this cake is sure to satisfy your sweet chocolate craving.

Vegan Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
2/3 cup sugar
4 tsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp cider vinegar or wine vinegar
3/4 cup cold water

Mix thoroughly the sugar, cocoa, salt, flour and baking soda in a mixing bowl.

Add the oil, vanilla, vinegar, and cold water to the mixture.

Combine well with a fork until smooth, but do not beat.

Pour into two greased sandwich tins (lined if desired) and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the cake springs back when lightly pressed. Leave to cool thoroughly.

Vegan Chocolate Frosting

Ingredients:
1/4 cup of vegan margarine or 1/4 cup of vegetable oil
1/4 cup cocoa powder
4 tbs soy milk
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine the first four ingredients in a saucepan and bring them to a boil slowly, stirring constantly.

Boil for about 1 minute.

Remove from the heat and beat until cold. Add the vanilla and spread the icing on the cake.

Sandwich the two cakes together with some of the chocolate frosting in between, or you can spread a layer of jam in between the layers for a sweet fruity flavor. I also topped mine off with a little shredded coconut, but that's completely optional.

*Make sure the cake is completely cooled before frosting. I like to put the cake in the freezer for about 30 minutes before frosting to prevent it from crumbling.