Go ahead and sin a little...

Cold and rainy mornings really get me in the mood to bake, well so do hot and sunny ones and windy snowy ones. I could bake anytime. This morning I wanted something chocolatey (I always want chocolate) and creamy. Sweet and warm. Something that would taste good with whipped cream. Well, in my mind whip cream goes with almost any baked concoction.

I didn’t want to go to the store, so looking through the things I had on hand... coconut, a cake mix, cream cheese, sugar, etc, I decided to create my craving and I must say it turned out beautifully. Delicious in every detail. If anyone would like to dive into these photos tongue first, feel free to follow my lead and bake yourself a little something sweet. You deserve it. The photos were taken pre-whipped cream, so it was really “that” much better when I ate it....

Here’s what I did....

P.S. This is NOT for the calorie counting, the waist conscious, or the person that feels guilty after indulgence. If you can forgo any bad feelings in the name of sweetness, then please continue...

Lets just call it:

“Mel’s Gooey Pan of Sin”

Preheat the oven to 350.

Ingredients needed:
2 sticks of butter (no skimping)
Nuts (I used about 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts, but I bet pecans would be good too)
1 cup sweetened coconut
Box of cake (I used german chocolate)Will need: Vegetable oil and 3 eggs for the cake
Some powdered sugar (a lot?)
8 oz. softened cream cheese
Vanilla
1 cup Heavy cream
cinnamon

Step One: Melt 1 stick of butter in a saucepan and spread (or pour actually) into a 9x13 pan.

Sprinkle some nuts and 1 cup coconut on top of the butter.

Step Two: Make the cake mix like the box says and pour it over the coconut layer.

Step Three: Simmer the other stick of butter on low heat and add in the softened cream cheese until melted and smooth. Add some powdered sugar until thick in consistency, about 2 1/2 -3 cups. Drop by large dollops over the cake batter. Swirl if you prefer, but don’t disrupt the lower layer.

Step Four: Bake 40 minutes. Cool.

Step Five: While the cake cools I whip the cream. I add about 3 tablespoons powdered sugar to the cream, and a few drops of vanilla and some sprinkles of cinnamon. Beat for 2-3 minutes until little peaks form.

The cake was still hot, so I made a hot chocolate and put some whipped cream on that while I sipped and waited.... This whipped cream is phenomenal with cocoa.

Breathe in the smell, smile, and slice yourself a piece of heaven. Heaven can taste sinful, but instead of confessing, you’ll be running back for more :)

Excuse me while I go get myself another slice.....