Too German

I decided to make a German Chocolate Cake this week.  Cooler weather always brings out the baking urge, I'd seen a magazine photo of some of that yummy frosting and I guess I got a craving. I hadn't made one from scratch in a long time and now I remember why. 

One look at the long list of ingredients on my old recipe card should've been enough for a normal cook to stop the process, but since I happened to have all of them on hand, I forged ahead.

These are the ingredients for just the cake!

By the time I had the 4 eggs separated, the whites whipped and set aside, the whole box of the German Chocolate melted, and the butter and sugar creamed till fluffy, I was beginning to remember why I hadn't used this recipe for a long time!  Washing up the 3 different bowls, a pan, measuring cups, spoons, and spatula...not to mention the mixer, stove, and countertop, didn't improve my outlook either.

When this expensive concoction was finally in the oven, I began the frosting process.  Three more egg yolks, a cup of evaporated milk, another stick of butter and cup of sugar later, I'm standing stirring all this for 12 minutes as it cooks and realizing I could've made 2 whole chocolate sheet cakes and an angel food in less time.

As I added the cup of pecans ($8 a pound now, but who's counting?) and the cup and a half of coconut to the frosting mixture, a vision of how many calories must be in 1 small slice of this decadent confection was forming in my mind...probably my whole week's quota of carbs.

I decided that if I ever judge another cake contest at the county fair and there's a German Chocolate in the competition, I'll just give it the blue ribbon for effort and expense.

Oh yes, it is a thing of beauty and indescribably delicious, but the German in me is too busy counting the cost, time, and calories to properly appreciate it!

Hopefully some Sunday afternoon visitors  will enjoy it tomorrow and reduce the temptation for rancher Bob and me the rest of the week.

And the next time I get the craving, I'll dress up a cake mix and just make the frosting from scratch!