Is it really Monday again?? How is it that the work week goes by sooooooo slowly but the weekend whizzes by? I’ve never understood that marvel of modern science.
At any rate, the Duke and I had a fabulous weekend. We celebrated his 31st birthday on Saturday with food, food and more food (and a little karaoke with friends 
). We went to Ruth’s Chris with our parents for dinner, but unfortunately I don’t have any photos to share 
My camera was malfunctioning. But let me tell you, it was a darn good meal. I rarely eat red meat, so when I do, I make sure to make up for lost time. I ordered the ribeye and the Duke ordered the petite filet. The waiter that brought us our steaks thought he had it mixed up. I didn’t even eat a quarter of the steak, but it was so delicious. There’s nothing like a salty, fatty steak. Oh yes.
I didn’t make the Duke a birthday cake this year, but I did make him a fabulous Paula Deen recipe that he took to work on Friday. It’s another gooey butter cake. Paula make lots of different varieties and they’re all sinfully good. We’ve tried lemon, pumpkin, and now, German Chocolate. Since this version has pecans, it’s perfect for this week’s My Girl, Paula! challenge for nuts.
Believe it or not, this recipe also starts with a box of cake mix! The bottom layer is a wonderfully chewy chocolate cake, and the filling consists of cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, pecans and coconut…need I say more?
German Chocolate Gooey Butter Cake
Ingredients
- 1 box German chocolate cake mix
- 1 cup butter, melted and divided
- 3 large eggs, divided
- 1 (8 oz) packaged cream cheese, softened (I used 1/3 less fat)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 (16 oz) box powdered sugar
- 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 and spray a 13×9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine cake mix, ½ cup melted butter and 1 egg. Beat a low speed until combined. Press evenly into bottom of prepared pan.
- In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until creamy. Beat in remaining 2 eggs and vanilla. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until smooth. Add remaining ½ cup melted butter, beating at low speed until combined. Stir in coconut and pecans.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until center is slightly set (You want it to still be gooey, but not runny. The top should be lightly browned).
- Let cool completely before cutting into squares.
OK, I have to brag on myself here. I didn’t have one single bite of this cake! I’ve really been doing well with my Lent fast (no desserts). I almost had to get the Duke to cut it for me, because it was just too tempting. But, I rose above the urge and was able to cut the cake without sneaking a single taste.
The Duke’s coworkers really enjoyed this funky spin on a classic cake, and I’m sure you will, too. With that, I hope you have a wonderful week. Can you believe it’s already March??? Crazy!The Duchess
I love the Pumpkin, but now I’ll have to make this one also!
Gooey butter cake? Well, I’m sold.
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