{Recipe} Holy Cow Cake

I don't know where this recipe originated. I did a bit of research and some people indicate that it's a Duncan Hines original, but I haven't bothered to pin it down. This is one of those recipes that transcends its originator and becomes all about who perpetuated it.

In this case, this was the cake my mother-in-law used to make for parties, meetings, birthdays at work, or holidays. None of us have had it since she passed, but since we were having a barbecue on Sunday for my whole family, I decided there was no time like the present.

I ended up tweeting that the shopping and baking process was a lot more emotional than I had anticipated, but I survived and everyone loved the cake.

Warning: this cake is DECADENT. Ridiculously so. It's one of those cakes you should only make, like, once a year, for a huge group. It's rich, it's delicious, it's sinfully fattening. But once in a while, it's totally worth it.

Yes, the ingredients really ARE this simple.

Recipe

1 box Duncan Hines German Chocolate cake mix

1 18oz jar caramel ice cream topping

1 12oz can sweetened condensed milk

1 8oz tub Cool Whip

Heath bars for topping

(Note: You will also need 3 large eggs and vegetable oil for the German Chocolate cake mix.)

First you take the cake and you bake it, you bake it. (Sorry, I'll stop now.)

Un-baked...

Baked!

The disposable pan is key here--this isn't a cake that you put icing on, not in the traditional sense, and it makes a holy mess, as you will see.

Poke holes in the cake while it's fresh from the oven. You can be as liberal or conservative with your holes as you prefer, that depends on your ideology and your stance on social and fiscal issues.

While it's still hot, heat up the caramel sauce and pour it on the cake, spreading it out evenly.

Then the sweetened condensed milk.

Let it cool for 30 mins on the counter, until all the liquids are seeped in, then cover with plastic wrap or the lid that came with the pan if that's the kind you bought. Pop it in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

When you're ready to serve, spread the Cool Whip over the top. It'll be a thick layer.

I had my sister help me smash about 15 of the small Heath bars in the food processor to sprinkle over the top.

I wasn't able to snap pictures of any of this process because the kitchen was CROWDED with people who were watching in fascination. Who needs pictures when you have a live studio audience?

I did, however, get pictures of the aftermath:

A close-up, for good measure?

Can you feel the adult-onset diabetes yet?

This was a hit. Everyone loved it... and everyone was good with just one piece. And I'm fine with not making this again for a long, loooong time. However, it was worth it, it was easy, and it was simple. And it was oh-so-delicious.