Coconut Cake

 So Mr. Devilish Dish and I have never been big fans of coconut.  In fact our food tastes are pretty similar.  We love most of the same things and our dislikes are similar as well.  Last year, two friends at tailgate had upcoming birthdays.  One of them said, "How about a lemon cake?" Great!  Easy.  I love lemon cake.  Whipped that birthday cake right up.  The other request was Coconut Cake.  That took a little more effort, since I'm not a coconut fan.  What I realized after eating this cake is I am in fact a Coconut Fan!  Since that tailgate last fall, I've made this cake for several occasions.  It is similar to a tres leches cake.  But it only has two milks.  I guess that makes it a dos leches cake.  It is a very moist cake and honestly gets better with age as it sits in the refrigerator.  I changed up the original recipe to a whipped cream "frosting" versus a store bought dairy topping.  I love the flavor and texture so much better.  That is the only thing that keeps this cake from lasting for days in the fridge is the whipped cream frosting might get weepy.  Honestly though, it won't last that long.  You'll eat this cake all gone before you have that problem.  It's an easy cake too, basically a doctored up cake mix style cake.  The secret to the crazy good flavor is the two milks:  Cream of Coconut and condensed milk.  It is so decadent, it's made coconut lovers out of Mr. DD and I for sure!

This is the best coconut cake.
You don't even have to like coconut!

The ingredients...

The secret is the Cream of Coconut 
and the condensed milk.
Whisk these together and set aside.

Prepare the cake.

Poke holes in the warm cake with 
the end of a wooden spoon.

Pour the milk mixture allover 
the cake.

Allow the cake to soak up the milk
mixture and cool completely.

Prepare the sweetened whipped cream.

Generously frost the cake with the 
sweetened whipped cream.

Top with toasted coconut.
This is optional.  I did this originally so
folks would know this was a coconut cake.
Mr. Devilish Dish doesn't like the texture
of the toasted coconut as garnish on this cake.

Chill completely.
Overnight is better.

Most recently I made this for my Dad's 
birthday fish fry.  Big hit!

Such a good cake.  Enjoy!

COCONUT CAKE

1 boxed white cake mix
3 eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 small box vanilla instant pudding
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 can cream of coconut
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 pint heavy cream
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
toasted coconut- optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 9x13-inch cake pan and set aside. In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer combine the cake mix, eggs, milk, vegetable oil, pudding mix and vanilla.  Mix until smooth and creamy and pour into prepared pan.  Bake for 32-35 minutes of until a toothpick poked into the center of the cake comes out clean.  

While your cake is baking, whisk together the cream of coconut and the condensed milk.  When you remove your cake from the oven, immediately poke holes into the hot cake with the end of a wooden spoon.  Pour the cream of coconut mixture slowly over the whole cake.  Let the cake cool completely and soak this mixture up.  

When the cake is cool, whip together the heavy whipping cream with the tablespoon of sugar until it is thick and spreadable.  Use this mixture to frost the cake.  Top with toasted coconut if desired.  Cover the cake and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.  Even better the next day.

Southern Pecan Praline Poke Cake

As I've told you before, my brother-in-law is a chef in New Orleans.  Which works out great for me because I love that city and I love that cuisine.  He came home to visit the family for Thanksgiving.  The Saturday after Turkey Day, the Oklahoma Sooners played the Louisiana State Tigers.  Obviously our tailgate was Cajun-themed and we put the chef in charge of gumbo.  Legit Louisiana gumbo with andouille sausage and leftover smoked turkey parts.  My contribution to the day was dessert.  Finding a dessert that would stand up to to the quality of the gumbo was no easy task.  I've been told that King Cake outside of Mardi Gras is bad luck and a big no-no.  I settled on this Southern Pecan Praline Cake because not only was it simple to make, but the sugary praline layer is reminiscent of that delicious Pecan Praline Candy.  Bonus, it tasted great even though I made it the day before.  It was such a hit at the tailgate, I had several requests for the recipe.  As usual, tailgate is so hectic I never even ate a piece of cake, nor did I get any pictures of it.  Then I had the brilliant idea to re-create the same menu for our family Christmas meal.  Afterall we still had a freezer full of andouille sausage and my side of the family will never turn down a good 'ol Southern meal.  We enjoyed Gumbo with Potato Salad (the authentic way) but we also served rice to appease Little Devil.  My brother brought a big batch of Jalapeno Cornbread, and I shared some spicy saltine crackers and homemade bread & butter pickles gifted to me by a coworker.  The highlight of the meal was truly this cake.  As anticipated, it brought down the house.  An easy crowd pleaser for sure, and the tastiest finish to any home cooked meal.  

This is the best finale to
any Southern meal.

The ingredient line up.

Bake the cake according to the box mix
directions.  While it is baking prepare the 
praline mixture by boiling together butter,
brown sugar and pecans.

Using the handle of a wooden spoon, 
poke holes evenly over the warm cake.  
Spread the praline mixture over the cake,
allowing it to seep into the holes.  
Spread the remaining mixture evenly 
over the entire cake.

Whip together the softened cream cheese,
heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract
until very fluffy.  Spread over the praline
layer carefully frosting the entire cake.

Drizzle caramel sauce over the frosting.

Top with remaining toasted pecans.
Cover and refrigerate at least two hours 
to allow the flavors to meld.

This is the yummiest cake.  
The tangy cream cheese frosting is 
the perfect counterbalance to
the sweet praline layer.

Enjoy at the end of any Southern meal,
especially if you have a brother-in-law
that can make gumbo!

SOUTHERN PECAN PRALINE POKE CAKE

1 box yellow cake mix + the ingredients called for to make the cake (eggs, oil, water)
2 cups chopped pecans, toasted and divided
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 stick unsalted butter
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup prepared caramel sauce (I used a good quality ice cream topping sauce)


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Prepare the cake mix according to the box directions.  Pour batter into a greased 9x13-inch baking pan.  Bake the cake for approximately 30-35 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in to the center of the cake comes out clean.

While the cake is baking prepare the praline filling.  In a skillet over medium heat, melt the stick of butter and add the brown sugar and 1.5 cups of the toasted pecans.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat until you have a thick, sticky mixture.

Using the handle of a wooden spoon, poke holes evenly allover the warm, baked cake.  Pour the brown sugar mixture over the cake, carefully allowing it to seep into the poke holes, and then spread evenly across the surface of the cake.  Set aside.

In a mixing bowl of a stand mixer, beat the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract until smooth and very fluffy.

Spread the cream cheese frosting evenly over the cooled praline layer on the cake.

Drizzle caramel sauce over the top of the frosting and garnish with the remaining 1/2 cup of chopped toasted pecans.  Refrigerate for at least two hours before serving to let the flavors meld.

Enjoy,

Champagne Cake - Happy New Year!

It's my first post of 2026 and it's only January 1, so I think I'm off to a good start.  There's no better way to celebrate the New Year than a glass of champagne, or in this case a cake of champagne!  Mr. Devilish Dish has really honed up his cooking skills this past year.  Partially because I had surgery on my hand and he has had to do a majority of the cooking for the past several months and partially because he really enjoys it.  When I say he has polished up his skills I'm talking master level, molecular gastronomy skills.  For example, our New Year's Eve meal (cooked entirely by him) was Surf & Turf (Steak & Lobster Tails) with clarified butter, a Lobster Velouté Sauce (made from his homemade seafood stock) Wilted Spinach & Bacon, and a Roasted Cauliflower Puree.  All I did was wash dishes.  And welcome in the new year with a freshly scrubbed kitchen.  OH!  And I made this cake.  At no point did I think this cake would be worthy of the meal he prepared.  As I was trying to decide how to frost it, I was second guessing myself and thinking maybe I should have made souffles or something more elegant.  I could not have been more wrong.  This cake was absolute perfection.  The sponge, though surprising easy to handle and release from the pan, was so delicate and soft, with the best champagne flavor.  The recipe makes a ton of champagne buttercream frosting, but I decided to keep the look very simple by going for the "naked" style cake and just frosting the center and top, with a very light coating around the outside of the cake layers.  Not only do I think it gave the cake an elegant appearance, the cake itself is so tasty it doesn't need a lot of frosting.  In fact we ate a second piece at midnight with a little bit of raspberry sauce.  (Another of his creations.) If last night's meal and dessert are any indication of our cooking adventures for the upcoming year, I'd say you all are in for lots of great recipes in 2026.  But first let's celebrate with Champagne Cake!

A terrific way to welcome
 in the New Year.

Surprisingly few ingredients.
So simple to make.

Combine the eggs and vegetable oil.
Add in the champagne, followed by the 
granulated sugar.

Combine the dry ingredients and add
to the champagne mixture.

Divide the cake batter evenly between
two prepared cake pans.

Bake and allow to cool completely
before frosting.

Frost the entire cake OR leave the 
sides "naked" like I did.

Such a simple, elegant cake. I had 
the perfect vintage gold cake stand
for the occasion.

I opted to not use a lot of frosting on this
cake and I'm glad I did.  The flavor and texture
of the cake sponge is so delicate and delicious,
it would be just as good without the frosting.

I used a serrated knife to slice the cake,
the sponge is so light.

This would be outstanding served with 
fresh fruit on the side, or a tart fruit sauce.
BONUS:  You'll have 2 glasses of champagne leftover
from the bottle when you make this cake. Perfect
for enjoying with your dessert and ringing in
the New Year. 

CHAMPAGNE CAKE

For the Cake:

1 1/4 cups champagne
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Buttercream Frosting:

1 stick unsalted butter
6 cups powdered sugar
1/3-1/2 cup champagne

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease two 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper, greasing the parchment paper also.  

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the champagne, vegetable oil and eggs.  Add the sugar.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.  Slowly add this mixture to the champagne mixture until combined.  Whisk by hand to get out any lumps.  Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and bake approximately 27-30 minutes.  Allow the cakes to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely on a wire cooling rack.  

To prepare the frosting, beat the butter in a stand mixer until soft and smooth.  Add in 3 cups of powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add about half of the champagne, then add the remaining 3 cups of powdered sugar, one cup at a time.  Once this mixture is combined, add the remaining champagne a little bit at a time until the frosting is desired consistency.  If the frosting is too thick, add a little more champagne a small amount at a time.  If it is too thin, add a little more powdered sugar a small amount at a time.

Once the cakes have cooled, place one layer onto a serving plate or cake stand.  Frost the top of this layer before placing the second layer on top.  Frost the top of the second layer, and if desired the sides of the cake layers as well.  Leave the sides plain if you desire the "naked cake" look like I did.  This makes a lot of frosting so decorate as you desire.

Slice and Enjoy,

New York Style Cheesecake

I started this blog in 2011.  On and off I've shared recipes and such with you all these years.  Now I married Mr. Devilish Dish in 1994.  This has been his chosen Birthday Cake in all of those years of marriage.  If you do the math that means I've made him 31 of these cakes.  Give or take a couple of years.  Plus all of the times I've made it for Little Devil and the Devilish Nephew, because they too request this for their birthday every year.  That means I've probably made this cake AT LEAST 50 times, and I've been sharing recipes with you all for 14 YEARS, and I've never shared this!  What the heck?!? This is truly our family recipe.  There is nothing fancy about it.  No "turtle business." No chocolate sauce.  No swirls of any kind.  Just a PLAIN 'OL New York Cheesecake.  It is creamy and decadent and the texture is to die for.  Sometimes I'll serve it with a raspberry coulis because the kids like it that way, but honestly it needs nothing.  It's just a handful of ingredients, baked the traditional way and results in a beautifully textured dream.  Over the years I've had mixed results with the top cracking.  When we were first married we had a gas oven and those were the years of the best cheesecakes.  Until recently we had a series of subpar electric ovens and usually had cracked cheesecakes. Don't get me wrong, they still taste absolutely fabulous, but I want perfection.  We recently replaced our electric stove and oven with a gas stove, so I was anxious for Mr. Devilish Dish's birthday to get here, to test out this recipe again.  Perfection!  One tip I will say, after years of trial and error is to follow the recipe exactly - ESPECIALLY the part about cooling it in the oven with the heat turned off.  AND I used a wooden spoon to prop the oven door open.  I've read this is the best way to prevent cracking.  If it cracks? Who cares.  You can hide that with raspberry sauce!

A true Family Favorite!

The perfect top! No Cracks!

This is thick and indulgent
and soooo good.

Just look at that perfect texture.

No wonder the whole family requests
this for their birthday cake.

THE BEST NEW YORK STYLE CHEESECAKE

For the Crust:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Place the crumbs in a bowl and stir in melted butter and sugar.  Mix well.  Press into the base of a Springform pan, making sure the mixture is tightly-packed and even across the base of the pan.

(NOTE: We prefer a thinner base/less crust ratio at our house, so sometimes I don't use all of this mixture.  I also do not press the crumbs up the sides of the pan.  How much you use is up to you.  We just enjoy the flavor of the cake so much, we prefer less crumbs.)

For the Cake:

2 pounds plain cream cheese
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste (if you like the look of the specks)
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup whole sour cream

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  In a large bowl by hand or bowl of a stand mixer: Beat together the cream cheese and granulated sugar until smooth and light. 

Beat in the eggs, vanilla and cornstarch until thoroughly mixed.  Stir in the sour cream until everything is well blended.  Pour the mixture into the prepared crust and bake for 45 minutes.  Turn the oven off, prop the oven door open slightly with a wooden spoon and allow the cake to cool in the oven (with the door propped open) for 3 hours.  Remove, cover and chill overnight.

Griddled Twinkie Strawberry Shortcake

 It's National Strawberry Shortcake Day, and do I have a treat for you today!  If you thought a Twinkie was tasty by itself, imagine how insanely delicious it is after it has been lightly toasted in butter on a griddle?  Mr. Devilish Dish and I are fairly healthy eaters.  We try to eat mainly low-carb meals during the week, and I usually don't even eat much gluten.  But every once in a while, we go off the rails and when I say go off the rails I mean we get crazy creative and eat crap lol.  We had seen a similar recipe circulating on social media a while back and joked that it sounded delicious, but we were trying to behave so we had no plans to make it.  Then I saw a (probably fake) study that said, "Couples that do unhealthy activities together, like eating junk food, feel closer than those who choose healthier activities." So, for the sake of a successful marriage, we bought a package of Twinkies.  Mr. Devilish Dish simply placed them on his preheated Blackstone griddle, with a little bit of melted butter and let them brown about 1 minute per side.  The result is like a really good piece of sponge cake with an extra brown, caramelized crust.  The cream filling got hot and melty and was extra delicious topped with fresh strawberries and whipped cream.  This was such a fun twist on a traditional Strawberry Shortcake, and I might even make it tomorrow for Father's Day because it is so simple but fun! The only thing I can say about this is 1) Do not knock it until you try it and 2) This is definitely splurge-worthy for a rare little treat!

This spurge-worthy dessert was so fun 
to make and made such a fun variation
of a Strawberry Shortcake Dessert.

Just 3-ingredeints.  Well 4 if you count
the butter for the griddle.

Unwrap those Twinkies and 
slap them on a hot griddle.

Cook approximately 1-2 minutes per
side, or until they start to look golden and 
a little crispy like this.

I haven't had a Twinkie in years,
and boy was this worth it.

Look what a pretty little dessert it makes
and I think it looks gorgeous on these plates.

This is such a fun variation of a traditional
Strawberry Shortcake.  So worth it!

Who am I to argue with science lol...

GRIDDLED TWINKIE STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

1/4 cup unsalted butter

4 Twinkies
1 small package fresh strawberries, sliced
fresh whipped cream (I always use my ISI Professional Whipped Cream Dispenser)

Preheat your outdoor griddle (or indoor griddle or cast-iron skillet) and add butter.  When butter is hot and melted, add Twinkies and grill approximately one minute on each side, or until they start to get golden in color and the edges get a little crispy.  To serve, place 2 griddled Twinkies on a plate and top with sliced strawberries and whipped cream.

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 4-8 minutes