Our middle son turned 12 this month. His “wishlist” was pretty simple: Dinner out with grandma and grandpa, and dinner in with family. He posted a menu for me.

I had made everything on his menu before, except the German Chocolate Cake, which I wanted to make from scratch. And I did – with this recipe for German Chocolate Cake. I printed out the recipe, went shopping for the ingredients and got to making the cake.

Layers, cooling.

Frosting, which I set out in the snow for a faster cool-down.

Frosting the layers (which was a bit tricky because the frosting is a bit hazardous with the coconut and nuts, which have the potential to ruin the surface of the cake layers. It was still warm enough to spread, but not cold enough to stick. I had to trim the first layer to make it more even.

I couldn’t help but taste the frosting. Delicious. I was excited for Lootie to come home and see HIS cake.

Frosting the entire, assembled cake was the trickiest part. The frosting kept sliding down the sides. I did frost it completely, and the put it in the fridge to settle. After about and hour (or maybe a half hour), I was able to take it out and smooth up the rough or droopy spots. I was glad that I made a double-batch of the frosting. There was a tiny bit leftover, which I spread on chocolate graham crackers – yum.

Layers of ooey, gooey, yummy German Chocolate Cake.

The cake was a hit. We feasted off it for days. I stored it in the fridge, which Frank liked – he likes cold cakes, cold pudding. I thought the cake at room temperature was at its best.