Happy Birthday Mom: Almond JOY Cake

    There is a small ice cream shop in Saco, Maine called Garsides.  It is close to the house my Mom and Dad have in Maine and while we are there we usually make a stop at Garsides to see if they have Almond Joy Ice Cream.  It is a family favorite, especially for my Mom.  She isn't a big dessert fan but she's always happy to find that there is Almond Joy Ice Cream at Garsides.  So when I was thinking about a birthday cake for my Mom, I thought that an Almond Joy cake might make her just as happy.

Almond Joy Cake
Recipe from deepsouthdish.com

Getting a picture of this cake was a bit tricky.  You can sort of see the layers here.  Any other photos I could have taken would not have looked appealing! 

Ingredients
1 box of chocolate cake mix (I used a German Chocolate mix)
1 (12 oz) can of evaporated milk, divided
1 cup of sugar, divided
3 1/2 cups of mini marshmallows
3 cups of sweetened coconut
1/4 stick of unsalted butter
1 1/2 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup of slice almonds, divided

Method
1. Prepare the cake mix as directed on the box and allow to cool.
2. In a medium saucepan, bring half the can of evaporated milk and 1/2 cup of the sugar to a boil.  As soon as the mixture begins to boil, remove it from the heat and stir in the marshmallows until the mixture is smooth.
3. Stir the coconut in and top the cake using a spatula to move the thick mixture across the entire cake.
4. Bring the remaining evaporated milk, butter, and 1/2 cup of sugar to a boil in a saucepan.  As soon as the mixture begins to boil, remove it from the heat and stir in the chocolate chips until they are completely melted.  Next add the vanilla and half of the almonds.  Pour the chocolate on top of the coconut layer.
5. Sprinkle the remaining almonds on top of the chocolate layer.
6. Allow the cake to cool completely before attempting to cut and serve.

The Taste Test
This cake was delicious, but MESSY!  I prepared the cake part the night before my Mom's birthday and made the toppings a few hours before serving.  I just left the cake on the counter to cool, but wonder if putting it in the fridge may have helped everything to set better.  As I attempted to cut into the cake, it pretty much just fell apart by the time I got it to people's plate.  But despite the mess it appeared to be, it tasted very sweet, moist, and delicious.  A tall glass of milk goes great with this cake.

D