Happy birthday to my sweet hubby!!
My husband's favorite cake has always been chocolate macaroon.
chocolate macaroon tunnel cake
Many moons ago, when my husband and I were planning our wedding, and I was having bridal showers, my Aunt Carol gave me my first (and only) bundt cake pan. She had remembered Brian mentioning his love of this cake. Inside the cake pan was the box mix for Chocolate Macaroon.
I think it was Pillsbury that made it?
Anywho.... he was excited and I baked it for him for his birthday.
no need to put ALL of those holes in the cake with THAT many candles. four will do
The very next year, they quit making it.
Now I am not a fan of coconut, so if it wasn't his favorite cake,
this would have gone totally unnoticed by me.
But it was.
I searched high and low, and couldn't find one anywhere.
For years I tried to find him one that was similar, or maybe turn him on to a new cake?
One year I made this tall gorgeous Waldorf Astoria cake.
Red is his FAVORITE color...
The cake was gorgeous!! But, it weighed about 50 pounds.
Epic fail.
I am most definitely a cake mix kinda girl!!
Well, back in the dark ages when we got married, and the cake was ripped from the grocery shelves, Google wasn't even born yet. It wasn't like today when you can just hop on your computer, or your phone for that matter and find whatever you want!!
But once google was born, I started trying recipes that said they tasted like the old box mix.
Year after year I tried.
Bless his heart, he was so sweet to say "it's okay, I mean it's close...but not quite there"
He ate them every time so I wouldn't feel bad.
Finally, I decided to take a couple of different recipes and tweak them and merge them and
By George, I had it!!
I think his words were something like "You FINALLY did it!!"
In our house, on your birthday, you get to choose what you would like me to make you for dinner.
(trust me when I say, that this gets VERY interesting with twins.
Most often their requests don't exactly "go" together!)
Then your dinner is served on "the birthday plate."
(compliments of my friend Candi who sent these to me long ago. Yes, of course, we have two!)
Brian's request last night was spaghetti and meatballs. I made it using my spaghetti sauce I canned a couple of months ago.
spaghetti with meatballs on the birthday plate
We enjoyed a dinner of spaghetti and meatballs with a side of sweet corn (don't ask me, he said his Mom always made corn when she made spaghetti... it's his birthday I didn't ask questions!! ;)
and ciabatta cheese bread.
After his dinner I brewed some decaf coffee and we blew out candles and enjoyed his cake!
it looks like a giant donut from this angle! That "puddle" of icing in the middle is the BOMB. just sayin'....
In our family when one of us has a birthday, after the birthday person blows out the candles, we go in order of "who's birthday is next" and they get a trial run at the candles!
one of our twins... he's got four candles down, now he needs to get nine next month!
So here is the recipe that I use for his birthday cake every year.
I just have to say that when I put this on the fireplace to take a picture, my boxer looked at it then at me with that look like "For ME?!?!"
Chocolate Macaroon Tunnel Bundt Cake
Cake
One Chocolate Cake Mix- prepared according to box instructions
(I have used German Chocolate or Devils Food)
Filling
2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flaked coconut
2 Tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons vanilla
Glaze
2 cups powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon butter 2 Tablespoons Milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
for chocolate glaze you can add 2 Tablespoons of cocoa to the above mixture.
(I glaze with both flavors. Because did I mention how good that puddle of icing int he middle is?!?!)
If you're in a hurry, you can cheat and microwave frosting in a can and drizzle over the top.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray your bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Prepare cake mix as per box instructions. In a separate bowl mix up the coconut filling.
Pour about 1/2 of the cake mix into your bundt pan. Now spoon filling in a "tunnel" on top of the batter.
Be careful not to let the filling touch the pan.
Now pour and evenly cover the tunnel with the rest of the batter.
Bake the cake for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Cool in pan for 20-30 minutes and turn onto a plate to cool the rest of the way.
Drizzle with frosting if you desire.
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