I tinkered a bit with this recipe and was pleasantly surprised. I've been looking for side dishes which are lighter in calories and fat. Here's what I did. I boiled a 1 lb. pkg of Angel Hair Pasta, drained and tossed with 1 tbsp extra Virgin Olive Oil - so it wouldn't stick, sauteed 1 diced cherry pepper, a heaping tbsp of minced garlic in 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil, then I drained and chopped a 6 oz. jar of marinated Artichoke Hearts, tossed it around in a bowl with the parmesan cheese. I served this along side some oven-roasted brocoli florets and grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken for a tasty, healthy meal - Do try it with the chopped Artichoke Hearts ...Yum!

Reviewed On: Sep. 26, 2009

This was an excellent cake - very moist yet the texture also had a lightness to it. First of all, after reading several reviews of this recipe and looking at the pictures posted by others, I decided to use the filling between the layers and on the top (instead of spreading it all over the sides of the cake) I thought this made for a much prettier presentation. I made 1 1/2 the amount of filling - just to be safe and prepared it the day before making the cake and was glad that I did. Do be prepared to babysit and stir the filling as it thickens for about 40 minutes. I let it cool, added the pecans, coconut and kept it in the refrigerator overnight. I then made sure I took it out early enough so that it came back up to room temperature before putting it on the cake. The filling was perfect and the amount I made was more than enough to fill the layers and the top. Instead of prepping the cake pans with the usual grease/flour combo, I used butter, a bit of cooking spray and cocoa powder so that the sides of the cake wouldn't have that floury pasty look. They were perfectly done at about 27 min and I let them cool for just the 10 minutes before trying to remove them. These cakes are delicate and will crumble easily. I took a butter knive and circled around between the outside of the cakes and edges of the pans to make the removal a bit easier. Only a tiny bit in the middle stuck to the bottom of the pans - nothing that couldn't be dealt with.

Reviewed On: Aug. 29, 2009

Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. My modifications based on personal taste are as follows: 2 tsp. corn starch, cut sugar to 1/4 cup, add 1 cup diced sweet gherkins and 2 dashes of dill weed into the dressing as it cooks. It's the best!

Reviewed On: Jun. 20, 2009