Had a recipe that I used for years, but had a hard time with with it in the last couple of years because it was tedious and too time consuming. I looked on this site and stumbled across this one....OMG! simply the best. A few changes I made, I added imimitation butter flavoring and added more sugar. The first batch I made where good but very "yeasty" and kind of bland. Don't get me wrong, they were great with butter, but I wanted to add some kick to them and the flavoring and additional sugar seemed to do the trick. I also used butter flavored shortening. A tip for people who have problems with the yeast proofing, add a teaspoon of sugar and you should not have any problems, works like a charm. I quadrupled the recipe(I have a big family)and it came out great. I had dough left over, baked them enough to set, then froze them, sort of my version of brown and serve. Family members requested them to serve with meals down the road. A great recipe for anyone and easy.

Reviewed On: Dec. 6, 2008

This has been a hit everytime I make it. My family loves it. One mistake I made ended up being a great change to the recipe. I accidentally bought lemon pudding mix instead of vanilla and it added that extra tartness that everyone said was missing. I also made the icing while the cake was baking and put it in the fridge to firm up until the cake was cool enough to be iced. I find it is not as unstable. I also cut the water to the gelatin to 1 cup which also made a difference. This has been a big winner at summer family cookouts. I am from Houston TX and I don't think you could experience a hotter more humid summer. That being said, I make sure that I take extra care when I plan on taking it to any function in the summer months. This cake is better if made the night before and refrigerated until the next day, as it gives it time to set and firm up. If I am transporting it I use an insulated carrier (fits a 9x13 pan) I also understand they make one for layer cakes or I make sure it stays in the ice chest until ready to serve. I also improvised before by putting it in a box and wrapping it in two huge bath towels with zip lock bags of ice packed around it. This cake is definitely meant to be set out when you are ready to serve it. Some might find this as being too much effort, but I love the recipe and I don't mind taking the time.

Reviewed On: Mar. 21, 2006

This was a wonderful recipe! I made this cake for a co-worker's b-day and used a yellow cake mix instead of chocolate, put strawberries between the layers as decoration and it turned out awesome! I even got several proposals of marriage from the guys I work with...LOL (already married though.) I read where a great many people had problems with the icing & I can't say I encountered any problems. The tip about reducing the water by 1/4 c came in handy, as well as the tip about the cream of tartar to stabilize the whipping cream. I will say that having worked with whipping cream before it can be a little tricky, you have make sure it is whipped into stiff peaks or it will turn any recipe into a BIG MESS if you don't. Definitely do not make this recipe if you are in a hurry and I agree with making it the night/day before. One tip I have not seen that may help is to make sure you are using heavy whipping cream and it is very cold, do not take it out of the fridge unless it is to put it straight into the bowl to whip. It is also best to use a beater that has a whisk attachment, regular beaters do have the same effect sometimes. The most important tip I give to all my friends when working with whipping cream is to be sure to CHILL YOUR BOWL this can make a huge difference. Stainless is the best, I let my bowl sit in the freezer while I am preparing the cake mix. Once I am ready to whip the cream I add it to the chilled bowl and whip it to stiff peaks and then place it in the fridge

Reviewed On: Mar. 25, 2005