Samoa Sheet Cake

This is a little bit of a labor intensive dessert.  It took me about an hour and a half from start to finish, without any down time for baking.  During baking time you're getting the frosting and other toppings ready the entire time.  It was really good- very rich.  It goes a long way.  It's a little hard to cut into pieces with the caramel on top, but the caramel makes it SOOO good.

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• ½ cup butter
• 1 cup water
• 4 Tablespoons cocoa
• ½ cup shortening
• ½ cup buttermilk
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

FROSTING

• ½ cup butter
• 6 Tablespoons milk
• 2½ cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ⅛ cup caramel sauce, I used caramel ice cream topping in the jar

Additional Toppings

• 2½ cups toasted coconut, See instructions below for how to make it
• 7 to 8 ounces caramel, either Kraft Caramel Cubes or from a block of Caramel. I used a block of Peter's Caramel.
• ⅛ cup evaporated milk (I just used regular milk)
• ¾ cup milk chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon shortening or oil

Instructions

1. Before making the cake, line a cookie sheet with foil and spread shredded sweetened coconut evenly over cookie sheet.
2. Bake at 375 degrees F for 10 to 15 minutes, checking and tossing coconut regularly, every 2-5 minutes, to make sure all the coconut gets toasted evenly and does not burn. Coconut is done when it is golden brown.
3. In a large mixing bowl, measure flour and sugar. Set aside.
4. In a medium sauce pan, combine butter, water, cocoa and shortening. Bring to a boil. After mixture reaches a boil, add it to the flour mixture and stir to combine.
5. Add buttermilk, then baking soda, then eggs, then vanilla in that order, mixing in-between each addition.
6. Pour into a greased cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes.

Frosting

1. In a medium microwave safe bowl, combine butter and milk and bring to a boil. Stir caramel sauce and then add powdered sugar and vanilla and stir until smooth.
2. After cake has cooked, remove from oven and poke holes in hot cake with a fork. Pour frosting evenly over top. Immediately sprinkle with top of warm frosting with toasted coconut.
3. In microwavable bowl, add caramel and evaporated milk and cook on high in 30 second increments, string in between each increment. Continue to cook and stir until caramel is smooth. Drizzle over coconut.
4. In another microwavable bowl, add chocolate chips and shortening (or oil). Microwave on high in 30 second increments, stirring in between each increment until the chocolate in melted. Drizzle over caramel.
5. Let Caramel and Chocolate drizzle set before cutting into it.

-Chef in Training