Thrifty Decorating: Memorial Day Dessert

{Black Forest Cake}

I'm not a baker.....I'm just not......I have great family "genes" for baking, but they stopped...with me. I think that it has to do with the fact that I just don't measure exactly.....not even close!

So this cake is easy.....based on a box mix....you don't measure, just toss your ingredients into a bowl! And it's red....hence the Memorial Day tie-in!

Here's what you need:

Ingredients:

1 cake mix, anything darkish chocolate

2 eggs

2 cans cherry pie filling

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tsp almond extract (I never add this because I never have it!)

1 tsp. vanilla

1 package chocolate chips

1 tub whipped topping

chocolate candy bar

The mayo was my most recent addition.....I just wanted to add the extra calories! (joking!)

To your darkish cake mix, add 1 can of the cherry pie filling, 2 eggs, mayonnaise, almond and vanilla extract..

Beat your mixture on medium speed until your cherries are adequately crushed and tortured....

Stir in your chocolate chips by hand because you don't want anything to destroy their chocolate-y goodness.....

Be sure to grease and flour your pans! Bake 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees. Allow to completely cool!

Now, you can substitute real hand-whipped cream for this next step and boost your calorie count to the thousands, or you can be lazy like me and use a tub of low or no fat whipped topping.....

Spread on your whipped topping like icing and then spread your second can of cherries on top of the whipped topping.

Grab the Hershey bar that's been sitting in your fridge since Halloween....well, maybe Christmas.....and grab your potato peeler......grate little flecks off to make your topping all fancy.....like you slaved all day in the kitchen making this designer dessert!

And there you have it.....a red and white (no blue!) dessert that you can make by throwing the ingredients in a bowl!!

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend!