This recipe from my Grandma is fabulous. It's easy to make. The hardest part for me was whisking the filling. As mentioned, the directions in her recipes are sometimes sparse. While I'm in the middle of baking, I may have to Google another recipe quickly to make sure I'm doing the technique correctly. 

Grandma labeled this cake as a good substitute for German Chocolate Cake. After tasting it, I had no idea why she called it a 'good substitute'. It tastes like every other German Chocolate Cake I've ever eaten. After some inquiries, I uncovered the reason. Traditional German Chocolate Cake relies on melted chocolate.  Grandma used cocoa.  Here's some trivia: Sam German is who the cake is named for. He's responsible for creating a sweet baking chocolate used by the Bakers Chocolate Company in Boston. 

Regardless, I don't always have Baker's sweet chocolate in my cupboard but I do always have cocoa. It's one of those staples that you can't do without. Let me know your thoughts on the recipe. I think, WOW!

Ingredients for the cake batter:
One box of yellow cake mix
Four Tablespoons of cocoa
1/2 cup of sugar
Three eggs
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The required amount of oil and water on the yellow cake mix box. Prepare cake pans with oil and flour. Pour into the cake pans. Bake at 325 degrees. The two cakes I prepared took 20 - 25 minutes. One finished sooner than the other so check each cake if you're making two or even three layers. 

Ingredients for the German Chocolate Filling:
One cup of sugar
Three egg yolks
One stick of butter
One cup of Pet Milk
One tsp. of vanilla
One cup of shredded coconut
One cup of toasted (or not) pecans
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Cook over low heat or in a double-boiler. I used low heat while everything came together and then I turned the heat to medium. Once it started a slow boil, I whisked it continuously for five minutes. While the filling is cooking on low, whisk occasionally so the egg doesn't scramble. Once the batter is thick, remove from the heat and add the vanilla, toasted pecans (chopped), and the shredded coconut. Make sure it's completely cooled before icing the cake. 

You can decorate the cake with pecans and more coconut. 

As I bake my way through many of my Grandma's goodies, I realize that most of the recipes for cakes, pies, cookies, canned foods, slaws, Jell-O salads, and more...are unchartered territory for me. Baking techniques, times, and directions can be confusing. Grandma made these recipes so many times she didn't need as much information. Oh well, it's an adventure. 

If I remember correctly, a strawberry cake is one of my middle brother's favorites. Mom made him one when he was a toddler. Now that he's grown...he still makes the occasional request. 

The cake is delicious. It's quick and easy. No mess. A lovely cake. 

Ingredients for the Strawberry Cake:
One box of white cake mix
Four eggs
One cup of Wesson oil
Three T. flour
One cup of diced strawberries
One box of strawberry Jell-O

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and flour your cake baking pan. You may use a Bundt pan, two round pans, or a 9 x 13. It's your choice. Dice the strawberries and set aside. Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl. Don't over-mix. Fold the strawberries into the batter. Pour into the baking pan. For the Bundt pan, bake for 35 minutes. Check the cake while in the oven with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, it's ready. Let the cake completely cook before spreading the frosting.  

Ingredients for the Frosting/Thick Glaze
One box of powdered sugar
Five T. of softened butter (unsalted)
1/2 cup of diced strawberries
Pinch of kosher salt
T. of milk
Directions: 
Cream the butter and strawberries. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Add T. of milk. Pinch of salt. Mix until there's a good consistency. As mentioned, it's more of a heavy glaze than a buttercream frosting. More butter is needed for a buttercream frosting. Glaze the cake after the cake has cooled. 

Making my way to baking all of Grandma's recipes is one of the sweetest ways to honor her memory. My Aunt Marge said Grandma would be so happy that I enjoyed her cooking. It really was fabulous. The memories of her kitchen are all happy ones. 

I asked my mom why Grandma called this a Pea Pickin' Cake. She didn't have the answer. Mom said Grandma made so many cakes she couldn't keep up. I did some internet searching and found that this cake is very southern. No doubt. It has two names: Pea Pickin' and Pig Pickin'. The Pea Pickin' Cake is more appropriate in this scenario. 

Quick Southern recap of the cake. The name Pig Pickin' originated from pig roasting at barbecues from years gone by. It was called a Pea Pickin' cake in honor of all those ladies who sat at their kitchen tables or on the back porch shelling peas in the summertime. The Ah-ha moment hit me. 

Grandma had a large vegetable garden in her backyard. The white house was small. The backyard garden was huge. That's how it appeared to me as a child. The whole bunch of kids and grandkids loved purple-hulled peas. When visiting Grandma's house in the summertime, we pitched in to help Grandma shell the peas to get to the eating process quicker. Good days. Good times. Great memories. 

Ingredients for the cake:
One box of yellow or white cake mix
15-ounce can of mandarin oranges sliced and drained
1 1/2 cups of vegetable oil
Four eggs
Directions: Oil and flour two round cake pans. Mix the ingredients together. Add even portions of batter to each pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Let it cool down before adding the frosting. See the tip below.

Ingredients for the frosting:
One large tub of Cool Whip
One 20-ounce can of crushed pineapple
One large box of instant vanilla pudding
Directions: Mix and beat together and spread over the cake. Bottom layer first. Then, the top and sides of the cake. 

Wrap the cake and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight. 

Tip: Grandma shared in her recipe that you could make up a box of jello and pour it over the cake while it's still hot, adding more moisture. The cake is already moist. I didn't do it. It's an idea, especially if you don't have time for the cake to sit in the refrigerator for 24-plus hours. The longer it's in the fridge, the more delicious. 

The Mississippi Mud Cake is the first of many recipes I'll publish from my Grandma's cookbook. My Aunt Marge trusted me with its contents while she was in Western Kentucky for a quick visit with my mom...her sister. 

I made copies of EVERY recipe in the book, even her baking tips. In this one little book, there are 70 pages of recipes. Many of the pages have two or three recipes per page. Attempting to bake all of her recipes will take years. 

For my first Grandma recipe, I used my new KitchenAid mixer. I'm almost 60 years old. Yep. And I've had the same egg beater mixer for nearly 40 years. Can you believe it still works? Sometimes it overheats. It hasn't burst into flames yet. It's all good. 

You'll need to check out Pinterest. The WKY Community Living's Pinterest page will feature a new board. It's called Grandma's Recipes. Readers can find recipes from decadent desserts to good old-fashioned tomato ketchup. All at the click of a button. 

Read on for the first very special treat from Grandma's Recipes, Mississippi Mud Cake. 

Ingredients---Directions for the cake: 
Two sticks of butter (room temperature)
Two cups of sugar
Four eggs
1 1/2 cups of flour
One teaspoon of baking powder
Two tablespoons of cocoa
One teaspoon of vanilla
1 1/2 cups of coconut
1 1/2 cups of pecans

Mix all ingredients together and bake in a 9 x 13 pan (lightly greased and floured) at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. While the cake is baking, start on the frosting/ganache. You'll want to pour it on the cake soon after it comes out of the oven---when it's nice and hot. 

Ingredients---Directions for the frosting-ganache:

One seven-ounce jar of marshmallow cream
Four cups of powdered sugar
Three tablespoons of cocoa
1 1/2 sticks of butter (room temperature)
1/2 cup of evaporated milk
One cup of pecans
Mix together. Pour over the cake while hot. Let the cake cool. Cut into squares and serve. 

The Mississippi Mud Cake is a rich, chocolate cake with pecans, coconut, marshmallow cream, and other delicious flavors. It's to die for.