I Melted Like Butter (Recipe: Paula Deen’s Is It Really Better Than Sex? Cake)

This past weekend I got to meet Paula Deen and yes, I melted like butter. She seems to have that affect on things.

How It Happened

July 24th & 25th I attended BlogHer ‘09 (a professional blogging conference for women) which was sponsored (in part) by Walmart, who partners with the reigning queen of southern cooking (Paula Deen), who was there promoting her new line of baked goods (to be sold exclusively at Walmart bakeries)…deep breath…which I not only got to sample (FYI – the Ooey Gooey (Butter?) Bars are the I’ve-died-and-gone-to-heaven kind of delicious), but had the opportunity to meet Paula, have pictures taken and get her autograph if I wanted.

Now, I’m typically as professional as the next person, but the truth is that when I finally got the meet Miss Deen, I talked the poor woman’s ear off like we were long-lost friends and got so caught up in having our picture taken that I completely forgot to ask for her autograph. That said, herein lies my melting point: Any ability I had to self-censor went squarely out the window when Paula asked me if I’ve featured any of her recipes on my blog and which ones were my favorite.

It was then I realized that in fact, no, I had never actually featured a complete Paula Deen recipe on Inn Cuisine (this one comes closest) and to cover my faux pas found myself blurting out something about how one of my favorite recipes is her Is It Really Better Than Sex? Cake and blah blah, blah blah, blah blah.

Oh. My. Embarrassment. Did I just say “sex cake” in front of Paula Deen?

Yes. I. Did.

In a backwards effort to recover gracefully, I added that, “Of course I adore your recipe for Texas Sheet Cake too,” but the damage was done. Did Paula think I was some sort of naughty baker, or perhaps the woman who puts the daring in the Daring Bakers? Surely not! After all, Is It Really Better Than Sex? Cake is one of her recipes.

For whatever reason, it became impossible for me to just let my embarrassment go and I began adding insult to injury, “Well, Paula, the cake may not really be better than actual sex, but it certainly is delicious,” and then something to the effect of, “If Kathy Griffin can come to your house, sleep in your guest room and cook in your kitchen, then I think I ought to be invited too! Wouldn’t it be fun to have a food blogger cooking beside you?” My mouth kept uttering sentences but in my mind I was chastising myself for losing it, Oh, dear God in heaven, just let me shut up already!

Fortunately, Paula Deen is as gregarious as I am and didn’t seem offended by my rambling. We gleefully discussed the delicacies of pineapple, chocolate, cakes and Kathy Griffin until the crowd behind us grew restless and her handlers motioned for me to move along. In the end I hugged her twice, got photos on both my camera and iPhone, but walked away forgetting to ask for her autograph, astonished that I had fallen under the spell of Paula’s effervescent, southern charm. I had indeed melted like butter.

In the days since, I’ve regrouped and come to the conclusion that only way to commemorate my moment with Paula is to actually feature her Is It Really Better Than Sex? Cake on Inn Cuisine. It really is delicious and whether or not it’s better than sex is a decision I’ll leave up to you.

Enjoy!

Paula Deen’s Is It Really Better Than Sex? Cake

(as featured on Inn Cuisine, recipe adapted from Paula Deen)

• 1 box yellow cake mix, plus ingredients to prepare
• 1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple
• 1 & 1/3 cups granulated sugar, divided
• 1 (3.4-ounce) box French vanilla pudding, plus ingredients to prepare
• 1 & 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup flaked, sweetened toasted coconut (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Prepare yellow cake mix as directed on box using a greased 13×9x2-inch pan and baking for 30-35 minutes. While cake is baking, combine the pineapple and 1 cup of sugar in a saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove saucepan from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Remove cake from oven and using a fork, pierce holes into cake. Pour pineapple mixture over the hot cake and set aside.

Prepare pudding according to package directions. Spread pudding over cake and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Whip heavy cream and remaining sugar until stiff. Cover top of cake with whipped cream and if desired, sprinkle toasted coconut on top.

(Serving tip: Since guests, family & friends (especially children) may be split on the inclusion of toasted coconut, why not leave it off the cake in general, instead opting to serve it on the side or include it only on slices for guests who request it.)

Yield: 16 to 20 servings
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Ease of preparation: easy

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Thank you for visiting Inn Cuisine! Be sure to check out the newly remodeled Recipe Index and subscribe to Inn Cuisine's free RSS feed (also available via email) so you never miss a recipe. Need more ways to stay connected? Follow Inn Cuisine on Facebook & Twitter!

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Tagged as: Better Than Sex cake recipe, BlogHer 09, cake recipes, desssert recipes, food, Is It Really Better Than Sex? Cake, Paula Deen, Paula Deen cake recipe, Paula Deen dessert recipe, Paula Deen recipes