Vanilla Takes the Cake!

I do not want to keep the suspense much longer, so I am proud to announce that my vanilla Better than Sex Cake won the popular vote in my taste test party last weekend. The chocolate version was irresistible, do not get me wrong, but more people found the vanilla version much more satisfying and addicting. The vanilla version turned out to have a distinctively sweeter flavor and a texture to be twice as moist as the chocolate version. The simple combination of pineapple, vanilla cake, pudding, whipped cream, and coconut can make you become addicted faster than you finish your first piece. Yes, your first piece.

The following recipe is the winner and our loser, the chocolate version if you want to see for yourself. Do not get us wrong, for we loved the chocolate. I even replaced the caramel with peanut butter sauce due to an accident I had while trying to make my own caramel. Let me say it was a happy accident.

Now, did we think the vanilla version was actually better than sex? No, but the cake was definitely good enough for comparison.

Better Than Sex Cake (Vanilla)

1 Box Yellow Cake Mix without pudding1 can (20 ounces)
Crushed Pineapple
1 Cup Sugar
1 Package (6 ounces) Vanilla Pudding Mix (not instant)
1 Carton (9 ounces) Frozen Whipped Topping, Thawed or Whipped Cream
3/4 Cup Coconut

- Prepare cake by package directions.
- Transfer batter into a 9-by-3-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees until cake tests done, about 30 minutes.
- While cake is in oven, combine the undrained pineapple and sugar. Heat and stir until sugar dissolves.
- Remove cake from oven and, using a toothpick, punch holes all over surface of cake. Ladle pineapple mixture over cake.
- Make pudding by package directions. When it is thick, spoon it over cake.
- Chill cake well.
- To serve, top slices with whipped topping or cream and a generous sprinkle of coconut. Keep cake refrigerated.

From the blog, This Old State http://jackbetts.blogspot.com/2006/11/ruth-easterlings-better-than-sex-cake.html .

Better Than Sex Cake (Chocolate)

German Chocolate Cake or Devil’s Food Cake Mix
1 Can Condensed Milk
1 Cup Peanut Butter
Whipped Topping or Cream
3 Heath bars

- Prepare Chocolate Cake from instructions on box.
- While the cake is still hot, with the handle of a wooden spoon poke several holes in the top.
- Into these and over the top pour the condensed milk and peanut butter.
- Let the cake cool completely.
- Spread the container of whipped topping or cream on top and finish off with 3 crushed Heath bars.

From Team Sugar http://teamsugar.com/

Who is better than sex? Chocolate or vanilla?

Better than sex. A phrase that generally more women than men like to refer to when eating food so delicious it turns us on. I, for one can think of many experiences where myself or my girlfriends used the term when feasting on food so savory it turns the hormones on full-blast.

I will admit that I genuinely do not mean the term when I use it, because let’s face it: anything is hard to compete with good sex. To be politically correct, I will catch myself and replace the phrase with a more PG-rated term such as “orgasmic” or “heavenly”.

One of my girlfriends and I decided to have lunch at a New American restaurant in the West Village on a late summer afternoon. When we slowly started to indulge in our desserts, my friend makes the infamous reference to her chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream which made me ask myself, ‘Isn’t there such as thing as Better Than Sex Cake?’ I remember glancing at it one or twice on the Internet when searching for recipes, but I realized that one cake must reign the title of “better than sex” somewhere out there. This question sparked my curiosity and I decided to perform a little research on it, hoping to find the cake that can truly compete with and win against sex.

Before researching on anything, I automatically assumed that chocolate had to be one of the main ingredients to this confectionery masterpiece. To my surprise, two general kinds of Better Than Sex Cake exist out in the world: one chocolate and one vanilla. I was slightly surprised, because I had a hard time accepting the fact that a vanilla cake could be a better aphrodisiac than chocolate. However, I began to believe otherwise as I read through recipes for the vanilla version.

I decided the only way to end this showdown between the two versions and settle this personal issue was to produce a taste test to see which Better Than Sex Cake could compete with sex and possibly win. I invited over some of my close buddies and many bottles of wine to help us figure out who could be better than sex: chocolate or vanilla?