Rocky Road Cake

In my pantry I have a box filled with magic.  While others may call it "cheating," I prefer the phrase "taking a short cut."  In the end, what matters is that it tastes good (which this cake does).  Using Bisquick I made a cake that is fluffy, not doughy like one would expect when using a biscuit/pancake mix.  Mixed with some brown sugar and binders for a few minutes you get a perfect cake base with which to top with almost anything.  In this case, I followed the recipe, covering the cake surface with everything that a good ice cream sundae of Rocky Road ice cream should have.  Those of you who like the "ice cream" parallelism will appreciate my mother's slice in the background of the photo, topped with a dollop of whipped topping.

Adapted from Betty Crocker's Bisquick Makes it Easy!

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups Bisquick baking mix (I used the HeartSmart variety)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons shortening

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg (or 1/4 cup EggBeaters - Say No to Salmonella! and lick the bowl of raw batter)

1/2 cup flaked coconut

1/2 cup miniature marshmallows

1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/3 cup peanut butter chips

1/3 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 deg. F.  Grease and flour round pan, 9x1-1/2".  Beat baking mix, brown sugar, water, shortening, vanilla and egg in bowl on low speed for about 30 seconds; scraping bowl frequently.  Beat on medium speed for about 4 minutes; scraping bowl occasionally.  Pour mixture into pan.  Sprinkle remaining ingredients over batter.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.