Wanna Save Money But Still Show Thought This Valentine's Day? Do

I know money for a lot of people is tight this year. Heck, it is for me, I know what that's like.

And you know you wanna do something nice for your S.O. on Valentine's this year, but you don't want to look like you're cheaping out. So that means just putting in thought or effort, right? Right. So what would I recommend? Baking a cake.

Okay stop laughing. I'll wait. I know what you're thinking. "Um, Behk? You don't cook. We know this. Why are you even trying to pretend you cook more than twice a year?! Didn't you just do a whole topic about trying not to make frozen dinners any more?"

Okay, okay. So you know better and I know better. But here's the thing: you don't have to be original to be great on Valentine's Day. You just have to mean what you do and say. So dudes of the world, fear not! Even though this recipe isn't mine (well, it was a recipe given to me by an ex, and I've tweaked it... so it's KIND OF mine), you can use it for your ladyfriend/dudefella/whoever and they'll appreciate your efforts.

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Even if they don't like the cake, they might get too liquored up on the Irish Cream to notice. Either way, it's chocolate, right? And it's not a box of chocolates, so you're already way ahead. You get, like, seven extra points for effort. Don't worry, it's not too complicated. Here's your ingredient list. You're making a cake and filling.

For the cake:

1 (18.25-ounce) package chocolate cake mix
1 (4-ounce) package chocolate instant pudding mix
4 large eggs
1/2 cup Irish cream liqueur
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup slivered almonds (optional)

For your filling:

1 1/2 cups cold milk
1/2 cup Irish cream liqueur
1 (4-ounce) package chocolate instant pudding mix
1 (5.2-ounce) package whipped topping mix - (contains 4 envelopes)

See, you've got a lot of packages, so it's not like you're making something from scratch that you're going to have to slave seven hours over. And, since it's partly pre done, it's not like you can mess it up too bad, right? So here goes for how you make it:

Preheat oven to 350*F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans. Set aside.
Combine all cake ingredients together in a large bowl. Blend well, then beat at medium mixer speed for 2 minutes. Pour into prepared pans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Do not over bake. Cool in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack. Remove from pans and finish cooling on racks.
For filling, you combine the milk, liqueur, pudding mix and topping mix (use all 4 envelopes) in a deep narrow bottom bowl. Blend well at high speed for 4 minutes, until lightly and fluffy.
Split the layers of the cake in half. Spread one cup of filling between each layer and on the top layer.

Whammo. Cake. And it's so good, trust me on this. Your favorite Valentine's recipient will like it, and so will you! So don't be afeared to try baking a little for your romantical occasion.

Chocolately yours,

Behka