Trav had a big weekend.  His birthday was on Saturday and then, of course, Father’s Day was yesterday.  He golfed Saturday morning and then he and I went to the Royals game that afternoon and had a great time (even though Trav’s precious Royals got the snot beat out of ‘em).

I made a big birthday dinner and it turned out pretty stinkin’ yummy, if I may say so myself.  Once again, Pioneer Woman came through with a FABULOUS recipe that Trav, Arle, and I all loved.  It definitely earned a place on our “Favorite Meals” list.  It’s called “Penne a la Betsy” but I think I’m going to re-name it “Penne a la Heaven.”  It was just that good.  It makes a load, so invite some friends over and impress them with your culinary prowess.

I wanted to make Trav a big yummy birthday cake and decided to go with my mother’s fabulous Java Angel Food Cake.  I actually just made up that name because I’m pretty sure it was name-less before now.  We’ve always just referred to it as, “You know, that one cake.  The angel food one with the coffee marshmallow icing and the toasted almonds on top?  Yeah, that one.”

Here’s the how-to:

Bake one boxed angel food cake according to directions (side-note:  I’m usually a from-scratch-kind-a-gal, but for some reason I never go there with angel food cake).

Let the cake cool, then cut into three layers with a serrated knife.

In a non-stick skillet, pour in 1-Cup of strong coffee and 1 large bag of jumbo marshmallows.  Cook on medium-low heat just until the marshmallows are completely melted.

Remove from heat and sit on the counter until completely cool and thick.  Mix in one container of Cool Whip until the coffee mixture is completely incorporated.

Toast one small bag of sliced almonds in a skillet over medium-low heat just until nice and golden brown.

Spread icing over the bottom layer of cake and sprinkle some almonds on top.  Do the same for the second layer.  Put the final layer on and spread the remaining icing all over the cake and sprinkle the remaining almonds on top.

Store in the fridge or serve immediately.  Make sure you slice the servings with a serrated knife or else you’ll destroy your masterpiece.

Bon appetit!