I always feel as though I'm channeling Sue Ann Nivens when I write a cake recipe.

Somehow a baked and frosted cake on a kitchen counter seems like the epitome of happy homemaking.

And yet, the moment the first slice has been taken...the 'Devil's Wedge'...the cake seems so wanton, sullied and lusty.

The hungry passerby glances over it like a cheating spouse.

Surely more than one home has been wrecked by the thrill of the forbidden slice.

This may be my best chocolate cake.

It's pirate-blouse-billowy and yet it manages to buckle under the weight of its chocolate booty.

Everyone who tasted it commented on how light it seemed, and yet how rich it was.

There were three tricks: a mix of almond and coconut instead of flour, a whopping 3/4 pound of chocolate and separating the eggs so that the whites could be whipped into lofty peaks.

A mountain of whipped cream and shredded coconut dolloped on top.

Rich chocolate sauce rolling down the sides.

Sink your fork into the buried treasure!

Mitzi Gaynor; sweet, perky, caramel topped and adorable.

A showgirl Bob Mackie'd to within an inch of her life.

The perfect namesake for this cake.

I nearly christened this confection Sugar Rush, but that felt like either a stripper or drag queen from somewhere nondescript, but definitely south of the Mason-Dixon line.

The sugar in the cake was melted into toffee, broken into shards and then ground back into powder. Some small chunks of toffee remained and they gave this moist, buttery cake some snap and crackle.

But the frosting is the hero here. It goes on like a never ending 'good hair day'; silky and glossy. And the most perfect caramel flavour you've ever tasted.

Pour the frosting over the top of the cake. Like some kind of lolly-lava, it will meander to the sides and undulate of its own accord.

Serve small slices. The sugar rush is instant. And the leftovers? Do I see a caramel apple trifle in my immediate future?

This cake just makes me think of Jennifer Coolidge.

More precisely Jennifer Coolidge 'in character'. Any character really, I just couldn't bring myself to call a cake 'Stifler's mom'. And, if nothing else, this cake is definitely legally blonde!

Overblown, fruity, camp and delicious.

Apricot and coconut cake sandwiched and literally overwhelmed with passion fruit butter cream frosting.

The photo looks so messy and rolled-in-the-hay because before I could photograph it, my guests had all had their way with Paulette.

I guess they just wanted it.

' Real Bad'

Carefree nights at restaurants have taken on an illicit thrill.

So stay at home and bake; you can feel plenty guilty straying no further than your own kitchen counter!

Cheers, Mannix

mannix@thelovebite.com