Lisa Empey's GERMAN-CHOCOLATE TERRIER

1 box (about 18 ounces) German-chocolate cake mix, or any flavor

FROSTING

 2 cups sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk) 
 2 sticks (1 cup) butter or margarine (not spread), cut in small pieces
 Yolks from 8 large eggs (save whites for another use)
 4 cups sweetened flaked coconut (you'll need about 
 1 1/2 seven-ounce bags)
 2 cups (8 ounces) pecans, coarsely chopped
 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
 Dark hair and whiskers: chocolate sprinkles (jimmies)
 Collar: 5 black and 5 red licorice bites 
 Eye: 1 black jelly bean
 Nose: 1 blackberry-shape candy or black jelly bean

1. Heat oven to 350 F. Grease a 13x9-inch baking pan. Have ready a serving surface at
least 15x13 inches.
2. Prepare cake mix and bake in prepared pan following package directions. Cool in pan
on wire rack 15 minutes. Invert cake on rack and cool completely.
3. Frosting: Put condensed milk, butter and egg yolks in a large-size saucepan. Stirring
constantly, bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Cook and stir 4 minutes or until
thick as mayonnaise. Off heat, stir in coconut, pecans and vanilla. Cool, stirring
occasionally, 5 minutes or until thick enough to spread.
4. Cut cake as shown (diagram A). Arrange pieces (diagram B).
5. Use dabs of frosting to "glue" ear to head and head, tail and legs to body. Cover cake
with remaining frosting.
6. Following photograph (above), gently press chocolate sprinkles in place on face
(whiskers and ear) and back. Press licorice bites in place for collar, jelly bean for the nose
and blackberry candy for the eye.

NOTE: Cake Tips

* If you're baking more than one pan at a time, stagger the pans so the air can circulate
around them.
* For easier cutting, bake, cool and loosely wrap cakes one day ahead.
* If you don't have a large platter or serving tray for the cake, cut a large piece of
cardboard or sheet of plastic foam to size and cover it with foil.
* To keep serving tray free of frosting, tuck 3-inch-wide strips of waxed paper under the
edges of the cake before frosting. Pull strips away when finished.
* Before frosting, brush cakes to remove loose crumbs. To keep crumbs from getting
mixed in when spreading frosting, have the spatula touch only the frosting--not the
cake itself.
* For deep colors use paste food colors (available in cake-decorating and cookware
stores). Liquid food colors are OK, but much less vibrant.

* Serves 12.