I have been writing this recipe column for about two years now and most of you have heard me talk about my sisters. I am the oldest of the four and we all live in the area; our parents would be so proud to know that we get along very well and have lots of laughs whenever we get together. When we were growing up we fought like cats and dogs; I’m sure mom and dad wondered if we were going to seriously maim or kill one another. With four teenage girls in the house and only one bathroom, my dad had to install a bathroom in the basement so that he could have some peace. He worked out of town most of the time and was home on weekends; I know now why he worked out of town. We fought over bathroom time, clothes, whose turn it was to do the dishes (no dishwasher), TV shows (only one TV) and the choice of music that the others played on the record player.

We all went out to lunch last week and came to my house afterwards for a birthday celebration and dessert. I unknowingly purchased a sugar free cake mix with Splenda, I did not know that there was such a product but it tasted like any other cake mix. The Black Forest Torte that I served was so quick and easy to prepare.

Black Forest Torte

4 Cups miniature marshmallows

1 Chocolate cake mix

1 Can cherry pie filling

Sprinkle 4 cups miniature marshmallows in greased 9 x 13 pan. Prepare cake according the directions on the box. Spread the prepared cake mixture over the marshmallows, spoon cherry pie filling over batter and bake 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until done. Serve with whipped topping or ice cream.