Coconut Cake

Miguel loves coconut everything.  He especially loves a good coconut cake.  Last year, one of my donna hay magazines had a whole section on "queen of cakes". I made the cinnamon coated maple apple cakes (here) and they were out of control.  I am almost positive I made one of the chocolate cakes, but I can't remember when?  Last week I was catching up on some of my favorite blogs and Patricia from Technicolor Kitchen ( see her post here ) had made the coconut cake from this same issue. I was inspired to make this cake.

Friday nights we sit down together, as a family and eat dinner.  We like to share our Friday night dinners with family and friends.  This past week our cousin, Jackie came to dinner.  It was a beautiful night, we ate outside, we laughed, told stories and enjoyed.  The coconut cake was the perfect ending to a meal of seared tuna with a citrus ginger sauce, orzo with peas, feta + basil, and sauteed string beans.

Coconut Cake
adapted from donna hay magazine #44
inspired by Technicolor Kitchen

ingredients:
cake
250g butter, room temperature
275g sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 large eggs
300g self-rising flour, sifted*
80g unsweetened coconut
250ml milk

icing
640g confectioners sugar, sifted
1/3 cup boiling water

instructions:

for the cake
• preheat oven to 325*.  butter and flour a 10-cup capacity bundt or ring pan.
• place butter, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of your electric mixer until light and creamy.  gradually add the eggs and beat well.  add the flour, coconut and the milk, mix until well combined.
• spoon the mixture into the prepared pan.  bake for 1 hour or until a skewer tested in the center of the cake comes out clean.
• cool in pan for about 30 minutes.  turn out onto wire rack to cool completely
for the icing
• whisk together the sugar and the water until smooth.  spoon the icing over the cake and allow to set.

the cake was so good that when I went to take more photos of it, it was pretty much gone.  I think it was breakfast the next morning!

* to make self-rising flour; combine 1 cup all-purpose flour with 1/2 tsp. baking powder and 1/2 tsp. salt.  I usually make the equivalent of 4 cups at a time and store in a glass jar in my pantry.  just use when needed.

Macaroon Testing

With Passover a week away, I wanted to try a few new macaroon recipes.  I had come across this recipe from Michael's restaurant (Santa Monica) and since I have always loved the food at the restaurant, I felt the cookies would be almost fool proof (recipe here).

These macaroons are the the Christian Louboutin's of macaroons.  These are so good that everyone I made them for all told me the same thing... "I, generally, don't like macaroons, much less coconut, however these are the best  I have ever eaten".  I may have to agree.  These cookies elicit only one response - eyes rolling in the back of your head, ultimately shutting, chewing slowly and savoring every morsel!

The first batch I made, they spread so much and didn't keep their shape.  Although they tasted fabulous, I was really bummed out.  I made a second batch and refrigerated the dough overnight.  I really think this helped.  Along with the coconut and the sugar, the recipe calls for melted butter, honey and apricot preserves (pureed).  By putting the batter in the fridge, the melted butter has an opportunity to come back to a solid.  Just an assumption, however, I think it is necessary.

Whether you like coconut or not, make these.  I also made a batch with mini bittersweet chips.  Mmm Good!

Beyond Brownies

I knew these were going to be good right when I looked at the recipe. Another winning bar recipe from my guy Nick (Malgieri). Sooooooooooo good!

The same day we were going to friends for breakfast (challah bread pudding), we were also seeing other friends for dinner. I totally overbooked us. What was I thinking? This was more socializing in one day than I usually do over a two week period!

Regardless, I had to bring treats. I wanted something I could do the day before and the Pecan, Coconut Chocolate Chunk Bars. These were somewhat similar to the dream bars that I make yet with a twist.

These melted in your mouth. They are the perfect balance between sweet, salty, crunchy, soft. Mmmm Mmmm good!

This is yet another recipe from my bible; The Modern Baker.