It's Monday, and we are out of sweets! The last of the Peanut Butter Cookies were eaten, so I don't feel bad about drawing our 2nd cake recipe out.
My daughter ate the last of the cookies, so she got the honor? of picking the next cake recipe for this blog. When she pulled it, to be honest, she wanted to put it back. You see she really doesn't like coconut, and yes folks, our next cake comes direct to us from page 74 in our book Up Close on Cakes: Coconut Cake.
This cake says it serves 10 - 12 and uses a 9 inch springform pan (good, that's the size I have).
The Cake recipe is:
1/2 Cup (4 oz/125g) Butter
1 Cup (8 oz/250g) Sugar
2 Eggs
2/3 C (1 oz/30g) flaked (desiccated) coconut
1 1/2 Cups (6 oz/185g) self-rising flour (sifted)
1 Cup (8floz/250ml) sour cream
1/2 Cup (3 floz/90ml) cream
For the icing:
2 Cups (3 1/2 oz/ 100g) shredded coconut
2 Egg Whites
1/2 Cup (3 oz/90g) Confectioner's (Icing) sugar, sifted
1 drop red food coloring (optional)
Okay...so now come my thoughts about these ingredients; First and foremost everything is better with butter. That said, and moving forward I see 2 different types of coconut here. I have the shreded coconut, and will likely just use that instead of flaked. As for the Cream, I will use heavy cream, just because I have it.
As for the icing, everything looks good to go, with one exception. The red food coloring. Yes I know that it's optional. And I am opting out of using it. Red food coloring, for that matter any type of food coloring has no place in any kitchen I cook in. Too many of the chemicals that are used that are purportedly safe for human consumption just aren't; safe that is. The literature is out there, I won't beat you over the head with it. I started this, to show cakes don't have to come from box mixes. That we can make things for ourselves, and make them better. No, there will be no Red Food Coloring, though I may use some beet juice which I know to be edible, and will color anything, including my jeans red. Don't ask. It was an unfortunate canning mishap.
So all in all, a straight forward cake. I do like the Sour Cream addition as this cake should be moister than the last one.
So here is the rest of the recipe, as per usual, the Book bring is in Italics and my comments aren't.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 C/Gas 4) Butter up the 9 inch springform pan and line the base with parchment or wax paper Okay, if I butter it all up, why the parchment. I think I may be living on the edge here, but I'm gonna skip that part (the parchment) simply because I'm out. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time; beating well after each addition. Stir in the Coconut, flour, Sour Cream and Cream in installments or a little at a time. Basically, you want this to incorporate into the batter. So a little bit of each, then repeat until it's all gone. Mix until the batter is smooth.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour our until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. 1 hour....man after the last cake, I will set my timer for 20 minutes and start checking. I know that sounds demanding, but the last cake read bake for 50 minutes, and was done at about 35 in my oven. Better safe than eating a brick I always say. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning out on a wire rack to cool completely.
For the icing, combine the Coconut and Jeff Whites in a bowl mixing well. Add the sugar in batches, stirring well after each addition. If desired, red food coloring may be added to the icing. So, they want pink coconut....hmm not me, I'll keep mine white, just the way Mother Nature made it. Nope I won't even use beet juice! Keeping it real and pure here. Cover the to of the cake with icing and serve.
So tomorrow we bake. Music choice...Coconut, come on man...something from the islands. And when we talk about islands and music, it must be Bob Marley! The crazy thing about Marley, not many of his songs were release on 45 rpm. And those that were released were done so long after the full album had gone gold or platinum (so they knew what the hits were.) Now that isn't the crazy part. The song Could You Be Loved, is a good tune, but the b-side; well none other than No Woman No Cry. One of the greatest Marley tunes ever. Not sure how they blew that one, but safe to say, I will be listening to Mr. Marley, with probable Jimmy Buffett thrown in for good measure.
Heres to baking!
Night all
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