Coconut Magic

Photo courtesy of Chez Terez

the magic of a birthday.
especially
when there's a cake made just for you
luminous candles
and loved ones
singing a happy tune


the KimKitch was full of coconut magic last Friday. The cake was a twinkling-star, but KR still can't keep from critiquing creations out of her kitch. Here are her notes on the Barefoot Contessa's Coconut Cake, a favorite of Mama Rose, for whom the candles were lit.


hoping you enjoy this recipe as much as our family does.
sending happiness your way,
kim*


Coconut Cake Recipe

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pans
• 2 cups sugar (KR used raw turbinado sugar)
• 5 extra-large eggs, at room temperature (KR used large eggs)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (KR used a little more)
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pans
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup milk
• 4 ounces sweetened shredded coconut (KR used organic unsweetened dry flakes)

For the frosting

• 1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature (KR used one neufchatel, one organic cream cheese---MAKE SURE it is at ROOM TEMP, otherwise you will get clumps=NG=NO GOOD)
  
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (KR used a little more)
• 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted (KR used a little less)
• 6 ounces sweetened shredded coconut (KR used organic unsweetened dry flakes)

KimKitch addition: for in between the layers: orange Marmalady (a recipe adapted from Kim Boyce's Good to the Grain Cookbook*to be posted in the near future)

Coconut Magic Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 (9-inch) (KR did three pans!) round cake pans, then line them with parchment paper. Grease them again and dust lightly with flour.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light yellow and fluffy. Crack the eggs into a small bowl.
With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl once during mixing. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well. The mixture might look curdled; don't be concerned.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk to the batter in 3 parts, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Fold in the 4 ounces of coconut with a rubber spatula.
Pour the batter evenly into the 2 pans and smooth the top with a knife. Bake in the center of the oven for 45 to 55 minutes, until the tops are browned and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool on a baking rack for 30 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto a baking rack to finish cooling.

For the frosting, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and almond extract on low speed. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until just smooth (don't whip!).

To assemble, place 1 layer on a flat serving plate, top side down, (KR always forgets to do this! turned out okay, but really want to assemble it correctly next time) and spread with frosting.

KR could have slathered a little more Marmalady in between the coconut cake layers.

Place the second layer on top, top side up, slathering more marmalady and then add the third layer. To decorate the cake, sprinkle the top with coconut and lightly press more coconut onto the sides (KR did not frost the sides, which makes it less sweet and easier to eat---definitely something I will continue to do, plus, I really like the rustic look when the sides are unfrosted). The sweetened coconut flakes would have been a good contrast to the dry ones KR sprinkled on top.

Serve at room temperature. (KR thinks it tastes better the third day, after being at room temperature and letting the flavors meld)

***

BB

Banana Bread.

One of the most delicious quick breads, ever. I mean... Zucchini bread? P'shaw! Yeah, I adore the moistness of zucch bread, but banana bread can be made year-round and after making these babies, it currently has the title page in my book, the baking one at least.

Get this:
Banana Bread doesn't require rising, and it doesn't employ the electric or stand mixer.
BB also has this way of being a superb vehicle for various spreads. Case in point: me and the mister have enjoyed BB with each of these, with satisfaction creeping across our lips each and every time: good old fashioned butter, freshly ground peanut butter (also, I swoon with cranberries on top of PB on top of BB), honey, cream cheese (esp. the whipped variety), and... fig butter,* which is my latest sweet obsession.

But back to the bread.
Everything about this bread is tremendous.

BB crumbs cascading

But I must confide... This particular recipe was adapted from Smitten Kitchen. SK really knows how to crank up the flavor multiple notches here. Brown Sugar? Why, yes. Cinnamon? Oh yeah. Nutmeg? But of course. Cardamom and roasted walnuts? Come on, now (**oh, sorry, those are a few of my additions). Bourbon? Excuse me?

Well, yes---this recipe calls for bourbon. Now, please, don't get your brow in a furrow over adding alcohol to a quick bread. The addition, I have found, gives this bread a little edge and a luscious crumb, so do the recipe justice and don't skimp!

I am not normally one to borrow recipes to blog about them, but this baby deserves a cross-blogination. Which causes me to wonder---have you checked out Smitten Kitchen yet? If not, I suggest you tip-toe right on over there and try out any one of her recipes. She has mouth-watering photos, fantastic food tips, a killer writing-style, and an indexed recipe list which could make one drool... Or, just get a person off their tush and into the kitch. Whichever inclination you are drawn to, you've got to believe me---it's worth it to check SK out.

jacked-up banana bread courtesy of Smitten Kitchen

With a sweet smile,
{kr ryan}

*fig butter is really more like a jam to me. ...If you know of the "Good to the Grain" cookbook you may have tasted this powerful spread already. {Oh, sweet yummy angels, thank you for sharing this one with me.}

**If you're up for adding walnuts, I toasted 3/4 of a cup and roughly chopped them before adding to the batter (mostly in the middle and on the top of the bread)... The cardamom is a favorite flavor of mine, so I decided to replace the ground cloves in SK's recipe with about a 1/4 tsp to kick it up another notch. Let me know if you try it this way and how you like it.

a glimpse of what's to come

 bittersweet velvety chocolate

powerfully fragrant rosemary

vibrant extra virgin olive oil {not pictured}

A teasing list of ingredients comes together in the KimKitch tonight. I can hardly handle the anticipation, can you?

 *KK*

Almorange

Without further ado 

I would like to introduce you to

"Almorange"

{ al-more-onje }

 

The word reminds me of a secret admirer. A secret note signed "Almorange" might pique your interest, no? Well it did mine. And so, I read on to find out how nutty and zesty this one sweet cookie is. You should to.


Almondy dough with a hint of orange zest and underlying vanilla with a finishing sweet crunch make these the most welcome guest on a chilly winter night. Twice-baked, these cookies are delicious nestled up against an afternoon tea. But they also startle at breakfast and delight with after dinner drinks. {Yum. I'll take one at each.}

A fresh batch of these and Nani's Anise biscotti went postal today. I was told this particular package --- which included a couple gorgeous gold boxes from the super sparkler, Chez Terez --- will arrive by Wednesday, just in time for Turkey Day. Woohoo! This made me smile because there's nothing better than sharing homemade goodies with friends and family. If they aren't gobbled up too quickly, the biscotti I shipped today should last through the holidays. And that's even though they're made without preservatives. Just good old fashioned sugar, butter, flour, eggs... and a few secret admirers ... er... ingredients ; )

~almorange~

{*KK*}

egg labor

A friend of ours recently confided he doesn't like eggs. And when I think about it, I realize a cousin of mine doesn't like them either.

But I just can't understand it: I absolutely *LOVE* eggs.

Everything about them.

Their shape, their color, the way they can be cooked into breakfast, lunch, OR dinner. How the inside can be split into two, how the yolk is perfectly circular and the white, amorphous yet clear as can be. I love how they give structure to baked goods, height to lemon meringue, air to angel food cake.



Yes, eggs are pretty tremendous if you ask me.

For instance, at breakfast, you could have an egg one of a multitude of ways. Hard- or soft-boiled, over easy or sunny-side-up, scrambled or crepe-like... the list could go on.

So it's interesting to hear some people don't like the taste of --or are unable to appreciate the versatility of-- an egg.



Anyway, today was an egg day. It was actually a record-breaker egg-breaking egg day for me. I cracked 31 eggs before dusk.

 

sacrifice for ten batches of kim'scotti

Those eggs helped produce this sweet baby:

one of the fruits of a KimKitch eggs' labor

  *KK*

in the KimKitch featured in Etsy Treasury!

It's a miracle.

The Etsy world noticed the KimKitch today!

That's right, KimKitch biscotti were featured in a Treasury listing by WinkArtisans. A Treasury listing is Etsy's "ever-changing, member-curated shopping gallery." Members find items that go well together, group them into a listing and have a chance to be "published" on Etsy's front page.

second column, fourth row: KimKitch in the Treasury

How cool is that?

The title for this listing is "Coffee With The Girls." I love the combination of reds and those crocheted cookies! Plus, how fun are the little bears on that spoonful of sugar?

I sure would like to go out for coffee with the gals now. Or maybe... why don't we stay in, put our feet up, a soulful tune on, and have the gals over for coffee or tea and fresh-out-of-the-oven KimKitch 'scotti?

Now that sounds like a perfect treasury to me.

What are you doing this Saturday?
*kk



To learn more about WinkArtisans, check out Marisol's profile and shop :)

Danish Design

The Danes really know design.

Not only do they dress superbly, they make beautiful, functional items, too.

But before going any further, let me disclose how biased I am. It has to do with someone I would like to introduce you to: SR. SR is the man who keeps the Kim in the Kitch calm, who knows how to make amazzingly swift and delicious breakfasts but who can also create complex sauces and seduce seared scallops with a special drizzle. He is also the one who is most understanding when the KimKitch is in the midst of a huge storm. The reason I'm slightly biased is that SR is half Danish. So, I've come to learn about and love the Danes. And I'm just a bit smitten with Danish Design.

So when SR and I were searching for new silverware earlier this year it became obvious quite quickly that we were not impressed with options here in the States. No offense, American designers. We just couldn't get our hands around a simple, good-looking fork or knife. And the spoons! Oh my, we were none too pleased.

And so, we thought back to our trips abroad and how we purchased our first set of "silverware" at a yard sale in Denmark. The handles were made of dark teak wood, the design was clean, understated and sturdy with stainless steel balancing the slim handles. The pieces were not overtly masculine or feminine. SR and I fell in love. And, not only with the utensils.

From then on, we continued to search out teak-wooded kitchen items.

But then, we realized, we should get our hands on a set that was easy to take care of, one without wood, so we could serve out of town guests without worry of splinters or stress, with hopes to impress (who am I kidding? ... I just wanted something new and pretty).

So, we found the perfect set. Designed by a Dane. George Jensen, an Art Nouveau creator, too.

The set is beautiful and handsome at the same time. Sturdy and sleek, too.

Feast your eyes on the newest addition to the KimKitch, New York Cutlery.

just look at those spoons!