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.