Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Coconut Love

Wow! Just wow! This cake was so darn good that I think there were angels singing, the sun came through the clouds, the earth moved and my eyes rolled back into my head.

When I was a teenager with raging hormones, I had an insane crush on Pierce Brosnan because he was, in my mind, the epitome of handsome, cool and deliciously sexy. When "The Thomas Crown Affair" came out, I think I actually swooned everytime I watched the film and I am not a swooner. Ok, maybe a little bit of a swooner but I only swoon over the most swoonable.

Well, if Pierce Brosnan was a cake, he would be this one. Like Pierce, this cake is absolutely delicious and I urge you to stop what you are doing and immediately make this glorious mound of coconut goodness. The topper is that the recipe came from, of all places, Cooking Light magazine. Who knew a cake this good would actually not contain a million calories? Enjoy! AJ

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients

Cooking spray
1 tablespoon cake flour
2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 2/3 cups sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 (14-ounce) can light coconut milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup flaked sweetened coconut, divided

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Coat 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray; dust with 1 tablespoon flour.

Combine 2 1/4 cups flour, baking powder, and salt, stirring with a whisk. Place sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (for about 5 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in vanilla.

Pour batter into prepared pans. Sharply tap the pans once on countertop to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on wire racks, and remove from pans. Cool completely on wire racks.

Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spread with 1 cup Fluffy Coconut Frosting. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup coconut. Top with remaining cake layer; spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Sprinkle 1/3 cup coconut over top of cake.


Ingredients

4 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
Pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Preparation

Place egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form. Combine sugar and water in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook, without stirring, until candy thermometer registers 238°. Pour hot sugar syrup in a thin stream over egg whites, beating at high speed. Stir in extracts.

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