Come oh come ye tea-thirsty restless ones -- the kettle boils, bubbles and sings, musically. ~ Rabindranath Tagore
Loooong ago, in 2011, I had a kosmail exchange with
bleeding heart, in which she shared with me her secret recipe for fabulous coconut layer cake. kosmail being what it is (unsortable, unsearchable), the recipe quickly sank out of sight. Who knew I'd get all those kosmails? I knew it was in there, but I kind of forgot about it.
When we lost this dear, brilliant, funny woman recently, I was moved to dig out the recipe and put it somewhere I'll actually find it when I want to make dessert. I decided to share it here too, while I was at it, in case anyone else likes coconut cake. (I know it elicits strong opinions, like cilantro.)
She titled her kosmail, "You will love me forever for this -- assuming you like coconut cake". Janet, I will love you forever no matter how I feel about coconut cake.
You will love me forever for this -- assuming you like coconut cake
bleeding heart
Thu Jun 09, 2011 at 07:50 PM EDT
True confessions: I got this recipe from TexDem. He had never made it but apparently someone in his family did. It, too, is a wonderful summer treat because it is cold. It is also a cook's delight because it is made days ahead of time. What follows is my own variation -- and there are other recipes that are slightly different available on-line -- as well as my own narrative that I prepared:
Admonition Coconut Cake (4 to 5 day coconut cake)
2 cups sugar
2 cups sour cream
12 oz package coconut flakes
1 yellow or white cake mix (or from scratch)
Day 1:
The day before baking the cake, combine sugar, sour cream and coconut. Stir well, cover, then store in refrigerator.
Rest and have a glass of wine for all your hard work.
Day 2:
The next day, prepare the cake according to directions. Both yellow and white work fine. I use white but use the entire egg, not just the whites, but it works any way you do it and depends on how "white" you want the cake to appear.
Place batter into 2 8" or 9" rounds (8" is easier to cut, but 9" soaks up more stuff and that's what I use). Bake and cool according to directions. Split each layer in half horizontally to make a total of four layers. Fill and frost thoroughly with sour cream/coconut mixture. Place cake in refrigerator. I put mine under a cake dome to keep out refrigerator odors.
Rest and have two glasses of wine and get your husband to take you out to dinner for all your hard work.
Day 3:
Look at the cake through the dome. Praise yourself for your self discipline for not gobbling it up.
Day 4:
Look at the cake through the dome, but first fill your mouth with carrot sticks so you can’t taste what tempts you.
Day 5:
Serve that cake! It is sufficiently rich tasting that it will go farther than a regular cake, yet it doesn't have the fat of regular frosting. It should have the texture of a firm, moist cake. Serve smaller pieces. Folks can always get more, but I have never seen anyone complete a regular sized hearty slice of it.
The cake will be good for a couple of more days. I keep the cake in the refrigerator, under the dome, and also place plastic wrap on the cut sides of the cake – just the exposed part. The frosted top and sides are fine.
By the way, my daughter really dislikes sour cream. As in can't stand it. I never told her what the frosting was made of (still haven't). She still doesn't know but she loves the cake. Over time, the sour cream taste dissipates and it all just tastes like frosting!
Re: You will love me forever for this -- assuming you like coconut cake
belinda ridgewood
Thu Jun 09, 2011 at 07:57 PM EDT
Woo hoo, this sounds fabulous! Many thanks for the secret recipe. I trust it will still work if I don't have a husband. (I can go out to dinner myself, no problem...)
Re: You will love me forever for this -- assuming you like coconut cake
bleeding heart
Thu Jun 09, 2011 at 08:52 PM EDT
But of course. The word "husband" can be a stand-in for "companion," "partner," "friend." I include that because I think the cook should always be waited upon. I mean, all that work!!!! :)
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Kitchen Table Kibitzing is a community series for those who wish to share part of the evening around a virtual kitchen table with kossacks who are caring and supportive of one another. So bring your stories, jokes, photos, funny pics, music, and interesting videos, as well as links—including quotations—to diaries, news stories, and books that you think this community would appreciate. Readers may notice that most who post diaries and comments in this series already know one another to some degree, but newcomers should not feel excluded. We welcome guests at our kitchen table, and hope to make some new friends as well.
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