Week 3, September 5th, 2010: Coconut Cake

Coconut Cake with lemon curd and 7-minute frosting

Anniversaries and birthdays and baby showers, oh my!  I am three cakes into the week!  I would ask for applause, but two of them were out of boxes.  My other feat this week: I did my first solo pass on Nan’s sauce.  The sauce was amazing, however, the fried pork that I added in hadn’t been browned enough—it’s apparently not polite to try to give your grandmother trichinosis (just kidding, we’re all ok).  This week, I attempted to tackle Coconut cake with lemon curd and seven minute frosting. Recipe from joyofbaking.com.

The first impression: it uses a crap load of eggs.  A handful in the curd, six in the cake and two in the frosting- lots of protein, but lots of fat.  Second thought, the coconut isn't actually in the cake.  You layer it on the lemon curd and then you top the frosting with it.  I thought it was going to overflow in the oven, but after thirty-five-ish minutes and coming out a little too brown, it started deflating nearly immediately.  The lemon curd is absolutely delicious and I think I finally told the egg whites who's boss.  My aunt told me to get to soft peak and then beat for about ten more minutes to stiff peak.  I did, and thought I nailed it, the whites were like satin.  Well, maybe they still weren't right and that’s why the cakes deflated… it’s a thinker and I will fight them another day.

The 7 minute frosting instructions tell you to make it day of serving and to frost the cake immediately after you make the frosting.  It was really simple to make and was light and marshmellowy and divine.  Putting the thing together was a pain: cutting each layer of cake, lemon in between and then coconut on top of the lemon and on top of the frosting.  The kitchen floor was not impressed with my lack of skills as a good deal of coconut landed there.

I served the cake to a large crowd: a fam reunion and Nan's b-day part-ay all rolled into one.  The cake was heavy, but everyone told me that it was delicious.  I didn't think the lemon curd was pronounced enough, but I did snack on a bit of it- so next time, I'll make more.  The frosting was hands down what was complimented the most and it was absolutely incredible- I will be adding the frosting to the recipe list, as well as the lemon curd, but the cake is definitely a throw back.  Next week, as a shout out to my buddy, the Penguin, on the occasion of her birthday, I'll be making a cheesecake with raspberry puree (unless she's got a favorite for me to make) and enjoying it a full 400 miles away from her and her celebrants-- darn anniversary parties, big football games and 80th birthdays keeping me home...  Be well!