Day 22 – A Gift of 25 Recipes – In Lieu of Real Snow: The Tate’s Coconut Layer Cake, Almond and Toasted Coconut Version

 the real deal – 2 layer version circa May 2016

Is it possible that it seems darker this morning than yesterday?  I suppose that is technically not possible unless the sky is covered with clouds.  Here, if you are feeling like me,  is a way to put a little light in your life……..

No snow in your forecast for Sunday?  That’s fine, you can make your own!

Here is a cake, which together with Thomas Keller’s Coconut Cake – http://www.copymethat.com/r/vPE87eP/coconut-cake-thomas-kellers-coconut-cake/, should be definitely added to your repertoire for special occasions – like Christmas Day.  This was my birthday cake from this past May, a treat I’d actually drive all the way back to Southampton for. (note to self: never end a sentence with for.)

This is the Tate’s recipe from their published cookbook – I have slightly adapted it, subbing in almond extract for vanilla, adding sliced almonds to the finishing and toasting the coconut.  You can delete all of those adaptations if you’d like.

Coconut Birthday Cake – recipe slightly adapted from Tate’s Bake Shop Southampton

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup salted butter, softened to room temp

1 cup canned cream of coconut (Coco Lopez)

5 large eggs, separated

2 tsp almond extract

1 cup buttermilk

2 cups coconut flakes, toasted and cooled

2 cups sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350F.

Prepare 3 8″ layer cake pans with pan spray and line the bottoms with waxed paper. *

In a  small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

With an electric mixer, beat the sugar and butter till it’s light and fluffy. Add cream of coconut and beat until fluffy.  Beat in the egg yolks one at a time.  Add almond extract.  Scrape down sides of the bowl and mix again.

Add the dry ingredients and mix till they are just combined.  Add the buttermilk and mix the batter until it is combined.  In a separate mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until they are stiff, but not dry.  Fold the egg whites into the batter with a rubber spatula.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.

Bake the cake for 40-45 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Let the cake cool for 10 minutes in the pans and turn it out onto wire racks to cool completely.

*you can make this cake in 2 layers instead, just adjust the baking time, adding 5 minute intervals until the cake is done

Tate’s Bake Shop Cream Cheese Icing – recipe slightly adapted from Tate’s Bake Shop

3 8 oz packages of cream cheese, softened to room temp

1/2 cup salted butter, softened to room temp

1 tsp almond extract

2 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar   In a large bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer.  Add the almond extract and mix it in.  Beat in the sugar.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat the mixture again.

When the layers are cool, ice the cake all over.  In a medium bowl, mix the coconut and sliced almonds together, tossing with your hands.  Gently press the mixture onto the sides of the cake – a cake turntable will be helpful for this.

Arrange some of the coconut-almond mixture on top of the cake as well.

Enjoy!  Snow, in actual precipitation form will no doubt arrive in due time.  In the meantime, this will undoubtedly soothe you.  If not, turn on the weather channel and look at the videos from out west!