Coconut Layer Cake with Meyer Lemon Curd & Cream Cheese Frosting

Last week my church celebrated the "birthday" of the women's organization with a little par-tay. Several of us made homemade cakes for the occasion, which made for a delicious dessert buffet. I craved coconut cake but really wanted to use some of the meyer lemon curd I'd just made as well--so I combined the two. I was very happy with the results and think I may try it with passion fruit curd next time...I figure you can't go wrong with either!

Coconut Cake
adapted from Sky-High Cakes

3 egg whites + 2 whole eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups cake flour
2 1/3 cups sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
---
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
2/3 cup lemon curd

Cream Cheese Frosting:

Using a mixer, beat the following ingredients together until light and fluffy:

1 lb. cream cheese, softened
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
zest of one lemon
5 cups powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottoms of three 8-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with a parchment circle (found at Sur La Table) and butter the circle and sides.

2. Put the egg whites, whole eggs, 1/2 cup milk and vanilla in a bowl. Whisk to mix thoroughly and then set aside.

3. In a large mixer bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. With the mixer on low, beat the dry ingredients for about 20 seconds to break up any lumps. Add the butter and coconut milk on low speed and beat to combine. Raise the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy about 2 minutes.

4. Add the egg white mixture in 2 or 3 additions, scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition. Divide the batter evenly amongst the pans.

5. Bake for 30 minutes. Allow cakes to cool in their pans for 15 minutes. Then, turn the cakes out and place on a wire rack to cool.

6. To assemble the cake, place one layer, flat side up (bottom of cake) on a cake platter. Tuck pieces of parchment paper under the cake to protect the platter from frosting splatter. Cover the cake with 1/3 cup lemon curd. Cover the lemon curd with approximately one cup of frosting; spread evenly before sprinkling with some coconut. Repeat with each layer.

7. Garnish top and sides with remaining sweetened coconut. Chill cake for about 30 minutes just to set the frosting (you don't want to dry it out). Enjoy!

Lemon Curd

I love a little homemade lemon curd--it's the perfect way to use up ripened lemons. People often ask me, how do I use lemon curd? What do I do with it? Since it is such a tasty treat to make, (and lasts awhile in the fridge) I thought I'd answer that question in the form of a post, complete with a link to my favorite lemon curd recipe from Gourmet mag.

Uses for Lemon Curd:

1. On a scone with devonshire cream (locally at Liberty Heights Fresh) or clotted cream

2. Straight from the jar (E. prefers this!)

3. Inside a crepe with whipping cream and berries

4. Atop a piece of angel food cake or pound cake, with whipped cream and again...berries if you can swing it; also fantastic on this lemon yogurt cake recipe.

5. As a filling inside a cake or cupcake. If you are making a layered cake, it's perfect sandwiched between the layers.

6. Swirled in a cheesecake. There is a {seemingly} great recipe on Epicurious for Lemon Curd Cheesecake. I am dying to make this recipe. Yum!

Okay so let's talk about a couple easy ways to dress up a mason jar. First, you can take the circular top out of the ring and trace it onto decorative paper. Cut out and glue or tape the decorative paper to the metal circle. This can be done in minutes. For an added touch adhere a label to the side of the jar. I like the Thomas Paul labels or anything from Remake too.

Coconut Cake, Lemon Curd + Fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting

This is what my Monday morning looked/tasted like...coconut cake, lemon curd and a fluffy cream cheese frosting. You may think coconut and lemon an unlikely duo, but they actually get along quite famously!

I am sharing my recipe for this pretty cake over at Zupas today.

p.s. this is an updated version of an older coconut cake + lemon curd recipe, which is also lovely, but a little more coconut-y than this recent version.

images by Stephanie Brubaker for stephmodo

Sour Cream Pound Cake

The scenario:

You offered to bring dessert to dinner at a friend's house. It's the night before and you have NO idea what to make. You want it to look nice, but it has to be fairly simple. You also would prefer to make it the night before because you know you won't have a spare minute the next day. What to make?

Sour Cream Pound Cake with Lemon Curd, Whipped Cream & Berries



This is an easy make-ahead dessert that is also appealing presentation-wise as well. The pound cake can be made the night before, although you must wrap it well after it cools to make sure it doesn't dry out. But that's easy to do! The Lemon Curd can also be made the night before and is fairly easy to make (this is a fun one to make with an older child I found). Whipped cream can be made quickly at last minute with some heavy cream, vanilla & sugar. Last, top it all off with some fresh summer berries from the store or a local farm stand. Blueberries, strawberries or raspberries would go nicely with this dessert.

* Note: the Lemon Curd will keep for about a week or two in the fridge. See this post for additional ideas on how to use the curd.

Lemon Cake

A popular question around here is, "what do I make with lemon curd? how do I use it up?". Well, I'm here to share with you yet another delicious use for curd...piled on top of this Lemon Cake. Yu-uh-mmy. Add some homemade whipped cream and berries and you're good to go. Don't forget to be generous with the curd! Somehow guests can never get enough...husbands too. What I love about this dessert is that it's a fruit-based dessert you can enjoy in the wintertime...since the height of citrus season is right about now.

If you want to learn more about lemon curd, feel free to read this post. Contrary to what you might think initially, it's easy to make. Promise :)

A Mere Trifle

Just a few days ago, I finally put my sittin'-pretty-on-the-shelf-for-18-months trifle dish to use. I discovered that trifles are delicious...and beautiful...and easy to make...what took me so long to try to make one? It's just layering, right?

I was in a time crunch so I picked up an angel food cake at the store (I realized I need a tube pan so I can make my own next time) and layered it with homemade whipped cream, lemon curd, and sliced strawberries. Yet another use for lemon curd...love it!

Do you know of any outstanding trifle recipes calling for homemade cake? If you, I'd love a link!

Hot Cakes Molten Lava Cakery

I love it when a new treat spot comes to town.  My heart races and I feel a skip in my step.  Especially when I spot keywords on the menu like "lemon curd" and "ganache"; as well as intriguing phrases like "jalapeño lavender caramel". Yes, please!  During my first visit, I found it difficult to not be immediately endeared to this decadent dessert bar tucked away on the yummiest street in Seattle--Ballard Ave, of course.  

Owner Autumn Martin (and former Head Chocolatier at Theo Chocolate) has been selling her hot cakes at local farmer's markets for a couple of years with much success, and subsequently decided a more permanent venue was in order to meet demand.  It's a cozy spot for a date night and also a fun place to meet a bunch of girlfriends for a chocolate fix.  You won't go wrong with anything on the menu I'm sure, but I can personally vouch for the crème bruleé, lemon curd lavender milkshake, and classic molten lava cake...

The decor is a bit farmouse-meets-industrial-meets-vintage thanks to the chalkboard menu, vintage cameras and slides, warm white walls, exposed brick and minimal decor.  I love it.  

Catch a glimpse of that menu?  Hungry yet? 

The warm wood accents everywhere really warm up the space, even beyond the friendly staff.  

In the evening when the candlelight bounces off the white walls, it feels a bit magical (and that's without the "boozy" milkshake!  I really can't wait to go again.

Get acquainted with the baked goods too (if you're lucky enough to arrive before they are sold out).  The impromptu menu of vintage photographs paired with tidy descriptions add a personal touch. Plus, don't you think it's awfully nice of them to offer up descriptions of many of their fancy terms so no one feels sheepish at the counter when ordering?  

Attention chocolate lovers: did you know that an entire bar of Theo Chocolate goes into each molten lava cake.  Now that's richness at its best.  

Check it out:

Hot Cakes Molten Lava Cakery
5427 Ballard Ave NW
Seattle, WA 98107
Open until 10 on weekdays and 11 pm on weekends.

all images by Stephanie Brubaker/stephmodo

Warm Weather Dessert

All this warm 60 degree weather ( okay so warm is a relative term) is making me crave lighter desserts. I decided to try my hand at homemade lemon curd as I love the curd that Romina uses in her meringue tarts Les Madeleines. I found a highly rated recipe on Epicurious.com, followed the directions perfectly and it turned out well. I love a good recipe! I paired it with a pound cake recipe from Epicurious as well (slightly modified) and fresh strawberries and homemade cream. This recipe can be made slightly in advance, which is always nice in my book. I've posted the recipe for the lemon curd in the left hand column under "Tasty Desserts".

Triple Layer Coconut Cake with Lemon Curd

Recently a follower on Twitter recommended this recipe to a fellow baker; and when I spotted that "tweet", I remembered how wonderful a dessert this was to make in the Springtime. I made this for a ladies luncheon a long time ago and it was gobbled up in minutes. It looks good, tastes good, and I think people really enjoy new, unexpected flavors. And Heavens to Betsy if I can't stop talking about all the yummy ways to use lemon curd :)

Find the recipe over at Zupas today.

April Showers Bring May Flowers Party

Sometimes kids just need a party, no birthday required. This is, anyway, my reasoning behind planning a get-together for my oldest daughter and her friends. You see, this has been a tough move for her and I thought a fun party would be just what she needed. And in Seattle, well, we couldn't imagine a better theme for this time of year! She had a great time planning everything out and gathering up a handful of friends from the neighborhood, school and church to just hang out. Basically it was a play date x 6 + a great big cake. We held the party on the second to last day in May and surprisingly didn't need our wellies or umbrellas after all!


























Party fare was simple...a big, yummy cake and juice squeeze drinks. I made my updated version of Coconut Layered Cake with Lemon Curd + Fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting...it was a nice change from cupcakes, which I typically make instead. The pretty paper umbrellas were a gift from my MIL, who purchased them at HEMA in Holland. That's one amazing store...























The tulip lollipops (also a purchase from Holland--Keukenhof's gift store to be exact) and ribbons made easy party favors.















After making tissue paper flowers (using this tutorial, sans the marker edge), we headed outside to snap a photo of the girls donning their rain gear. Initially the kids were confused as to why they needed to bring a pair of wellies and an umbrella to the party, but were pretty tickled once I explained why. I think they enjoyed participating in something fun and unexpected--being a little silly also served as a great ice breaker. From a parenting perspective, I'm just grateful I am that my daughter still thinks it's cool for me to help her plan parties. Someday I imagine she'll think all my ideas are dorky so I'm enjoying the ride while I can!

Feeling a Bit Tart?

...then you must try this recipe by the fabulous Ina Garten, a.k.a. Barefoot Contessa. I made this last week and served it with lemon curd (don't let this intimidate you--it's not difficult to make at all), freshly whipped cream and fresh raspberries (5400 S. Costco). Yuh-uh-mmmy.

If you have a bunch of lemons to use up, click here to view the full recipe. I love that one recipe makes two loaves. Mini-loaves would be cute too.

For the low fat version that is also tasty, click here. This Lemon-Yogurt cake would taste wonderful with the above-mentioned toppings too.

Oh how I wish I had some left. I'm hungry.

Cooking Class No.3: Desserts

This class is going to be a good one...well, only if you like chocolate, cream, lemons, berries, more chocolate...

More specifically, think "glazed chocolate cake", "lemon curd", and "molten lava cakes"--all from scratch. Yes ladies, we'll be making {and eating} all three of these delicious and {best of all} simple, desserts. I promise these are recipes you'll be able to replicate on your own--without me around telling you what to do :) I also have an inkling we'll be able to send each "student" home with a container of goodies to enjoy the next day too...breakfast anyone?

1) photo via yumsugar...a very yummy food blog 2) photo via moi 3) photo via Jaqueline Hopkins at Epicurious

Cooking Class No.3: Desserts!
Thursday, October 9th
7:30 p.m.
my home, Salt Lake City

Please email me (stephmodo@gmail.com) if you would like to sign up for this class. The price for the class is $30. I'll pass along specific directions just prior to the class (unless you're a repeat student!). As always, I'm limiting the class to 5 people for the best possible experience. I hope to see you there!

P.S. Why am I offering cooking classes? Click here.

Baby Shower for Katie

My friend Susan and I recently hosted a little baby shower for our friend Katie. It had been awhile since I'd done anything like this so I was a bit rusty; but trusty Donna Hay came through with some great ideas, like the diaper-wrapped drink idea and the napkin-lined clear container trick. I would've never thought of dressing up a plastic container with a nice napkin and some ribbon. So clever.



















For the shower we hung pom poms from the ceiling...a super fun idea from Martha. Next time I'd love to try these pom pom variations...see how the tips are shaped? So pretty. We also used a large scallop punch to cut out pretty circles from pink vellum paper. On the circles we all suggested a baby name to Katie and then placed it in the mason jar. Micron pens or fine sharpies would be ideal for this little "game".




























We offered our two favorite Izzy drinks, peach & grapefruit. Yum. How did I miss the peach before that night I wonder? Once guests arrived we offered them a little tray of homemade goodies--chocolate bundt cake (add 1 c. good quality semi-sweet chips), lemon curd with whipped cream & berries, and fresh fruit. At the end of the evening, we sent each guest home with a few tulips, which also moonlighted as decorations during the shower. We tied a ribbon on each stem as a finishing touch.