The Beginning of a foodie

The Beginning of a foodie:

When did I first realize that I was a foodie??? I believe I was three years old and I had just discovered the existence of a four layer white frosting coconut cake. Seriously, I was a very precocious child and from an early age I knew the meaning of decadent food and how to get my hands on it!

It all began at Governors Island a/k/a Fort Jay, or as known by the New York settlers, “Nut Island”. My Father was stationed at this Army base for a period of seven years. We were located in the middle of the Hudson River across from the tip of Manhattan and neighbors of Lady Liberty. It was a piece of paradise on earth! ….OK I digress…..Now back to the main story. Every Saturday morning my parents would go grocery shopping and I would stay at home with my four sisters (Wanda, Miriam, Vivian and Zonia). Being the baby, with my early expertise in the gastronomic world and a lot of manipulation on the part of my sisters I was able to establish that every Saturday was My Birthday and it would be celebrated with a four layer coconut cake with a red Maraschino cherry on top.

Dad and mom would set up the table and bring out the fabulous cake. I... would look surprised and my sisters would celebrate with cheers and applauses!!! “It was my Birthday…They would sing Happy Birthday, I would blow out the candles and we would enjoy a scrumptious slice of cake …LOL… and then all over again next Saturday. My parents are the best things on earth; they are our inspiration and the goal we all aspire to become every day.

Desserts have come and gone during my life but a four layer coconut cake will always be my favorite and will be the best memories an individual could have!

Help yourself to bake this cake on a Saturday (this it is the best coconut cake, by far, I have ever uncovered) and remember, don’t forget to sing Happy Birthday to me! (Remember, it’s Saturday once again)!

Don't ever hesitate to use this one to impress company, whether the boss, important clients, or the even the in-laws. It is a crowd pleaser, to say the least.

Ingredients:

Filling:

1 ¼ cups heavy cream
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 T coconut cream
1 T cornstarch
1 T milk
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup shredded coconut

Cake:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
¾ cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, softened
1 T vanilla extract
1 cup milk

Frosting:

White chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting: 9 cups

3 cups White chocolate morsels
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
3 - 8oz cream cheese, room temperature
7 ½ cups powdered sugar/pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped pecans (sprinkle between cake layers)

Set Chocolate in a double bowl with hot water until they melt.
Beat butter and cream cheese and chocolate at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until blended. Beat at high speed until smooth; stir in vanilla.

Syrup and Garnish:
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
¼ tsp vanilla extract
½ cup shredded coconut and one Maraschino cherry

Prepare the filling:

Place the heavy cream, sugar, and coconut cream in a heavy saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer.
Stir the cornstarch and the milk together in a small bowl until there are no lumps.
Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the simmering cream until it's smooth; cook, stirring, for 3 minutes longer.
Add the butter and shredded coconut and continue cooking, stirring, for 3 more minutes.
Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate until thickened, about 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease three 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with waxed paper.
Grease the paper and then flour the pans lightly, tapping out any excess.

Prepare the cake:

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Reserve.
Place the sugar and eggs in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer for 1 minute.
Gradually add the butter, vanilla, and milk and continue beating for 2 minutes.
Add the reserved dry ingredients and beat for 1 minute.
Scrape the batter evenly into the prepared pans and bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool the cakes in the pans on a rack for 20 minutes. Un-mold the cakes, carefully peeling off the waxed paper and allow them to cool completely on the rack.

Prepare the syrup:

Place the sugar, water and vanilla in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
Boil for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally
Remove from heat and brush the top of each cake layer with the syrup using a pastry brush. (You don’t have to use all the syrup).

Assemble the cake:

Place one cake layer on a serving platter.
Spread it with half of the reserved filling and top with another layer of cake.
Spread the cake with the remaining filling and top with the last cake layer. Ice the top and sides of the cake with the icing and then sprinkle the top with ½ cup shredded coconut.

As I said earlier, punch holes in the cake when it's still warm so the icing cane seep into the interior. It's not necessary to do this for an incredible coconut cake, but it does add sweetness and moistness to the cake part itself. Try it both ways. You can't go wrong. If you need help eating it all, just ship the leftovers to us. We'll pay the postage.



Gabo



Puerto Rico