Easter Coconut Cake

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Easter Coconut Cake
A coconut custard cake all dressed for Easter. I purchased the cute Easter sprinkles at a local cake decorating shop.

I made one mistake on this cake; when making the white chocolate drip I was rushed for time and simply melted the candy melts instead of making a ganache. This was a mistake since just white chocolate or candy melts on their own do not make a pretty drip. The prettiest drips are made with a ganache that is cooled to room temperature to make the perfect drip.

The bunnies around the cake are piped with a #22 tip. The 8 bunny tails on top are rounds of frosting covered with coconut. I used 3 drops of sky-blue food color for the outside of the cake.
Recipe type: Dessert | Butter Layer Cake
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Recipe Notes
Pan: Three 8" Round Layers Pan Prep: Greased and Floured Oven Temp: 350° Storage: Cover and Refrigerate

Help: Cake Hints and Tips
Ingredients
Small amount of vegetable shortening and flour for preparing pans
Cake Batter:
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1½ teaspoons pure almond extract
  • 1½ cups unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 5 large eggs
  • 1 cup shredded or flaked sweetened coconut
Coconut Custard:
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups milk (preferably whole milk) Tip: use leftover coconut milk from cake batter for part of the measurement.
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 cups shredded or flaked sweetened coconut
  • 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
American Buttercream:
  • See American Buttercream recipe. Tip: I made 2½ recipes of buttercream to ensure there was enough frosting for the cake and decorations.
  • Blue food Coloring. Tip: I used sky blue
  • Easter Sprinkles
White Chocolate Ganache Drip: (optional)
  • 1 cup white chocolate chips, or white chocolate bar chopped into small pieces, or white candy melts
  • ⅓ cup whipping (heavy) cream
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare three 8-inch round layer cake pans; lightly grease the pans with shortening and dust with flour.
Cake Batter:
  1. In a medium mixing bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; sift or whisk together to mix. Set aside.
  2. In a small mixing bowl, stir the coconut milk, vanilla extract and almond extract together. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Tip: To cream, start by placing the butter in the bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed begin by beating the butter about 1 minute until it is smooth and light in color. With the mixer still on medium speed, slowly add the sugar to the butter, either one tablespoon at a time, or in a very slow steady stream, taking from 4 to 8 minutes to add all of the sugar, and beating until the butter and sugar are fully incorporated and the mixture is a light, or pale-yellow color, with a fluffy texture. While adding the sugar, stop the mixer occasionally to scrape the mixture off the paddle and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula so the mixture blends evenly.
  4. Add eggs one at a time, beating until thoroughly mixed.
  5. With the mixer on low speed, add about one third of the flour mixture, mix just until the flour is almost completely blended. Scrape the bowl down, and add about one half of the coconut milk mixture, blending just until mixed. Scrape the bowl down again and continue alternating with the flour mixture and coconut milk mixture, ending with the last portion of the flour, and stirring just until blended. Remove bowl from the mixer and gently fold the coconut into the batter.
  6. Bake: Spoon the batter into the prepared pans and smooth the surface with the back of a large spoon. Bake 28 to 30 minutes or until a long toothpick, wooden skewer, or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and place pans on a wire cooling rack to cool for 10 to 15 minutes then remove cake from the pans and place the cake on the wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
Coconut Custard:
  1. In a medium size heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, flour, milk, and eggs. Cook, whisking constantly with a wire whisk until mixture is bubbly and thick, about 15 minutes. Remove pan from heat; stir in coconut and vanilla. Set aside to cool to room temperature. Tip: Coconut custard can be made the day before and refrigerated until ready to use.
American Buttercream:
  1. Prepare American Buttercream. Place about 3 cups of buttercream in a separate bowl and tint blue. Tip: I used 3 drops of sky-blue food coloring. Leave the remaining buttercream white.
Assembly:
  1. Using a long-serrated kitchen knife, split each cake into 2 horizontal layers.
  2. Place about 2 cups of white American Buttercream into a pastry bag fitted with a coupler. Tip: you won’t need a decorating tip. If using a disposable pastry bag, you could also just cut a small tip off the end instead of using a coupler.
White Chocolate Ganache Drip:
  1. Prepare the ganache topping while the cake is refrigerating.
  2. Place the white chocolate chips or white chocolate bar pieces, or candy melts in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.
  3. In a small heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium low heat, heat the cream until it is hot and just beginning to steam and bubble around the edges. Remove from heat and pour over the chocolate. Let mixture stand 5 to 10 minutes then gently stir with a rubber spatula or whisk until the chocolate is completely melted, the chocolate and cream is completely combined, and the mixture is smooth. Let sit until cooled to room temperature, 20 to 30 minutes. Stir gently occasionally while cooling. Tip: Stirring helps cool the ganache evenly, but you want to stir slowly and gently to avoid adding air bubbles. The ganache needs to be thick and just barely fluid to create drips.
  4. Use a kitchen spoon to place small spoonful’s of ganache around the top edge of the chilled cake and let the ganache drip down the sides of the cake. Tip: if the ganache isn’t dripping, then briefly warm the ganache so it is more fluid. If the ganache is just dripping off to the bottom of the cake, then the ganache is too warm and needs to be cooled before using.
  5. When the drips are completed, spoon additional ganache in the center of the cake to fill-in the top, smooth and spread evenly with a small offset spatula.
  6. Place one of the bottom halves of the cake layers on a cake plate.
  7. Using the buttercream in the pastry bag pipe a border of buttercream around the outside top edge of the layer to hold the filling in. Then spread ¾ cup of coconut custard filling inside the buttercream border. Repeat with the next four layers.
  8. Place the last cake layer on top, upside down so the flat bottom of the cake is facing up to make a nice flat top.
  9. Crumb coat the cake by covering the sides with a thin layer of blue or white buttercream; smooth with an offset spatula, removing excess buttercream.
  10. Refrigerate the cake until the crumb coat is firm, about 30 minutes.
  11. Frost the sides of the cake with blue buttercream, and spreading a thick layer of blue buttercream, about ¼ inch thick over the top of the cake, and smooth the top. This top layer of buttercream will give the ganache topping a nice flat surface to drip from.
  12. Gently press sprinkles into the bottom sides of the cake.
  13. Refrigerate the cake until the buttercream is firm, at least 30 minutes. Tip: A chilled cake helps control the ganache drips from going all the way down to the bottom of the cake.
Decoration (optional):
  1. If desired, use leftover white buttercream to pipe bunny ears and head around the sides of the cake. Tip: I used a #22 decorating tip.
  2. Spoon mounds of buttercream on top for bunny tails, and sprinkle the mounds with shredded coconut. Tip: you can make the bunny tails in advance, place mounds of buttercream on parchment paper and refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.

  3. Easter Coconut Cake

 

Coconut Cherry Almond Meringues

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Coconut Cherry Almond Meringues
Coconut Cherry Almond Meringue Cookies, the name says it all. The flavors in this cookie work absolutely perfectly together. They are sweet, gooey, crispy, crunchy and oh so delicious and addicting.
Recipe type: Dessert | Drop Cookies | Meringue Cookies
Serves: 3 dozen
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Recipe Notes
Pan: Two Large Baking Sheets Pan Prep: Parchment Lined Oven Temp: 225° Yield: 3 Dozen Storage: Airtight Container, Room temperature layered between wax or parchment paper

Help: Cookie Hints and Tips | Making Meringue
Ingredients
Meringue Cookies
  • 2 large egg whites
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon pure almond extract
  • ½ cup sweetened shredded coconut, firmly packed
  • ¾ cup sliced almonds, divided
  • ½ cup plus about 2 tablespoons candied (glace) cherries, (not maraschino cherries), cut into small pieces, divided. Tip: this will use around 25 to 30 cherries. Chop into about ⅛-inch to ¼-inch sized pieces.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 225 degrees F. Prepare 2 large baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Tip: To hold the parchment paper in place, dab the corners of the baking sheets lightly with butter or shortening and then line them with parchment paper.
Meringue Cookies:
  1. In a large bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium speed until the whites look frothy, then increase the speed to medium-high and beat until soft peaks begin to form. Reduce the speed to medium and gradually add the granulated sugar one tablespoon at a time or in a slow steady stream down the side of the bowl, then add the salt, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Stop the mixer and use a rubber spatula to scrap down the side and bottom of the bowl as needed. Increase the speed to medium-high to high and beat until stiff glossy peaks form.
  2. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Using a large rubber spatula or large wire whisk, gently fold the coconut, ½ cup almonds, and ½ cup cut-up cherries into the meringue.
  3. Drop meringue by level tablespoonfuls about 1 inch apart onto the baking sheets. Tip: the meringues won't spread so they can be placed about 1 inch apart.
  4. Use the back of the spoon to make the dollops rounded and to create a swirl on top if desired. Sprinkle tops of meringues with the remaining ¼ cup almonds and 2 tablespoons cup-up cherries. Tip: I just placed 2 or 3 cherry pieces in the top of each cookie, you can add more if desired.

  5. Coconut Cherry Almond Meringues
  6. Bake: Place the two pans in the oven and Bake for 1 hour. At the end of the baking time, turn the oven off and leave the meringues in the oven for 1 additional hour to cool and crisp.
  7. Remove pans from oven. Slide the parchment paper with the meringues off the pan and onto a wire cooling rack. Let meringues cool completely before removing from the parchment paper. Tip: The meringues may still seem a little soft when removed from the oven but they will crisp as they cool.
  8. Store in an airtight container at room temperature layered between wax or parchment paper

 

Red Velvet Cake

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Red Velvet Cake
What is it about Red Velvet Cake that causes oohs and aahs from many people? Perhaps it is the rich ruby-red color, or the striking combination of red layers and white icing. But most likely it is the irresistibly scrumptious flavor is this old fashioned cake with a subtle chocolate flavor.

The popular legend of how Red Velvet originated is sometime around the 1950’s a woman asked for the recipe for the delicious red velvet cake she was served at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. This was the hotel’s signature cake, and the hotel billed the woman $100 or more for the recipe. Upset over the charge, she passed the recipe along to everyone she knew.

Many Red Velvet Cake recipes today use a cream cheese frosting, which is undeniably delicious. But Instead, I have chosen a rich Flour Buttercream with perfectly complements the light chocolaty flavor and moistness of the cake. Flour Buttercream is also thought to have been used with the original Red Velvet Cake. The coconut garnish adds an extra sweet crunch along with a stunning white elegance. Serve this cake as a special weekend treat, or as the centerpiece to your holiday dessert table.
Recipe type: Dessert | Butter Layer Cake
Serves: 10 to 12
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Recipe Notes
Pan: Two 9" Round Layers Pan Prep: Greased, and Floured Oven Temp: 350° Storage: Cover and Refrigerate

Help: Cake Hints and Tips, Chocolate Types

TheBakingPan Recommends: The BEST instant read thermometer I’ve used for cooking and baking; the ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is incredibly fast, ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapenaccurate, and well worth the investment. I use my Thermapen Thermometer for checking room temperature ingredients, tempering chocolate, baking bread, making pastry creams, sugar syrup, caramel, and candy, cooking meats and fish, and deep frying. Thermapen Thermometer available here.
Ingredients
Batter:
  • 2½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) liquid red food coloring
  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar or white vinegar
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
Flour Buttercream:
  • 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups milk
  • 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Topping (optional):
  • About 1 cup shredded or flaked sweetened coconut
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two 9 inch round layer cake pans; lightly grease the pans with shortening and dust with flour. Tip: to make baked cake easier to remove from pan, lightly grease the pan, line the bottom with parchment paper, and then lightly grease the top of the parchment paper and dust the pan with flour.
Tip: Use cake strips around the pans to help ensure the cake rises evenly. Make a cake strip with a length of aluminum foil long enough to encircle the pan with a little overlap. Fold the strip lengthwise until it is 2 to 3 inches wide. Wrap the strip around the outside of the pan and secure it with a metal paper clip or tape.
Batter:
  1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda; sift or whisk together to mix. Set aside.
  2. In a small mixing bowl, stir the buttermilk, vanilla, liquid red food coloring, and vinegar together. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Tip: To cream, start by placing the butter in the bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed begin by beating the butter about 1 minute until it is smooth and light in color. With the mixer still on medium speed, slowly add the sugar to the butter, either one tablespoon at a time, or in a very slow steady stream, taking from 4 to 8 minutes to add all of the sugar, and beating until the butter and sugar are fully incorporated and the mixture is a light, or pale yellow color, with a fluffy texture. While adding the sugar, stop the mixer occasionally to scrape the mixture off the paddle and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula so the mixture blends evenly.
  4. Add eggs one at a time, beating until thoroughly mixed. Tip: For each egg, crack the egg into a small bowl and whisk with a fork to thoroughly break up the egg before adding to the creamed mixture. Start with the mixer on low speed so the liquid from the egg doesn’t splatter, once the egg is partially mixed increase the speed to medium. Each egg should be fully incorporated into the mixture before adding the next egg, taking about one minute to blend in each egg.
  5. With the mixer on low speed, add about one third of the flour mixture, mix just until the flour is almost completely blended. Scrape the bowl down, and add about one half of the buttermilk mixture, blending just until mixed. Scrape the bowl down again and continue alternating with the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture, ending with the last portion of the flour, and stirring just until blended.
  6. Bake: Spoon the batter into the prepared pans and smooth the surface with the back of a large spoon. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until a long toothpick, wooden skewer, or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Place pans on a wire cooling rack to cool for 10 to 15 minutes then remove cake from the pans and place the cake on the wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
Flour Buttercream:
  1. In a medium heavy saucepan, add the flour, and using a wire whisk, slowly whisk in the milk, whisking until the sauce is smooth and free of lumps. Place the pan over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce comes to a boil and thickens, 5 to 10 minutes. Boil and whisk for 1 minute. Remove from the heat, and set aside to cool to room temperature, or a tepid temperature. While cooling, whisk frequently to keep the sauce smooth. Tip: If the sauce is too warm when added to the creamed butter mixture it will melt the butter. If the sauce is too cold it will not blend smoothly.
  2. Meanwhile, prepare the butter and sugar when the sauce is almost cooled to the right temperature. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
  3. Gradually add the cooled sauce, adding 2 to 3 tablespoons at a time, beating about 20 seconds between each addition. Add the vanilla and continue to beat for another 1 to 2 minutes to thoroughly blend and the frosting is somewhat fluffy.
  4. The frosting should be used immediately, or refrigerate until needed.
Assembly:
  1. Using a long serrated kitchen knife, split each cake into 2 horizontal layers. Red-Velvet-CakeReserve any crumbs that occur from slicing to sprinkle on top of the frosted cake, if desired. Tip: Cut one of the cake layers so that the bottom half is thicker than the top half, and use the thicker bottom half as the 1st layer to provide a good base to support the upper layers.
  2. Place the thicker bottom half of the layers on a cake plate. Using an offset spatula spread about 1 cup frosting over the layer. Repeat with the next two layers. Place the last cake layer on top. Cover the sides and top of the cake with the remaining frosting. Spread the frosting as smooth as possible over the top and sides.
Topping (optional):
  1. Gently press coconut around the sides of the cake. Sprinkle the top of the cake with cake crumbs, if desired.

Coconut Cupcakes

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Coconut Cupcakes
For coconut lovers everywhere, these wonderful cakes have lots of coconut flavor in every bite. With ground sweetened coconut and coconut milk in the cake, frosting spiked with coconut extract, and finished with a sprinkling of sweetened coconut.
Recipe type: Dessert | Cupcakes | Butter Cakes
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Recipe Notes
Pan: Two Standard 12-Cup Muffin Pans Pan Prep: Paper Liners Oven Temp: 350° Yield: 22 Cupcakes Storage: Covered, Room Temperature or Refrigerate

Help: Cake Hints and Tips, Buttercream Tips

TheBakingPan Recommends: The BEST instant read thermometer I’ve used for cooking and baking; the ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is incredibly fast, ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapenaccurate, and well worth the investment. I use my Thermapen Thermometer for checking room temperature ingredients, tempering chocolate, baking bread, making pastry creams, sugar syrup, caramel, and candy, cooking meats and fish, and deep frying. Thermapen Thermometer available here.
Ingredients
Batter:
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ⅔ cup shredded or flaked sweetened coconut
  • 1 cup coconut milk, unsweetened
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1¾ cups granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 large egg whites
Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
  • 4 large egg whites
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/16 teaspoon salt
  • 1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1½ teaspoons coconut extract
Topping:
  • 1 to 1½ cups shredded or flaked sweetened coconut
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two standard 12-cup muffin pans; line with paper cupcake liners.
Batter:
  1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; sift or whisk together to mix. In a food processor or small grinder, pulse the coconut until finely ground; whisk into the flour mixture. Set aside.
  2. In a small mixing bowl, stir the coconut milk and vanilla extract together. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Tip: To cream, start by placing the butter in the bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed begin by beating the butter about 1 minute until it is smooth and light in color. With the mixer still on medium speed, slowly add the sugar to the butter, either one tablespoon at a time, or in a very slow steady stream, taking from 4 to 8 minutes to add all of the sugar, and beating until the butter and sugar are fully incorporated and the mixture is a light, or pale yellow color, with a fluffy texture. While adding the sugar, stop the mixer occasionally to scrape the mixture off the paddle and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula so the mixture blends evenly.
  4. Add eggs one at a time, then add the egg whites, beating until thoroughly mixed. Tip: For each egg, crack the egg into a small bowl and whisk with a fork to thoroughly break up the egg before adding to the creamed mixture. Start with the mixer on low speed so the liquid from the egg doesn’t splatter, once the egg is partially mixed increase the speed to medium. Each egg should be fully incorporated into the mixture before adding the next egg, taking about one minute to blend in each egg.
  5. With the mixer on low speed, add about one third of the flour mixture, mix just until the flour is almost completely blended. Scrape the bowl down, and add about one half of the coconut milk mixture, blending just until mixed. Scrape the bowl down again and continue alternating with the flour mixture and coconut milk mixture, ending with the last portion of the flour, and stirring just until blended.
  6. Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners. Fill about ⅔ full, using about ¼ cup of batter per cup. Tip: Avoid over-filling the liners which may cause the batter to run-over the sides when baking. It is better to bake any remaining batter separately after the first pan of cupcakes has finished baking.
  7. Bake: Bake, rotating pan halfway through, 18 to 20 minutes, or until the cakes are just firm and spring back when gently pressed, and a toothpick, wooden skewer, or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool slightly in cupcake pan, and turn out of pan when cool enough to handle. Repeat process with any remaining batter. Cool cupcakes completely on a wire cooling rack before frosting.
Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
  1. In a large bowl of an electric stand mixer combine egg whites, sugar, and salt; place the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Using a wire whisk, whisk constantly by hand until the mixture is hot, about 3 to 5 minutes. Tip: the mixture should reach about 130 degrees using a candy or instant read thermometer to gauge the temperature, or feel completely smooth when rubbed between your fingertips. Remove from heat.
  2. Attach the bowl to the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium high speed for 5 to 7 minutes or until the mixture forms a thick fluffy meringue and is cool. Tip: Touch the meringue and make sure it has cooled to room temperature. Also the outside of the bowl should feel cool to the touch.
  3. Stop the mixer, remove the whisk and attach the paddle. With the mixer on medium speed add the butter, about 1 tablespoon at a time and mixing 20 to 30 seconds after each addition. While adding the butter, stop the mixer occasionally to scrape the mixture off the paddle and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula so the mixture blends evenly. Add the coconut extract and continue beating until the Buttercream is thick and smooth, about another 2 to 3 minutes.
  4. Use a small offset spatula to frost the top of each cupcake, or use a pastry bag and ribbon decorating tip to pipe the frosting.
Topping:
  1. Sprinkle each frosted cupcake with coconut.

Easter Nest Cupcakes

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Easter Nest Cupcakes
These almond cupcakes are all dressed up for Easter, topped with a Jordan almond candy nestled in a toasted coconut nest. Toasted coconut is sweet and crunchy and makes a natural straw colored nest and the Jordan almonds carry out the almond flavor theme. Substitute any candy or use candied Easter eggs if you prefer. This almond cake recipe is moist and flavorful, and along with French Almond Buttercream, makes a lovely tasting cupcake for any occasion.
Recipe type: Dessert | Cupcakes | Butter Cakes
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Recipe Notes
Pan: Two Standard 12-Cup Muffin Pans Pan Prep: Paper Liners Oven Temp: 350° Yield: 30 Cupcakes Storage: Cover and Refrigerate

Help: Cake Hints and Tips, Buttercream Tips

TheBakingPan Recommends: The BEST instant read thermometer I’ve used for cooking and baking; the ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is incredibly fast, ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapenaccurate, and well worth the investment. I use my Thermapen Thermometer for checking room temperature ingredients, tempering chocolate, baking bread, making pastry creams, sugar syrup, caramel, and candy, cooking meats and fish, and deep frying. Thermapen Thermometer available here.
Ingredients
Batter:
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • ⅔ cup blanched, finely ground almonds
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons pure almond extract
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1⅓ cups sour cream, room temperature
Classic French Almond Buttercream:
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup water
  • 1¾ cup (3½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
Topping:
  • 2 cups sweetened coconut, toasted
  • Jordan almonds
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two standard 12-cup muffin pans; line with paper cupcake liners.
Batter:
  1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, ground almonds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; sift or whisk together to mix. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Tip: To cream, start by placing the butter in the bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed begin by beating the butter about 1 minute until it is smooth and light in color. With the mixer still on medium speed, slowly add the sugar to the butter, either one tablespoon at a time, or in a very slow steady stream, taking from 4 to 8 minutes to add all of the sugar, and beating until the butter and sugar are fully incorporated and the mixture is a light, or pale yellow color, with a fluffy texture. While adding the sugar, stop the mixer occasionally to scrape the mixture off the paddle and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula so the mixture blends evenly.
  3. Add eggs one at a time, beating until thoroughly mixed. Add the almond extract and vanilla extract along with the last egg. Tip: For each egg, crack the egg into a small bowl and whisk with a fork to thoroughly break up the egg before adding to the creamed mixture. Start with the mixer on low speed so the liquid from the egg doesn’t splatter, once the egg is partially mixed increase the speed to medium. Each egg should be fully incorporated into the mixture before adding the next egg, taking about one minute to blend in each egg.
  4. With the mixer on low speed, add about one third of the flour mixture, mix just until the flour is almost completely blended. Scrape the bowl down, and add about one half of the sour cream, blending just until mixed. Scrape the bowl down again and continue alternating with the flour mixture and sour cream, ending with the last portion of the flour, and stirring just until blended.
  5. Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners. Fill ⅔ full, using about ¼ cup of batter per cup. Tip: Avoid over-filling the liners which may cause the batter to run-over the sides when baking. It is better to bake any remaining batter separately after the first pan of cupcakes has finished baking.
  6. Bake: Bake, rotating pan halfway through, 20 minutes, or until the cakes are just firm and spring back when gently pressed, and a toothpick, wooden skewer, or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool slightly in cupcake pan, and turn out of pan when cool enough to handle. Repeat process with any remaining batter. Cool cupcakes completely on a wire cooling rack before frosting and decorating.
Topping:
  1. Spread the coconut in a large baking pan with sides, toast in the 350 degree oven for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Remove from oven. Set aside to cool until ready to use.
Classic French Almond Buttercream:
  1. In a large bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment combine eggs and egg yolks. Whisk on medium high speed for 5 to 8 minutes until the eggs become thick and lemon colored and drop in ribbons when the beater is lifted. Tip: continue beating the eggs until the sugar syrup is cooked.
  2. Meanwhile, in a medium size heavy saucepan, preferably non-stick, combine sugar and water. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Stir gently to avoid splashing the mixture onto the sides of the pan.
  3. When the syrup looks clear increase the heat to medium high and bring to a boil, without stirring, until the syrup reaches a temperature of 238 degrees F, a soft-ball stage, using a candy or instant read thermometer to gauge the temperature. While the syrup is cooking, wash away any sugar crystals that form on the sides of the pan by wiping upwards with a damp pastry brush so the sugar crystals don’t fall back into the syrup. Immediately remove pan from the heat. Optional: As soon as the syrup reaches 238 degrees F. immediately remove from the heat and pour the syrup into a glass measuring cup to stop the cooking. Be careful, the sugar is extremely hot and will burn your skin if you touch it.
  4. Quickly, as soon at the sugar syrup is done cooking, stop the mixer, pour a small amount of syrup into the beaten egg yolks, immediately turn the mixer on to high speed and beat for 5 to 10 seconds still using the whisk attachment. Turn the mixer off again, pour a little larger amount of syrup in the eggs, and immediately turn the mixer on to high speed for 5 to 10 seconds. Continue with the remaining syrup. Tip: You want to work quickly as the sugar starts to harden and thicken pretty quickly. Don’t allow any syrup to pour onto the whisk as it will spin the syrup around the sides of the bowl.
  5. Once all the sugar has been added to the eggs, continue beating the mixture at high speed, about 5 minutes longer, or until the mixture is cool. Tip: Touch the mixture and make sure it has cooled to room temperature. Also the outside of the bowl should feel cool to the touch.
  6. Stop the mixer, remove the whisk and attach the paddle. With the mixer on medium speed add the butter, about 2 tablespoons at a time and mixing 20 to 30 seconds after each addition. While adding the butter, stop the mixer occasionally to scrape the mixture off the paddle and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula so the mixture blends evenly. The Buttercream may look curdled after the butter is added, but it will become smooth as you continue to beat it. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and continue beating until the Buttercream is thick and smooth, about another 2 to 3 minutes.
  7. Buttercream should be used immediately, or refrigerate until ready to use.
  8. Decorate and Topping: Using an offset spatula, Spread about a ¼ inch layer of Buttercream over the top of each cupcake. Sprinkle the toasted coconut around the top in a ring. Place a Jordan almond in the middle of each cake.

Easter Cupcakes

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Easter Cupcakes
Blue tinted American Buttercream provides a fun contrast to the green tinted coconut grass topping these classic vanilla cupcakes. Nestle a few colorful Easter candies in the grass for an easy to make Easter treat.
Recipe type: Dessert | Cupcakes | Butter Cakes
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Recipe Notes
Pan: 12-Cup Muffin Pan Pan Prep: Paper Liners Oven Temp: 350° Yield: 12 Cupcakes Storage: Covered, Room Temperature

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TheBakingPan Recommends: The BEST instant read thermometer I’ve used for cooking and baking; the ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is incredibly fast, ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapenaccurate, and well worth the investment. I use my Thermapen Thermometer for checking room temperature ingredients, tempering chocolate, baking bread, making pastry creams, sugar syrup, caramel, and candy, cooking meats and fish, and deep frying. Thermapen Thermometer available here.
Ingredients
Batter:
  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup milk (preferably whole milk)
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
American Buttercream:
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 cups confectioner’s (powdered) sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons whole milk or half and half cream
  • Blue Food coloring
Coconut Grass:
  • 1 cup shredded or flaked sweetened coconut
  • Green and yellow food coloring
Topping:
  • Small colored Easter Candies, such as jelly beans, M&Ms, or malted eggs
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare one standard 12-cup muffin pan; line with paper cupcake liners.
Batter:
  1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; sift or whisk together to mix. Set aside.
  2. In a small mixing bowl, stir the milk and vanilla together. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Tip: To cream, start by placing the butter in the bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed begin by beating the butter about 1 minute until it is smooth and light in color. With the mixer still on medium speed, slowly add the sugar to the butter, either one tablespoon at a time, or in a very slow steady stream, taking from 4 to 8 minutes to add all of the sugar, and beating until the butter and sugar are fully incorporated and the mixture is a light, or pale yellow color, with a fluffy texture. While adding the sugar, stop the mixer occasionally to scrape the mixture off the paddle and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula so the mixture blends evenly.
  4. Add eggs one at a time, beating until thoroughly mixed. Tip: For each egg, crack the egg into a small bowl and whisk with a fork to thoroughly break up the egg before adding to the creamed mixture. Start with the mixer on low speed so the liquid from the egg doesn’t splatter, once the egg is partially mixed increase the speed to medium. Each egg should be fully incorporated into the mixture before adding the next egg, taking about one minute to blend in each egg.
  5. With the mixer on low speed, add about one third of the flour mixture, mix just until the flour is almost completely blended. Scrape the bowl down, and add about one half of the milk mixture, blending just until mixed. Scrape the bowl down again and continue alternating with the flour mixture and milk mixture, ending with the last portion of the flour, and stirring just until blended.
  6. Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners. Fill about ⅔ full, using about ¼ cup of batter per cup. Tip: Avoid over-filling the liners which may cause the batter to run-over the sides when baking. It is better to bake any remaining batter separately after the first pan of cupcakes has finished baking.
  7. Bake: Bake, rotating pan halfway through, 18 to 20 minutes, or until the cakes are just firm and spring back when gently pressed, and a toothpick, wooden skewer, or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool slightly in cupcake pan, and turn out of pan when cool enough to handle. Repeat process with any remaining batter. Cool cupcakes completely on a wire cooling rack before frosting.
American Buttercream:
  1. In a medium bowl and using an electric hand mixer or wooden spoon beat the butter until fluffy. Add vanilla and 2 tablespoons milk or half and half cream; beat until frosting is smooth and creamy. Add additional milk if necessary to make a good spreading consistency. Tint the frosting with blue food coloring.
Coconut Grass:
  1. Place coconut in a plastic ziplock bag
  2. If using liquid food coloring, add just 1 or 2 drops of each color. Use a little more green than yellow to make a pretty grass color. If using paste color, dip the end of a toothpick in the paste to get just a very small amount of color on the end of the toothpick. Swirl the toothpick around in the coconut. Tip: Use very small amounts of food coloring to start and to produce pastel colors. The more color you use the darker and more vibrant the coconut becomes. Food coloring is so concentrated that usually just a drop is enough to achieve the desired color.
  3. Close the bag, removing as much air as possible. Shake and knead the bag to evenly disperse the color. Tip: It may take a few minutes to make sure all of the color is evenly distributed. If you see little clumps of concentrated color left, continue kneading the bag to disperse the color.
  4. Assembly and Topping: Use a small offset spatula to frost the top of each cupcake. Press a small amount of coconut grass on top of the frosting. Nestle the small colored Easter candies on top of the grass.

Tropical Carrot Cake

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Tropical Carrot Cake
Pineapple and coconut add extra flavor and moistness to this tropical version of traditional carrot cake. For variation, try stirring a little coconut or pineapple into the cream cheese frosting to enhance the tropical flair.
Recipe type: Dessert | Oil Cake
Serves: 10 to 12
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Recipe Notes
Pan: Two 9 inch round layers or one 13x9x2 inch oblong Pan Prep: Greased and Floured Oven Temp: 350o Storage: Cover and Refrigerate

Help: Cake Hints and Tips, Toasting Nuts and Seeds

TheBakingPan Recommends: The BEST instant read thermometer I’ve used for cooking and baking; the ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is incredibly fast, accurate, and well worth the investment. I use my Thermapen Thermometer for checking room temperature ingredients, tempering chocolate, baking bread, making pastry creams, sugar syrup, caramel, and candy, cooking meats and fish, and deep frying. Thermapen Thermometer available here.
Ingredients
Batter:
  • 1 cup raisins
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon ground allspice
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1¼ cups vegetable oil
  • 2 cups grated raw carrots
  • 1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained
  • 1 cup shredded or flaked sweetened coconut
  • 1 cup toasted walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped (optional)
Cream Cheese Frosting:
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2½ cups confectioner’s (powdered) sugar
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two 9-inch round layer cake pans or one 9x13x2 inch oblong pan; lightly grease the pans with shortening and dust with flour. Tip: to make baked cake easier to remove from pan, lightly grease the pan, line the bottom with parchment paper, and then lightly grease the top of the parchment paper and dust the pan with flour.
Batter:
  1. Plump the raisins by steaming in a colander in a double boiler; steam the raisins about 1 minute or until softened. Thoroughly drain, or spread the raisins on paper toweling to dry. Tip: Create a double boiler by filling a saucepan with 2 inches of water and bringing it to a simmer. Place the fruit in a steamer or plastic or wire mesh colander on top of the simmering water, the upper pan should not touch the water.
  2. In a medium mixing bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice; sift or whisk together to mix. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, add eggs; beat on medium-high speed for 2 minutes. With the mixer still on medium-high speed, slowly add the sugar to the eggs, either one tablespoon at a time, or in a very slow steady stream, taking 3 to 4 minutes to add all of the sugar, and beating until the eggs and sugar are fully incorporated, and the mixture looks light in color and thickened. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula so the mixture blends evenly. Add the vanilla and then beat for 1 minute longer.
  4. Reduce mixer speed to medium, slowly pour the oil into the batter in a slow steady stream, and then beat for 1 minute longer.
  5. Reduce mixer speed to medium-low, and blend in the flour mixture all at once, mixing just until incorporated.
  6. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Using a balloon type whisk or large rubber spatula, fold in the drained raisins, carrots, drained pineapple, coconut, and nuts.
  7. Bake: Spoon the batter into the prepared pans and smooth the surface with the back of a large spoon. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until a long toothpick, wooden skewer, or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Place baking pans on wire cooling rack to cool for 10 to 15 minutes. If using round cake pans, remove cake from pans and place directly on wire racks to finish cooling. If using 13x9 inch pan you can leave the cake in the baking pan to finish cooling and cut into squares to serve.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
  1. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, butter, and vanilla; use an electric hand mixer or wooden spoon and beat together until mixture is smooth. Add powdered sugar; beat until frosting is smooth and creamy. Use an offset spatula to spread frosting between layers and over top and sides of cake.
  2. Cover frosted cake and refrigerate until ready to serve. Refrigerate Leftovers.

Lane Cake

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Lane Cake
Thank you, Emma Rylander Lane, for creating and sharing this wonderfully delicious, and elegant cake. The recipe for Lane Cake was first printed in Lane's cookbook Some Good Things to Eat, which she self-published in 1898. Lane cake is mentioned several times in Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize winning American classic To Kill a Mockingbird.

My version is a 6-layer masterpiece. Following tradition, this recipe is made with a white cake using a large amount of egg whites. Each layer is topped with a generous portion of a cooked egg yolk based filling loaded with pecans, raisins, coconut, and of course a heavy dose of bourbon. A thick layer of Seven Minute Frosting adds the final embellishment.

Lane Cake is truly a celebration and holiday cake; it takes a bit of time and planning, however the results are extra scrumptious.

From the Encyclopedia of Alabama:
The original Lane Cake recipe states that the cake should be baked in medium pie tins lined on the bottom with ungreased brown paper, rather than in cake pans. She specified "one wine-glass of good whiskey or brandy" for the filling and that the raisins be "seeded and finely clipped." She also insisted that the icing be tested with a clean spoon. In Lane's time, the cake would have been baked in a wood stove. Lane also suggested that the cake is best if made a day or so in advance of serving, presumably to allow the flavors to meld.

In Alabama, and throughout the South, the presentation of an elegant, scratch-made, laborious Lane cake is a sign that a noteworthy life event is about to be celebrated. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Alabama native Harper Lee, character Maudie Atkinson bakes a Lane cake to welcome Aunt Alexandra when she comes to live with the Finch family. Noting the cake's alcoholic kick, the character Scout remarks, "Miss Maudie baked a Lane cake so loaded with shinny it made me tight." Shinny is a slang term for liquor.
Recipe type: Dessert | Butter Layer Cake
Serves: 10 to 12
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Recipe Notes
Pan: Three 8" Round Layers Pan Prep: Greased and Floured Oven Temp: 350° Storage: Cover and Refrigerate

Help: Cake Hints and Tips, Toasting Nuts and Seeds

TheBakingPan Recommends: The BEST instant read thermometer I’ve used for cooking and baking; the ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is incredibly fast, ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapenaccurate, and well worth the investment. I use my Thermapen Thermometer for checking room temperature ingredients, tempering chocolate, baking bread, making pastry creams, sugar syrup, caramel, and candy, cooking meats and fish, and deep frying. Thermapen Thermometer available here.
Ingredients
Filling:
  • 12 large egg yolks
  • 1½ cups granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted, then cooled
  • 1½ cups toasted pecans, finely chopped
  • 1½ cups raisins, finely chopped
  • 1½ cups shredded or flaked sweetened coconut
  • ½ cup bourbon
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Batter:
  • 3½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup milk, room temperature (preferably whole milk)
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 8 large egg whites
Seven Minute Frosting:
  • 3 large egg whites
  • 1½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
  • ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • ⅓ cup water
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Filling:
  1. Place egg yolks in a large bowl of an electric mixer; beat on medium high speed about 3 minutes. Gradually add the sugar and beat for 5 to 8 minutes or until the mixture is very thick and drops in ribbons when the beater is lifted. Reduce the mixer to low, gradually stream in the melted butter while continuing to beat until the mixture is blended.
  2. Place the bowl with the beaten egg yolks in top of a double boiler over simmering water. Cook the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly with a wire whisk until mixture reaches 170 degrees, using a candy or instant read thermometer to gauge the temperature, about 15 minutes. Remove pan from heat.
  3. Stir in pecans, raisins, and coconut. Let mixture cool, then add the bourbon and vanilla; stir until thoroughly combined.
  4. Refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 6 hours or overnight. Tip: Plan on making the filling at least one day in advance to give yourself enough time to prepare the cake.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare three 8 inch round layer cake pans; lightly grease the pans with shortening and dust with flour. Tip: to make baked cake easier to remove from pan, lightly grease the pan, line the bottom with parchment paper, and then lightly grease the top of the parchment paper and dust the pan with flour.
Batter:
  1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; sift or whisk together to mix. Set aside.
  2. In a small mixing bowl, stir the milk and vanilla extract together. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Tip: To cream, start by placing the butter in the bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed begin by beating the butter about 1 minute until it is smooth and light in color. With the mixer still on medium speed, slowly add the sugar to the butter, either one tablespoon at a time, or in a very slow steady stream, taking from 4 to 8 minutes to add all of the sugar, and beating until the butter and sugar are fully incorporated and the mixture is a light, or pale yellow color, with a fluffy texture. While adding the sugar, stop the mixer occasionally to scrape the mixture off the paddle and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula so the mixture blends evenly.
  4. With the mixer on low speed, add about one third of the flour mixture, mix just until the flour is almost completely blended. Scrape the bowl down, and add about one half of the milk mixture, blending just until mixed. Scrape the bowl down again and continue alternating with the flour mixture and milk mixture, ending with the last portion of the flour, and stirring just until blended. Set aside.
  5. In a large mixing bowl and using clean beaters, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Using a balloon type wire whisk or large rubber spatula, gently fold about ¼ of the beaten egg whites into the batter to lighten the batter, and then fold in the remaining egg whites.
  6. Bake: Spoon the batter into the prepared pans and smooth the surface with the back of a large spoon. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until a long toothpick, wooden skewer, or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Place pans on a wire cooling rack to cool for 10 to 15 minutes then remove cake from the pans and place the cake on the wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
Assembly:
  1. Using a long serrated kitchen knife, split each cake into 2 horizontal layers. Tip: Cut one of the cake layers so that the bottom half is thicker than the top half, and use the thicker bottom half as the 1st layer to provide a good base to support the upper layers.
  2. Place the thicker bottom half of the layers on a cake plate. Using an offset spatula spread about ⅔ cup filling over the layer. Repeat with the next four layers. Place the last cake layer on top. And spread remaining filling over the top layer.
  3. Refrigerate the cake at least one hour to stabilize the cake and filling before frosting.
Seven Minute Frosting:
  1. In top of a double boiler, combine egg whites, sugar, corn syrup, cream of tartar, and water. Beat on high speed 1 minute with a hand-held electric mixer. Place pan over simmering water (the upper pan should not touch the water.) Cook, beating constantly with mixer on high speed about seven minutes or until stiff peaks form. Remove from heat; add vanilla. Beat 1 minute longer to thoroughly combine. Frosting should be used immediately. Tip: Create a double boiler by filling a saucepan with 2 inches of water and bringing it to a simmer. Place a stainless steel, ceramic, or glass bowl on top of the simmering water, the upper pan should not touch the water.
  2. Using an offset spatula spread the frosting thickly onto the sides of the chilled cake. Tip: You don’t have to use all the frosting, but this is the type of frosting most people love and will appreciate the thick layer.
  3. Refrigerate the cake 30 minutes before serving to firm the frosting before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.
Source: Classic Southern Desserts, Oxmoor House, Iowa, 2010
Encyclopedia of Alabama

Italian Pecan Cream Cake

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Italian Pecan Cream Cake
Absolutely irresistible. Toasted pecans and coconut create a luscious moist cake that is topped with a creamy cream cheese frosting.
Recipe type: Dessert | Butter Layer Cake
Serves: 10 to 12
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Recipe Notes
Pan: Three 9" round layers Pan Prep: Greased and Floured Oven Temp: 350° Storage: Cover and Refrigerate

Help: Cake Hints and Tips, Toasting Nuts and Seeds

TheBakingPan Recommends: The BEST instant read thermometer I’ve used for cooking and baking; the ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is incredibly fast, ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapenaccurate, and well worth the investment. I use my Thermapen Thermometer for checking room temperature ingredients, tempering chocolate, baking bread, making pastry creams, sugar syrup, caramel, and candy, cooking meats and fish, and deep frying. Thermapen Thermometer available here.
Ingredients
Batter:
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • ½ cup vegetable shortening
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 5 large eggs, separated
  • 1 cup shredded or flaked sweetened coconut
  • 1 cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped
Pecan Cream Cheese Frosting:
  • 11 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons milk (preferably whole milk)
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 4 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar
  • 1 cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare three 9-inch round layer cake pans; lightly grease the pans with shortening and dust with flour. Tip: to make baked cake easier to remove from pan, lightly grease the pan, line the bottom with parchment paper, and then lightly grease the top of the parchment paper and dust the pan with flour.
Batter:
  1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt together, sift or whisk together to mix. Set aside.
  2. In a small mixing bowl, stir the buttermilk and vanilla together. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter, shortening, and sugar until light and fluffy. Tip: To cream, start by placing the butter and shortening in the bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed begin by beating the butter and shortening about 1 minute until it is smooth and light in color. With the mixer still on medium speed, slowly add the sugar to the butter mixture, either one tablespoon at a time, or in a very slow steady stream, taking from 4 to 8 minutes to add all of the sugar, and beating until the butter and sugar are fully incorporated and the mixture is a light, or pale yellow color, with a fluffy texture. While adding the sugar, stop the mixer occasionally to scrape the mixture off the paddle and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula so the mixture blends evenly.
  4. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating until thoroughly mixed. Each egg yolk should be fully incorporated into the mixture before adding the next egg yolk, taking about one minute to blend in each egg yolk.
  5. With the mixer on low speed, add about one third of the flour mixture, mix just until the flour is almost completely blended. Scrape the bowl down, and add about one half of the buttermilk mixture, blending just until mixed. Scrape the bowl down again and continue alternating with the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture, ending with the last portion of the flour, and stirring just until blended.
  6. In a medium mixing bowl and using clean beaters, beat egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Using a balloon type whisk or large rubber spatula, gently fold the beaten egg whites into the batter, and then fold the coconut and pecans into the batter.
  7. Bake: Spoon the batter into the prepared pans and smooth the surface with the back of a large spoon. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until a long toothpick, wooden skewer, or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and place pans on a wire cooling rack to cool for 10 to 15 minutes then remove cake from the pans and place the cake on the wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
Pecan Cream Cheese Frosting:
  1. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese and butter; beat together until mixture is smooth. Add milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar; beat until frosting is smooth and creamy. Stir in pecans. Using an offset spatula, spread frosting between layers and over top and sides of cake.
  2. Cover frosted cake and refrigerate until ready to serve. Refrigerate Leftovers.

German Chocolate Cake

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German Chocolate Cake
Distinctive with its decadent topping of coconut and pecans, German Chocolate Cake became popular in the 1950’s, and continues to be a favorite today. Made with German Sweet Chocolate and buttermilk, this cake is delicious to eat plain, topped with a chocolate frosting, or topped with sweetened whipped cream. However, add the classic coconut-pecan topping and this cake comes alive with a traditional flavor.
Recipe type: Dessert | Butter Layer Cake | Chocolate Cake
Serves: 10 to 12
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Recipe Notes
Pan: Three 9" Round Layers Pan Prep: Greased, Parchment Paper, and Floured Oven Temp: 350o Storage: Covered, Room Temperature

Help: Cake Hints and Tips, Chocolate Types, Melting Chocolate

TheBakingPan Recommends: The BEST instant read thermometer I’ve used for cooking and baking; the ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is incredibly fast, ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapenaccurate, and well worth the investment. I use my Thermapen Thermometer for checking room temperature ingredients, tempering chocolate, baking bread, making pastry creams, sugar syrup, caramel, and candy, cooking meats and fish, and deep frying. Thermapen Thermometer available here.
Ingredients
Batter:
  • 4 ounces German Sweet Chocolate
  • ½ cup water
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs, separated
Coconut-Pecan Topping:
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
  • 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1½ cups granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter
  • 7 ounces (about 2⅔ cups) shredded or flaked sweetened coconut, break-up any clumps
  • 1½ cups pecans, coarsely chopped
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare three 9-inch round layer cake pans; lightly grease the pans, line the bottom with parchment paper, and then lightly grease the top of the parchment paper and dust the pan with flour.
Batter:
  1. Combine chocolate and hot water in the top of a double boiler over hot water; stir and heat just until the chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly. Tip: Create a double boiler by filling a saucepan with 2 inches of water and bringing it to a simmer. Place a stainless steel, ceramic, or glass bowl on top of the simmering water, the upper pan should not touch the water.
  2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt; sift or whisk together to mix. Set aside.
  3. In a small mixing bowl, stir the buttermilk and vanilla together. Set aside.
  4. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Tip: To cream, start by placing the butter in the bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed begin by beating the butter about 1 minute until it is smooth and light in color. With the mixer still on medium speed, slowly add the sugar to the butter, either one tablespoon at a time, or in a very slow steady stream, taking from 4 to 8 minutes to add all of the sugar, and beating until the butter and sugar are fully incorporated and the mixture is a light, or pale yellow color, with a fluffy texture. While adding the sugar, stop the mixer occasionally to scrape the mixture off the paddle and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula so the mixture blends evenly.
  5. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating until thoroughly mixed.
  6. With the mixer on low speed, add about one third of the flour mixture, mix just until the flour is almost completely blended. Scrape the bowl down, and add about one half of the buttermilk mixture, blending just until mixed. Scrape the bowl down again and continue alternating with the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture, ending with the last portion of the flour, and stirring just until blended.
  7. Using a balloon type whisk or large rubber spatula, gently fold the melted chocolate into the batter.
  8. In a medium mixing bowl and using clean beaters, beat the egg whites until the peaks hold their shape. Using a balloon type whisk or large rubber spatula gently fold the egg whites into the batter.
  9. Bake: Spoon the batter into the prepared pans and smooth the surface with the back of a large spoon. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until a long toothpick, wooden skewer, or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and place pans on a wire cooling rack to cool for 10 to 15 minutes then remove cake from the pans and place the cake on the wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
Coconut-Pecan Topping:
  1. In a medium heavy-bottomed pan over low heat, combine egg yolks, evaporated milk, and vanilla; whisk together until well blended. Add sugar and butter; cook on medium heat just to a simmer or low boil, cook for 12 minutes, stirring constantly so mixture does not burn. Tip: adjust heat as necessary during the 12 minute cook to keep at a simmer or low boil. The long cooking helps develop the charistic nutty flavors of this topping.
  2. Remove from heat and stir in coconut and pecans. Cool to room temperature.
  3. Spread Coconut-Pecan Topping between cake layers and onto top of cake.

Coconut Custard Layer Cake

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Coconut Custard Layer Cake
Six delicious layers of yummy coconut cake are thoroughly infused with coconut flavor. I’ve used a combination of cream of coconut, both sweetened and unsweetened coconut, along with a bit of coconut extract to achieve this lovely cake; the unsweetened coconut is ground with some of the sugar to boost up the coconut flavor. An easy to make coconut custard provides a luscious filling between two layers, and a silky Swiss Meringue Coconut Buttercream fills the remaining layers and covers the outside. And of course any coconut layer cake should be covered with a deep drift of sweet coconut. I’ve lightly toasted the coconut to use as a garnish on this cake, but if you prefer you can cover the cake with untoasted unsweetened coconut.

This is a lovely cake to serve to guests or for special occasions and can easily be made ahead of time. The coconut custard can be made the day before, along with toasting the coconut, if desired, to use as a garnish to cover the outside of the cake. The cake itself can also be baked the day before. Then all that’s left to do before serving is to make the Buttercream and assemble the cake.
Recipe type: Dessert | Butter Layer Cake
Serves: 10 to 12
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Recipe Notes
Pan: Three 8" Round Layers Pan Prep: Greased, and Floured Oven Temp: 350° Storage: Cover and Refrigerate

Help: Cake Hints and Tips, Buttercream Tips

TheBakingPan Recommends: The BEST instant read thermometer I’ve used for cooking and baking; the ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is incredibly fast, ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapenaccurate, and well worth the investment. I use my Thermapen Thermometer for checking room temperature ingredients, tempering chocolate, baking bread, making pastry creams, sugar syrup, caramel, and candy, cooking meats and fish, and deep frying. Thermapen Thermometer available here.
Ingredients
Coconut Batter:
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup sweetened cream of coconut such as Coco Lopez, (not coconut milk) stirred well before using
  • ¼ cup milk (preferably whole milk)
  • 1 teaspoon coconut extract
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup unsweetened coconut
  • 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 large eggs, separated
  • 4 large egg whites
  • ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
Coconut Custard:
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup milk (preferably whole milk)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup shredded or flaked sweetened coconut
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Swiss Meringue Coconut Buttercream:
  • 5 large egg whites
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/16 teaspoon (pinch) salt
  • 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • ¼ cup sweetened cream of coconut such as Coco Lopez, (not coconut milk) stirred well before using
  • 1 teaspoon coconut extract
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Garnish:
  • About 2 cups shredded or flaked sweetened coconut, lightly toasted if desired
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare three 8 inch round layer cake pans; lightly grease the pans with shortening and dust with flour. Tip: to make baked cake easier to remove from pan, lightly grease the pan, line with parchment paper, and then lightly grease the top of the parchment paper and dust the pan with flour.
Tip: Use cake strips around the pans to help ensure the cake rises evenly. Make a cake strip with a length of aluminum foil long enough to encircle the pan with a little overlap. Fold the strip lengthwise until it is 2 to 3 inches wide. Wrap the strip around the outside of the pan and secure it with a metal paper clip or tape.
Coconut Batter:
  1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; sift or whisk together to mix. Set aside.
  2. In a small bowl, stir the cream of coconut, milk, coconut extract, and vanilla extract together. Set aside.
  3. In a food processor or small food grinder, process the unsweetened coconut and ¼ cup sugar until the coconut is finely ground. Set aside.
  4. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter, remaining ¾ cup sugar, and sugar-coconut mixture until light and fluffy. Tip: To cream, start by placing the butter in the bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed begin by beating the butter about 1 minute until it is smooth and light in color. With the mixer still on medium speed, slowly add the ¾ cup sugar to the butter, either one tablespoon at a time, or in a very slow steady stream, then add the sugar-coconut mixture, taking from 4 to 8 minutes to add all of the sugars, and beating until the butter and sugars are fully incorporated and the mixture is a light, or pale yellow color, with a fluffy texture. While adding the sugars, stop the mixer occasionally to scrape the mixture off the paddle and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula so the mixture blends evenly.
  5. Add the 2 egg yolks, beating until thoroughly mixed.
  6. With the mixer on low speed, add about one third of the flour mixture, mix just until the flour is almost completely blended. Scrape the bowl down, and add about one half of the milk mixture, blending just until mixed. Scrape the bowl down again and continue alternating with the flour mixture and milk mixture, ending with the last portion of the flour, and stirring just until blended. Remove bowl from mixer and Set aside.
  7. In another large mixing bowl and using clean beaters, beat the 6 egg whites with an electric mixer until foamy, add the cream of tartar, and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Using a balloon type whisk or large rubber spatula, gently fold about ¼ of the beaten egg whites into the batter to lighten the batter, and then fold in the remaining egg whites.
  8. Bake: Spoon the batter into the prepared pans and smooth the surface with a small offset spatula or the back of a large spoon. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until a long toothpick, wooden skewer, or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Place pans on a wire cooling rack to cool for 10 to 15 minutes then remove cake from the pans and place the cake on the wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
Coconut Custard:
  1. In a medium size heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, flour, milk, and eggs. Cook, whisking constantly with a wire whisk until mixture is bubbly and thick, about 15 minutes. Remove pan from heat; stir in coconut and vanilla. Set aside to cool to room temperature. Tip: Coconut custard can be made the day before and refrigerated until ready to use.
Swiss Meringue Coconut Buttercream:
  1. In a small bowl, stir the cream of coconut, coconut extract, and vanilla extract together. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl of an electric stand mixer combine egg whites, sugar, and salt; place the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Using a wire whisk, whisk constantly by hand until the mixture is hot, about 3 to 5 minutes. Tip: the mixture should reach about 130 degrees, using a candy or instant read thermometer to gauge the temperature, or feel completely smooth when rubbed between your fingertips. Remove from heat.
  3. Attach the bowl to the electric stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium high speed for 5 to 7 minutes or until the mixture forms a thick fluffy meringue and is cool. Tip: Touch the meringue and make sure it has cooled to room temperature. Also the outside of the bowl should feel cool to the touch.
  4. Stop the mixer, remove the whisk and attach the paddle. With the mixer on medium speed add the butter, about 2 tablespoons at a time and mixing 20 to 30 seconds after each addition. While adding the butter, stop the mixer occasionally to scrape the mixture off the paddle and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula so the mixture blends evenly. Slowly drizzle in the cream of coconut mixture and continue beating until the Buttercream is thick and smooth, about another 2 to 3 minutes.Coconut-Custard-Cake-slice
  5. Buttercream should be used immediately, or refrigerate until needed.
Assembly:
  1. Using a long serrated kitchen knife, split each cake into 2 horizontal layers.
  2. Tip: Cut one of the cake layers so that the bottom half is thicker than the top half, and use the thicker bottom half as the 1st layer to provide a good base to support the upper layers.
  3. Place the thicker bottom half of the layers on a cake plate. Using an offset spatula spread about ¾ cup Coconut Buttercream over the layer. Place another cake layer on top and spread about ½ of the Coconut Custard over the layer. Place another cake layer on top and spread about ¾ cup Coconut Buttercream over the layer then place another cake layer and spread with remaining Coconut Custard. Place the fifth cake layer on top and spread with about ¾ cup Coconut Buttercream. Place the last cake layer on top. Cover the sides and top of the cake with the remaining frosting. Spread the frosting as smooth as possible over the top and sides.Coconut-Custard-Cake
Garnish:
  1. To toast coconut: spread coconut on a rimmed baking sheet and place in the oven. Stir every 2 to 3 minutes for about 10 minutes or until the coconut is lightly browned. Remove from oven. Let cool before using. Tip: Coconut can be toasted the day before and covered until ready to use.
  2. Gently press coconut around the sides and over top of the cake.
  3. Refrigerate the cake at least 30 minutes before serving to firm the frosting before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.

Peanut Butter Balls

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Peanut Butter Balls
These scrumptious little candies are easy to make and they disappear quickly. Filled with graham cracker, pecans, coconut, and peanut butter; after you roll them into balls, dip them in a creamy milk chocolate coating, then finish with a bit of dark chocolate on top.
Recipe type: Dessert | Candy | Chocolate
Prep time: 
Total time: 
Recipe Notes
Equipment: Small Saucepan, Double Boiler Method: Stove top Yield: 48 Pieces Storage: Airtight Container, Cool Place or Refrigerate

Help: Chocolate Types, Melting Chocolate, Tempering Chocolate

TheBakingPan Recommends: The BEST instant read thermometer I’ve used for cooking and baking; the ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is incredibly fast, ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapenaccurate, and well worth the investment. I use my Thermapen Thermometer for checking room temperature ingredients, tempering chocolate, baking bread, making pastry creams, sugar syrup, caramel, and candy, cooking meats and fish, and deep frying. Thermapen Thermometer available here.
Ingredients
Center:
  • 2 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar
  • 1 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 7 full graham cracker sheets)
  • ¾ cup pecans, finely chopped
  • ½ cup shredded or flaked sweetened coconut
  • ½ cup unsalted butter
  • ½ cup creamy peanut butter
Coating:
  • 10 ounces milk chocolate
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable shortening (optional, not used if tempering chocolate)
  • 4 ounces dark chocolate
Instructions
Center:
  1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine powdered sugar, graham cracker crumbs, pecans, and coconut; mix together. Set aside.
  2. In a small heavy-bottomed pan over low heat, combine butter and peanut butter; stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until melted. Add to powdered sugar mixture. Stir well to combine all ingredients.
  3. Shape dough into small balls, about 1” in diameter. Tip: A small ice cream scoop is ideal for making uniform-sized candies. Cover balls and refrigerate until well chilled, 1 to 2 hours.
Coating:
Tip: It is always preferable to temper chocolate when the chocolate is used for dipping candies. In place of step 9 below, See Tempering Chocolate for information about how to temper the chocolate to be used for dipping these candies.

If you don’t want to go through the steps of tempering the chocolate, the following directions are for melting chocolate (not tempering.)
  1. Line 2 large baking sheets or jelly roll pans with parchment paper or wax paper.
  2. In top of a double boiler over hot water, melt milk chocolate and shortening; stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to combine. Set aside to cool. Tip: Create a double boiler by filling a saucepan with 2 inches of water and bringing it to a simmer. Turn the heat off and place a glass bowl, stainless steel bowl, or ceramic bowl on top of the hot water; the upper pan should not touch the water.
  3. Place the cooled bowl of chocolate over a pan of hot water to keep the chocolate a liquid consistency for dipping.
Dipping:
  1. Place one ball at a time in the chocolate, gently turn it over with a fork or candy dipping fork. Use the fork to lift the ball out of the chocolate and tap the fork on the rim of the bowl to allow excess chocolate to drip back into the pan, and then draw the underside of the fork over the rim of the pan to remove any drips of chocolate. Gently place the chocolate coated ball on the prepared baking pan, pushing the ball off the fork with another fork. Let balls sit until the chocolate is dry and firm. Tip: refrigerate chocolate coated balls about 30 minutes for the chocolate to become firm. However, if the chocolate has been tempered the balls do not need to be refrigerated as the chocolate should set quickly.
  2. In top of a double boiler over hot water, melt dark chocolate.
  3. Using a small spoon, place a small amount of dark chocolate onto the top of each milk chocolate coated ball. Place balls on baking pans; let sit until the chocolate is hardened.
  4. Store in an airtight container so they won’t dry out.

Martha Washingtons

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Martha Washingtons
This is an old-fashioned candy that is so easy to make, perfect for holiday gift giving or any time of year you need a sweet candy treat. These chocolate covered candies have a rich and creamy center made with butter, sweetened condensed milk and confectioners’ sugar mixed with plenty of pecans and coconut.
Recipe type: Dessert | Candy | Coconut | Chocolate
Prep time: 
Total time: 
Recipe Notes
Equipment: Small Saucepan Method: Stovetop Pan: Two Large Rimmed Baking Sheet Pan Prep: Parchment Lined Yield: Five Dozen 1-Inch Balls Storage: Airtight Container, Cool Place or Refrigerate

Help: Chocolate Types, Melting Chocolate, Tempering Chocolate

TheBakingPan Recommends: The BEST instant read thermometer I’ve used for cooking and baking; the ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is incredibly fast, ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapenaccurate, and well worth the investment. I use my Thermapen Thermometer for checking room temperature ingredients, tempering chocolate, baking bread, making pastry creams, sugar syrup, caramel, and candy, cooking meats and fish, and deep frying. Thermapen Thermometer available here.
Ingredients
Filling:
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 can (14 ounce) sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups confectioners’ (powdered) sugar
  • 2 cups pecans, coarsely chopped (about ¼ inch pieces)
  • 14 ounces (about 3⅓ cups) shredded or flaked sweetened coconut
Chocolate Coating:
  • 4 ounces semisweet or, bittersweet chocolate
  • 2 tablespoons shortening (optional, not used if tempering chocolate)
Instructions
Line 2 large baking sheets or jelly roll pans with parchment paper or wax paper.
Filling:
  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine melted butter, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, confectioners’ sugar, pecans, and coconut; stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until well mixed. Cover filling and refrigerate until well chilled, 4 to 6 hours or overnight.
  2. Shape filling into small balls, about 1” in diameter, using about 1 tablespoon of mixture for each ball. Place balls on prepared pan. Tip: A small ice cream scoop is ideal for making uniform-sized candies. Cover balls and refrigerate until well chilled, 1 to 2 hours or overnight.
Chocolate Coating:
Tip: It is always preferable to temper chocolate when the chocolate is used for dipping candies. In place of step 9 below, See Tempering Chocolate for information about how to temper the chocolate to be used for dipping these candies.

If you don’t want to go through the steps of tempering the chocolate, the following directions are for melting chocolate (not tempering.)
  1. Line 2 large baking sheet or jelly roll pan with parchment paper or wax paper.
  2. In top of a double boiler over hot water, melt chocolate. Or, melt chocolate in a small heavy-bottom pan over low heat; stir constantly until melted so chocolate does not burn. Remove pan from heat. Or, place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl, use 50% power and stir frequently just until the chocolate is melted; do not overheat as chocolate will burn easily. Stir in the shortening. Set aside to cool. Tip: Create a double boiler by filling a saucepan with 2 inches of water and bringing it to a simmer. Turn the heat off and place a glass bowl, stainless steel bowl, or ceramic bowl on top of the hot water; the upper pan should not touch the water.
  3. Place the cooled bowl of chocolate over a pan of hot water to keep the chocolate a liquid consistency for dipping.
Dipping:
  1. Place one ball at a time in the chocolate, gently turn it over with a fork or candy dipping fork. Use the fork to lift the ball out of the chocolate and tap the fork on the rim of the bowl to allow excess chocolate to drip back into the pan, and then draw the underside of the fork over the rim of the pan to remove any drips of chocolate. Gently place the chocolate coated ball on the prepared baking pan, pushing the ball off the fork with another fork. Let balls sit until the chocolate is dry and firm. Tip: refrigerate chocolate coated balls about 30 minutes for the chocolate to become firm. However, if the chocolate has been tempered the balls do not need to be refrigerated as the chocolate should set quickly.
  2. Store in an airtight container so they won’t dry out. Candies dipped with tempered chocolate can generally be stored in a cool place or at room temperature. Candies dipped with melted (untempered chocolate) should generally be stored in the refrigerator.

Coconut Peanut Butter Eggs

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Coconut Peanut Butter Eggs
Delight your family and guests with these candy Easter eggs made with a coconut, peanut butter, and nut center. After the egg-shaped candies are dipped in chocolate, serve as is or decorate with Royal Icing.
Recipe type: Dessert | Candy | Coconut | Chocolate
Prep time: 
Total time: 
Recipe Notes
Equipment: Double Boiler Method: Stovetop Pan: Two Large Baking Pans Pan Prep: Parchment Lined Yield: 2 Dozen Eggs Storage: Airtight Container, Cool Place or Refrigerate

Help: Chocolate Types, Melting Chocolate, Tempering Chocolate, Royal Icing

TheBakingPan Recommends: The BEST instant read thermometer I’ve used for cooking and baking; the ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is incredibly fast, ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapenaccurate, and well worth the investment. I use my Thermapen Thermometer for checking room temperature ingredients, tempering chocolate, baking bread, making pastry creams, sugar syrup, caramel, and candy, cooking meats and fish, and deep frying. Thermapen Thermometer available here.
Ingredients
Center:
  • 1 cup chunky or creamy peanut butter
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup shredded or flaked sweetened coconut
  • 1 cup walnuts or pecans, finely chopped
  • 1½ cups confectioners (powdered) sugar
Coating:
  • 12 ounces semisweet chocolate or, milk chocolate
  • 1 tablespoon shortening (optional, not used if tempering chocolate)
  • Royal Icing decoration (optional)
Instructions
Center:
  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine peanut butter and butter, use an electric mixer or wooden spoon and beat together until well mixed. Add coconut, nuts, and powdered sugar; stir until well mixed.
  2. Shape dough into egg shapes, about 2” in diameter. Cover eggs and refrigerate until well chilled, 1 to 2 hours.
Coating:
Tip: It is always preferable to temper chocolate when the chocolate is used for dipping candies. In place of step 9 below, See Tempering Chocolate for information about how to temper the chocolate to be used for dipping these candies.

If you don’t want to go through the steps of tempering the chocolate, the following directions are for melting chocolate (not tempering.)
  1. Line 2 large baking sheet or jelly roll pan with parchment paper or wax paper.
  2. In top of a double boiler over hot water, melt chocolate. Stir in the shortening. Set aside to cool. Tip: Create a double boiler by filling a saucepan with 2 inches of water and bringing it to a simmer. Turn the heat off and place a glass bowl, stainless steel bowl, or ceramic bowl on top of the hot water; the upper pan should not touch the water.
  3. Place the cooled bowl of chocolate over a pan of hot water to keep the chocolate a liquid consistency for dipping.
Dipping:
  1. Place one egg at a time in the chocolate, gently turn it over with a fork or candy dipping fork. Use the fork to lift the egg out of the chocolate and tap the fork on the rim of the bowl to allow excess chocolate to drip back into the pan, and then draw the underside of the fork over the rim of the pan to remove any drips of chocolate. Gently place the chocolate coated egg on the prepared baking pan, pushing the egg off the fork with another fork. Let egg sit until the chocolate is dry and firm. Tip: refrigerate chocolate coated balls about 30 minutes for the chocolate to become firm. However, if the chocolate has been tempered the balls do not need to be refrigerated as the chocolate should set quickly.
  2. When chocolate is firm, decorate as desired with Royal Icing (optional.)
  3. Store in an airtight container so they won’t dry out. Candies dipped with tempered chocolate can generally be stored in a cool place or at room temperature. Candies dipped with melted (untempered chocolate) should generally be stored in the refrigerator.

Coconut and Chocolate Cheesecake

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Coconut and Chocolate Cheesecake
A classic the flavor combination of coconut and chocolate along with a splash of rum helps to give this cheesecake a hint of Caribbean flavor. Add a little toasted coconut as garnish on top for a crunchy texture and extra coconut flavor.
Recipe type: Dessert | Cheesecake
Serves: 10 to 12
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Recipe Notes
Pan: One 9" Round Springform Pan Prep: Buttered Starting Oven Temp: 350° Method: bain marie Storage: Cover and Refrigerate

Help: Cheesecake Hints and Tips, Chocolate Types, Melting Chocolate

TheBakingPan Recommends: The BEST instant read thermometer I’ve used for cooking and baking; the ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is incredibly fast, ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapenaccurate, and well worth the investment. I use my Thermapen Thermometer for checking room temperature ingredients, tempering chocolate, baking bread, making pastry creams, sugar syrup, caramel, and candy, cooking meats and fish, and deep frying. Thermapen Thermometer available here.
Ingredients
Chocolate Cookie and Coconut Crust:
  • 1 cup shredded or flaked sweetened coconut, toasted
  • 1¼ cups Chocolate Cookie crumbs, finely ground (Use about 2 cups or 6 ounces of cookie such as Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers, or the chocolate cookie portion of Oreo cookies)
  • 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) bittersweet or, semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon water
Coconut Filling:
  • 4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon light or, dark rum or, orange juice
  • 2½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon coconut extract
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 5 large eggs
  • ⅔ cup canned cream of coconut such as Coco Lopez, (not coconut milk) stirred well before using
Chocolate Coconut Topping:
  • 6½ ounces bittersweet or, semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • 1 ounce unsweetened baking chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • ⅔ cup canned cream of coconut such as Coco Lopez, (not coconut milk) stirred well before using
  • 2 tablespoons light or, dark rum or, orange juice
  • ⅛ teaspoon coconut extract
Garnish:
  • About ½ cup shredded or, flaked sweetened coconut, toasted
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare one 9 inch round cheesecake pan or springform pan with 3 inch sides; use a pastry brush to lightly butter the pan with about 1 tablespoon of melted butter.
Chocolate Cookie and Coconut Crust:
  1. To toast coconut: spread coconut on a rimmed baking sheet and place in the oven. Stir every 2 to 3 minutes for about 10 minutes or until the coconut is lightly browned. Remove from oven.
  2. Crush or grind the whole cookies to make crumbs. Tip: process whole cookies in a food processor or small grinder. Add the toasted coconut and chocolate to the food processor and continue processing until the mixture is finely ground. Add the butter and water and mix until thoroughly mixed and mixture is crumbly.
  3. Bake: Pour the cookie crumb mixture into the springform pan. Using the back of a large spoon or the flat bottom of a measuring cup or drinking glass, press the crumb mixture firmly and evenly across the bottom of the pan. Place the pan on a baking sheet; bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a wire cooling rack to cool.
  4. When cooled, wrap bottom and sides of pan in a double layer of heavy duty aluminum foil to prepare for the bain marie water bath. The foil is to prevent any water from seeping into the cheesecake through the pan seams.
  5. Reduce oven to 325 degrees F.
Coconut Filling:
  1. In a large bowl, add the cream cheese and sugar; mix on medium low speed with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape the mixture off the paddle and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula so the mixture blends evenly and there are no lumps.
  2. Add the rum, vanilla extract, coconut extract, and flour; continue beating on medium low speed until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute.
  3. Add the eggs 2 at a time, beating until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute, scraping the bowl between additions. Tip: crack the eggs into a small bowl and whisk with a fork to thoroughly break up the egg before adding to the cheese mixture. Add the cream of coconut and stir until well blended. Tip: Do not overbeat the cheesecake batter. Blend the ingredients quickly to add as few air bubbles as possible. The ingredients must be well blended, but excessive beating creates too many air pockets which can cause the cheesecake to puff up too much during baking, and then crack during the cooling process.
  4. Let the filling rest about 5 minutes to allow air bubbles to rise to the surface.
  5. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil to use for the bain marie water bath.
  6. Pour the cheesecake filling into the cookie crust.
  7. Bake: Set the foil wrapped springform pan in a larger pan or roasting pan and transfer to the oven. Carefully pour boiling water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan, and close the oven door. Bake 60 to 70 minutes. Tip: The Cheesecake is done when the edges are set but the center 2 to 3 inches are still a pool of liquid batter. The cake should look as though it has puffed a little and just barely beginning to brown. The center will still be soft and jiggly when the pan is lightly jarred or tapped with a spoon.
  8. Remove from oven, place springform pan on a wire cooling rack to cool. Immediately run a thin knife around the edge of the pan, gently pressing into the side of the pan to avoid gouging the cake. This allows the cake to contract away from the sides of the pan as it cools, helping to prevent cracks.
  9. When cheesecake is completely cooled, cover the pan and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours before serving. Try to avoid having the covering touch the top of the cheesecake as this may mar the surface.
Chocolate Coconut Topping:
  1. Place the chopped bittersweet or semisweet and unsweetened chocolate in a medium bowl. Set aside.
  2. In a small heavy saucepan over medium low heat, heat the cream of coconut until it is hot and just beginning to steam. Remove from heat and pour over the chocolate, stirring until the chocolate is completely melted. Add rum and coconut extract, stirring until completely mixed. Remove from heat and set aside to cool about 10 minutes or until starting to cool and thicken.
  3. Pour over center of cheesecake; use a small offset spatula to spread the chocolate to the edges.
Garnish:
  1. Sprinkle toasted coconut around the outside edge of the topping.
  2. Refrigerate the cheesecake until the topping is set, 20 to 30 minutes.
Adapted from: Baggett, Nancy, The All-American Dessert Book, Houghton Mifflin Co, New York, 2005

Maple Oatmeal Pie

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Maple Oatmeal Pie
Walnuts, oatmeal, and coconut add a wonderfully crunchy texture to this rich maple flavored pie. If you like pecan pie, you’ll love this maple version, it is truly addicting.
Recipe type: Dessert | Custard Pie
Serves: 6 to 8
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Recipe Notes
Pan: One 9" Pie Pastry: Classic Pie Pastry Prep: Chilled, Unbaked Oven Temp: 350° Storage: Cover and Refrigerate

Help: Classic Pie Pastry
Ingredients
Pastry:
Filling:
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¾ cup pure maple syrup, preferably grade B
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
  • ½ cup milk (preferably whole milk)
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup shredded or flaked sweetened coconut
  • ¾ cup old-fashioned oats
  • ½ cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
Instructions
Pastry:
  1. Prepare Classic Pie Pastry for a 9 inch single-crust pie. Line a 9 inch pie pan with the bottom pastry. Trim the pastry to one inch beyond the edge of the pie pan. Flute or decorate the edges. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate pie pastry until firm, at least 30 minutes.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Filling:
  1. In a large mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Add the maple syrup, granulated sugar, brown sugar, milk, melted butter, and vanilla; lightly stir together to completely blend. Do not over-mix, which will create air bubbles. Stir in the coconut, oats, and walnuts. Pour the mixture into the chilled pastry shell.
  2. Bake: Bake 60 to 70 minutes or until the crust is golden and the filling is slightly puffed, and the pie is set but still jiggles slightly if the pan is given a gentle shake. Tip: During baking, if crust is getting too brown, loosely place a piece of foil over the top to prevent the crust from over-browning.
  3. Remove from oven. Cool on a wire cooling rack for at least 3 hours before cutting and serving. The filling will firm as it cools. Cover and refrigerate within 8 hours. Refrigerate Leftovers.
Source: Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Baking, 2007

Orange Scented Coconut Macaroons

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Orange Scented Coconut Macaroons
Coconut orange and chocolate, oh my but these are wickedly good. A little crunch on the outside, and then chewy and moist on the inside. The small amount of chocolate from dipping the bottoms and a light chocolate drizzling on top makes a pretty and festive presentation and is the perfect accompanying flavor.
Recipe type: Dessert | Shaped Cookies | Coconut | Chocolate
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Recipe Notes
Pan: Two Large Baking Sheets Pan Prep: Parchment Lined Oven Temp: 300° Yield: 7 Dozen Storage: Airtight Container, Room Temperature

Help: Cookie Hints and Tips, Melting Chocolate, Chocolate Types
Ingredients
Dough:
  • 2 large egg whites
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
  • 2 tablespoons freshly grated orange zest (about 1 orange)
  • 1 teaspoon pure orange extract
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon coconut extract
  • 2 (14 ounce) packages shredded or flaked sweetened coconut
Topping:
  • 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
Instructions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line Baking sheets with parchment paper, or line with a non-stick baking mat.
Dough:
  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine egg whites and salt. Using a wire whisk, whisk until frothy, about 2 minutes. Add sweetened condensed milk, orange zest, orange extract, vanilla extract, and coconut extract; continue to whisk until combined.
  2. Using a large rubber spatula, fold in the coconut, making sure the coconut is thoroughly folded through the batter.
  3. Shape dough into mounds, or haystack shapes using about 2 tablespoons of dough for each macaroon, and Pressing the shape firmly together. Tip: A size 40 ice cream scoop is ideal for making uniform-sized macaroons and makes the perfect haystack shape.
  4. Bake: Place macaroons about 1 inch apart onto baking sheets. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until macaroons are lightly golden brown on the bottom and the tops are lightly browned in spots. Tip: The coconut will tend to brown in spots. Do not bake until they are brown all over, but just until the tips of the coconut are lightly browned.
  5. Remove macaroons from the oven. Set baking sheets on a wire cooling rack, leaving the macaroons on the baking sheets to cool completely.
Topping:
  1. In top of a double boiler over hot water, melt chocolate. Or, place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl, use 50% power and stir frequently just until the chocolate is melted; do not overheat as mixture will burn easily. Tip: Create a double boiler by filling a saucepan with 2 inches of water and bringing it to a simmer. Turn the heat off and place a stainless steel, ceramic, or glass bowl on top of the simmering water, the upper pan should not touch the water.
  2. Remove cooled macaroons from baking sheet. Dip the bottom of the macaroon into the melted chocolate. Place on a parchment paper or wax paper lined baking sheet to harden.
  3. After dipping all the macaroons in chocolate, spoon any remaining melted chocolate into a small plastic freezer bag; roll over top of bag to keep neater. (You could also use a plastic squeeze bottle with a tip available in decorating stores), Twist the top of the bag to create some pressure to make easier to squeeze out. Cut a tiny corner off the tip of the bag. Drizzle chocolate over the top of the macaroons.
  4. Let macaroons sit 1 to 2 hours, or until chocolate hardens, or place in the refrigerator to chill and harden, about 30 minutes.
Source: Taste of the South Magazine, Christmas Cooking Southern Style, 2007

  1. Orange Scented Coconut Macaroons

 

Mountain Bar Cookies

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Mountain Bar Cookies
No flour and no baking - what could be easier? Just cook part of the ingredients on top of the stove, add in some oats, peanut butter and coconut, and then drop spoonfuls of dough onto baking pans to cool.
Recipe type: Dessert | No-Bake Cookies | Shaped Cookies | Chocolate
Prep time: 
Total time: 
Recipe Notes
Type: Unbaked Pan: Two Large Baking Sheets Pan Prep: Parchment or Wax Paper Lined Yield: 3 Dozen Storage: Airtight Container, Room Temperature

Help: Cookie Hints and Tips, Melting Chocolate, Chocolate Types
Ingredients
Dough:
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • ½ cup dry nonfat milk
  • ½ cup water
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter
  • 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder or 1 ounce unsweetened baking chocolate
  • 2½ cups old-fashioned oats
  • ½ cup creamy or chunky peanut butter
  • ½ cup shredded or flaked sweetened coconut
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Prepare 2 large baking sheets; line with parchment paper, wax paper, or a non-stick baking mat.
Dough:
  1. In a large heavy bottomed pan over low heat, combine sugar, dry milk, water, butter, and cocoa powder or baking chocolate; stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until melted. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, stirring constantly so the mixture does not burn. Remove from heat.
  2. Add oats, peanut butter, coconut, and vanilla; stir until mixed.
  3. While mixture is still warm, drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto baking sheets. Let sit until cool and the chocolate is hardened. Tip: An ice cream scoop is ideal for making uniform-sized cookies.

Ranger Cookies

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Ranger Cookies
The oatmeal and cereal add a nice crunch, while the coconut adds a wonderful sweetness.
Recipe type: Dessert | Drop Cookies | Cereal Cookies | Coconut
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Recipe Notes
Pan: Two Large Baking Sheets Pan Prep: Ungreased or Parchment Lined Oven Temp: 375o Yield: 4 Dozen Storage: Airtight Container, Room Temperature

Help: Cookie Hints and Tips

TheBakingPan Recommends: The BEST instant read thermometer I’ve used for cooking and baking; the ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is incredibly fast, ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapenaccurate, and well worth the investment. I use my Thermapen Thermometer for checking room temperature ingredients, tempering chocolate, baking bread, making pastry creams, sugar syrup, caramel, and candy, cooking meats and fish, and deep frying. Thermapen Thermometer available here.
Ingredients
Dough:
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup old-fashioned oats
  • 1 cup Wheaties cereal or another similar cereal
  • ½ cup shredded or flaked sweetened coconut
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Baking sheets may be ungreased, lined with parchment paper, or lined with a non-stick baking mat.
Dough:
  1. In a large bowl, combine butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar; use an electric mixer or wooden spoon and beat together until mixture is smooth. Add egg and vanilla; beat until thoroughly mixed. Add flour, baking soda, and salt; stir until well mixed. Add oats, cereal and coconut; stir until mixed.
  2. Bake: Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are very lightly browned. Remove cookies from baking sheets with a metal spatula and place on a wire cooling rack to cool.

Fruit ‘N’ Nut Cookies

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Fruit 'N' Nut Cookies
With a combination of pineapple, nuts, cherries, dates, and coconut, these cookies are colorful and full of fruit and nuts. They are a perfect addition to your holiday cookie tray.
Recipe type: Dessert | Refrigerator Cookies
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Recipe Notes
Pan: Two Large Baking Sheets Pan Prep: Ungreased or Parchment Lined Oven Temp: 375° Yield: 7 Dozen Storage: Airtight Container, Room Temperature

Help: Cookie Hints and Tips, Toasting Nuts and Seeds

TheBakingPan Recommends: The BEST instant read thermometer I’ve used for cooking and baking; the ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is incredibly fast, ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapenaccurate, and well worth the investment. I use my Thermapen Thermometer for checking room temperature ingredients, tempering chocolate, baking bread, making pastry creams, sugar syrup, caramel, and candy, cooking meats and fish, and deep frying. Thermapen Thermometer available here.
Ingredients
Dough:
  • ½ cup pitted dates, coarsely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • ¾ cup vegetable shortening
  • 1¼ cups firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained
  • ½ cup red maraschino or candied cherries, coarsely chopped
  • ½ cup green maraschino or candied cherries, coarsely chopped
  • ½ cup shredded or flaked sweetened coconut
  • ½ cup toasted walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped
Instructions
Dough:
  1. Chop the dates; sprinkle the coarsely chopped dates with 1 teaspoon flour to keep the dates from sticking together. Set aside. Tip: Since the dates get very sticky when chopping, sprinkle with the 1 teaspoon of flour before chopping to help cut down on the stickiness.
  2. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, combine butter, shortening, and brown sugar; beat together until mixture is smooth. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until thoroughly mixed. Add 4 cups flour, baking powder, and salt; stir until mixed. Add pineapple, dates, cherries, coconut and nuts; stir to mix.
  3. Divide dough into 3 pieces. Shape each piece into a 10 inch roll. Wrap each roll in wax paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight.
  4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Baking sheets may be ungreased, lined with parchment paper, or lined with a non-stick baking mat.
  5. Slice dough into ¼ inch slices and place 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Return remaining dough to refrigerator until ready to use. Tip: My favorite tool to cut refrigerator cookies is a stainless steel dough scraper; simply push the dough scraper straight down into the cookie for straight cuts. Or use a small kitchen knife to slice the cookies.
  6. Bake: Bake 12 minutes or until cookies are set and the edges are just barely browned. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on baking sheet one minute. Remove cookies from baking sheets with a metal spatula and place on a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
Recipe adapted from Taste of Home Best Loved Cookies & Bars Fall 2007

Blondies

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Blondies
Blondies are a bar cookie, and like a brownie, but without the dark chocolate. This recipe includes macadamia nuts, white chocolate chips and toasted coconut.
Recipe type: Dessert | Bar Cookie
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Recipe Notes
Pan: One 9"x9"x2" Square Pan Prep: Greased Oven Temp: 350° Yield: 2 Dozen Bars Storage: Airtight Container, Room Temperature

Help: Cookie Hints and Tips, Chocolate Types

TheBakingPan Recommends: The BEST instant read thermometer I’ve used for cooking and baking; the ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is incredibly fast, ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapenaccurate, and well worth the investment. I use my Thermapen Thermometer for checking room temperature ingredients, tempering chocolate, baking bread, making pastry creams, sugar syrup, caramel, and candy, cooking meats and fish, and deep frying. Thermapen Thermometer available here.
Ingredients
Batter:
  • ⅓ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • ¾ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup white chocolate chips
  • ½ cup macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped
  • ½ cut toasted sweetened coconut
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare one 9x9x2 inch square pan; lightly grease the pan with shortening.
Batter:
  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and brown sugar; use an electric mixer or wooden spoon and beat together until mixture appears light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until thoroughly mixed. Add flour, baking powder, and salt; stir until well mixed. Add white chocolate chips, nuts, and coconut; stir until mixed.
  2. Bake: Spread the dough evenly in the baking pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Leave cookie in pan to cool; place baking pan on a wire cooling rack to cool. Cut into 2 inch squares.
Tip: My favorite tool to cut bar cookies is a stainless steel dough scraper; simply push the dough scraper straight down into the cookie for straight cuts. Or use a pizza cutter or small kitchen knife to cut the cookie into bars.

Coconut Pecan Frosting

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Coconut Pecan Frosting
This is the original topping recipe used with German Chocolate Cake. The sweet coconut and pecan mixture includes egg yolks, butter, vanilla, sugar and evaporated milk. A classic recipe for a classic cake.
Recipe type: Dessert | Cake Frosting
Prep time: 
Total time: 
Recipe Notes
Method: Stovetop Storage: Refrigerate
Ingredients
Frosting:
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
  • 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1½ cups granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter
  • 2⅔ cups shredded or flaked sweetened coconut
  • 1½ cups pecans, coarsely chopped
Instructions
Frosting:
  1. In a medium heavy saucepan over low heat, combine egg yolks, evaporated milk, and vanilla; use a wire whisk and whisk together until well blended. Add sugar and butter; cook on medium heat just to a boil, stirring constantly so mixture does not burn. Remove from heat and stir in coconut and pecans. Cool to room temperature.
  2. Using an offset spatula spread Coconut-Pecan Topping between cake layers and onto top of cake.

Caribbean Coconut Cake

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Caribbean Coconut Cake
Making this beautiful dessert takes extra time, but is worth the effort. The sponge cake layers are drizzled with a coconut-sugar-rum syrup then filled with a rich coconut filling. Spread extra filling on the top and sides of the cake and decorate with sprinkled coconut and candied cherries.
Recipe type: Dessert | Butter Layer Cake
Serves: 10 to 12
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Recipe Notes
Pan: 9" Round Springform Pan Prep: Greased Bottom Only Oven Temp: 375° Storage: Cover and Refrigerate

Help: Cake Hints and Tips

TheBakingPan Recommends: The BEST instant read thermometer I’ve used for cooking and baking; the ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is incredibly fast, ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapenaccurate, and well worth the investment. I use my Thermapen Thermometer for checking room temperature ingredients, tempering chocolate, baking bread, making pastry creams, sugar syrup, caramel, and candy, cooking meats and fish, and deep frying. Thermapen Thermometer available here.
Ingredients
Batter:
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 4 large eggs, separated
  • 3 tablespoons warm water
  • ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1½ teaspoons grated lemon zest
Syrup:
  • 3 tablespoons coconut milk
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon rum
Filling and Topping:
  • 3 large eggs, separated
  • 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon coconut milk, divided
  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2⅓ cup shredded or flaked sweetened coconut, divided
  • 12 candied cherries
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare a 9 inch round springform pan; Grease only the inside bottom of the pan with shortening.
Batter:
  1. In a small mixing bowl, add flour, cornstarch, and baking powder; sift or whisk together to mix. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, combine egg yolks, water, sugar and lemon zest; beat with an electric mixer until mixture is pale and creamy, about 5 to 10 minutes.
  3. In a medium mixing bowl and using clean beaters, beat egg whites until stiff. Using a balloon type whisk or large rubber spatula, fold the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture, and then fold in the flour mixture.
  4. Bake: Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface with the back of a large spoon. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until a long toothpick, wooden skewer, or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and place pan on a wire cooling rack to cool for 10 to 15 minutes then remove cake from the pan and place the cake on the wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
Syrup:
  1. In a small heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat, combine coconut milk and sugar; stir constantly until boiling and sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in rum. Set aside to cool.
Filling and Topping:
  1. In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks, 4 tablespoons coconut milk, and cornstarch together with a wire whisk 1 to 2 minutes until a light color. Set aside.
  2. In a medium heavy saucepan over low heat, combine remaining coconut milk and 6 tablespoons sugar; heat and stir constantly until almost boiling. Remove from heat.
  3. Temper the eggs: very slowly, in a thin stream, pour about ⅓ of the hot milk mixture into the beaten eggs while quickly whisking the two together. Tip: The technique used to blend uncooked eggs with a hot liquid is called tempering. Tempering slowly warms the eggs so they are closer to the temperature of the liquid they will be added to, preventing the eggs from scrambling. If you simply poured the eggs into the hot milk they would immediately start cooking and you would have chunks of cooked egg in the mixture.
  4. Return the egg mixture back to the rest of the hot milk, return to medium heat and heat until it gently boils, stirring constantly so the mixture does not burn. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Set aside to partially cool.
  5. In a medium bowl and using clean beaters, beat egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Fold remaining sugar into the egg whites. Fold egg whites into the partially cooled egg mixture, and then fold in 1⅓ cups coconut. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Assembly:
  1. Using a long kitchen knife, split cooled cake horizontally into 3 layers. Tip: place toothpicks around the cake to mark where to cut. CaribbeanCoconut-Cake-cutting cake layers Caribbean Coconut Cake Splitting Cake Layers
  2. Spread about ¼ of the filling over the bottom layer. Place the second layer on top, sprinkle with half of the syrup; let soak in and then spread with ¼ of the filling. Place the 3rd layer on top, sprinkle with the remaining syrup and let soak in. Spread top and sides of cake with remaining filling.
  3. Sprinkle the top and sides of the cake with 1 cup coconut. Decorate top of cake with candied cherries.
  4. Cover and Refrigerate until ready to serve. Refrigerate Leftovers.
Adapted from: Wolter, Annette, Teubner, Christian, Best of Baking, Fisher Publishing, 1980

Coconut Cake

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Coconut Cake
Clouds of fluffy meringue frosting cover this traditional Southern cake. Coconut milk, combined with vanilla and almond extracts make this rich butter cake a memorable dessert.
Recipe type: Dessert | Butter Layer Cake
Serves: 10 to 12
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Recipe Notes
Pan: Two 9" Round Layers Pan Prep: Greased and Floured Oven Temp: 350° Storage: Covered, Room Temperature

Help: Cake Hints and Tips

TheBakingPan Recommends: The BEST instant read thermometer I’ve used for cooking and baking; the ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is incredibly fast, ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapenaccurate, and well worth the investment. I use my Thermapen Thermometer for checking room temperature ingredients, tempering chocolate, baking bread, making pastry creams, sugar syrup, caramel, and candy, cooking meats and fish, and deep frying. Thermapen Thermometer available here.
Ingredients
Batter:
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1½ teaspoons pure almond extract
  • 1½ cups unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 5 large eggs
  • 1 cup shredded or flaked sweetened coconut
Seven Minute Frosting:
  • 3 large egg whites
  • 1½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
  • ⅓ cup water
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Topping:
  • 1 cup shredded or flaked sweetened coconut
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two 9-inch round layer cake pans; lightly grease the pans with shortening and dust with flour. Tip: to make baked cake easier to remove from pan, lightly grease the pan, line the bottom with parchment paper, and then lightly grease the top of the parchment paper and dust the pan with flour.
Batter:
  1. In a medium mixing bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; sift or whisk together to mix. Set aside.
  2. In a small mixing bowl, stir the coconut milk, vanilla extract and almond extract together. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Tip: To cream, start by placing the butter in the bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed begin by beating the butter about 1 minute until it is smooth and light in color. With the mixer still on medium speed, slowly add the sugar to the butter, either one tablespoon at a time, or in a very slow steady stream, taking from 4 to 8 minutes to add all of the sugar, and beating until the butter and sugar are fully incorporated and the mixture is a light, or pale yellow color, with a fluffy texture. While adding the sugar, stop the mixer occasionally to scrape the mixture off the paddle and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula so the mixture blends evenly.
  4. Add eggs one at a time, beating until thoroughly mixed. Tip: For each egg, crack the egg into a small bowl and whisk with a fork to thoroughly break up the egg before adding to the creamed mixture. Start with the mixer on low speed so the liquid from the egg doesn’t splatter, once the egg is partially mixed increase the speed to medium. Each egg should be fully incorporated into the mixture before adding the next egg, taking about one minute to blend in each egg.
  5. With the mixer on low speed, add about one third of the flour mixture, mix just until the flour is almost completely blended. Scrape the bowl down, and add about one half of the coconut milk mixture, blending just until mixed. Scrape the bowl down again and continue alternating with the flour mixture and coconut milk mixture, ending with the last portion of the flour, and stirring just until blended. Gently fold the coconut into the batter.
  6. Bake: Spoon the batter into the prepared pans and smooth the surface with the back of a large spoon. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until a long toothpick, wooden skewer, or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and place pans on a wire cooling rack to cool for 10 to 15 minutes then remove cake from the pans and place the cake on the wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
Seven Minute Frosting:
  1. In top of a double boiler, combine egg whites, sugar, corn syrup, and water. Beat on high speed 1 minute with an electric hand mixer. Place pan over simmering water (the upper pan should not touch the water.) Cook, beating constantly with mixer on high speed about seven minutes or until stiff peaks form. Remove from heat; add vanilla. Beat 2 to 3 minutes longer or until frosting is thick. Using an offset spatula, spread frosting between layers and over top and sides of cake. Tip: Create a double boiler by filling a saucepan with 2 inches of water and bringing it to a simmer. Place a copper, stainless steel, ceramic, or glass bowl on top of the simmering water, the upper pan should not touch the water.
Topping:
  1. Sprinkle the top of the cake with coconut and lightly press more coconut onto the sides.

Lemon Cream Coconut Cake

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Lemon Cream Coconut Cake
Lemon and coconut are an all-time classic flavor combination. This moist and sweet four layer cake is filled a fresh lemon curd and coconut filling which provides just the right amount tart contrast taste. A delectable mascarpone frosting that tastes like a rich whipped cream covers the outside of the cake. And of course the finishing touch to any coconut cake is the fluffy layer of pure white coconut dressing the entire cake.
Recipe type: Dessert | Butter Layer Cake
Serves: 10 to 12
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Recipe Notes
Pan: Two 9" Round Layers Pan Prep: Greased, and Floured Oven Temp: 350° Storage: Cover and Refrigerate

Help: Cake Hints and Tips

TheBakingPan Recommends: The BEST instant read thermometer I’ve used for cooking and baking; the ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is incredibly fast, ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapenaccurate, and well worth the investment. I use my Thermapen Thermometer for checking room temperature ingredients, tempering chocolate, baking bread, making pastry creams, sugar syrup, caramel, and candy, cooking meats and fish, and deep frying. Thermapen Thermometer available here.
Ingredients
Batter:
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1½ teaspoons pure almond extract
  • 1½ cups unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 5 large eggs
  • 1 cup shredded or flaked sweetened coconut
Lemon Curd with Coconut:
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest (about 3 lemons)
  • ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 6 large egg yolks
  • 1 cup shredded or flaked sweetened coconut
Mascarpone Frosting:
  • 8 ounces mascarpone cheese
  • ½ cup confectioners’ (powdered) sugar
  • 1 cup whipping (heavy) cream
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Garnish:
  • 1 to 2 cups shredded or flaked sweetened coconut
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two 9-inch round layer cake pans; lightly grease the pans with shortening and dust with flour. Tip: to make baked cake easier to remove from pan, lightly grease the pan, line with parchment paper, and then lightly grease the top of the parchment paper and dust with flour.
Batter:
  1. In a medium mixing bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; sift or whisk together to mix. Set aside.
  2. In a small mixing bowl, stir the coconut milk and vanilla extract together. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Tip: To cream, start by placing the butter in the bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed begin by beating the butter about 1 minute until it is smooth and light in color. With the mixer still on medium speed, slowly add the sugar to the butter, either one tablespoon at a time, or in a very slow steady stream, taking from 4 to 8 minutes to add all of the sugar, and beating until the butter and sugar are fully incorporated and the mixture is a light, or pale yellow color, with a fluffy texture. While adding the sugar, stop the mixer occasionally to scrape the mixture off the paddle and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula so the mixture blends evenly.
  4. Add eggs one at a time, beating until thoroughly mixed. Tip: For each egg, crack the egg into a small bowl and whisk with a fork to thoroughly break up the egg before adding to the creamed mixture. Start with the mixer on low speed so the liquid from the egg doesn’t splatter, once the egg is partially mixed increase the speed to medium. Each egg should be fully incorporated into the mixture before adding the next egg, taking about one minute to blend in each egg.
  5. With the mixer on low speed, add about one third of the flour mixture, mix just until the flour is almost completely blended. Scrape the bowl down, and add about one half of the coconut milk mixture, blending just until mixed. Scrape the bowl down again and continue alternating with the flour mixture and coconut milk mixture, ending with the last portion of the flour, and stirring just until blended. Gently fold the coconut into the batter.
  6. Bake: Spoon the batter into the prepared pans and smooth the surface with a small offset spatula or the back of a large spoon. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until a long toothpick, wooden skewer, or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and place pans on a wire cooling rack to cool for 10 to 15 minutes then remove cake from the pans and place the cake on the wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
Lemon Curd with Coconut:
  1. In a medium heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, combine butter, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and egg yolks. Cook and stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until butter is melted and mixture is thickened, about 7 to 10 minutes, or registers 170 degrees using a candy or instant read thermometer to gauge the temperature. Do not allow mixture to boil or the egg yolks will curdle. Remove pan from heat.
  2. Immediately pour the hot mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to strain out the lemon zest pieces and any bits of egg that may have curdled. Stir in the coconut. Let cool, then pour into an airtight container and refrigerate to chill. The curd will continue to thicken as it cools. Tip: Lemon curd with coconut can be made the day before and refrigerated until ready to use.
Mascarpone Frosting:
  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine mascarpone cheese, confectioners’ sugar, and whipping cream; use an electric mixer and beat together until mixture is smooth. Add vanilla; beat 2 to 4 minutes or until frosting is thick and fluffy.
  2. Mascarpone frosting should be used immediately, or refrigerate until needed.
Assembly:
  1. Using a long serrated kitchen knife, split each cake into 2 horizontal layers. Tip: Cut one of the cake layers so that the bottom half is thicker than the top half, and use the thicker bottom half as the 1st layer to provide a good base to support the upper layers.
  2. Place the thicker bottom half of the layers on a cake plate. Using an offset spatula spread about ⅓ of the Lemon Curd with Coconut over the layer. Repeat with the next two layers. Place the last cake layer on top. Cover the sides and top of the cake with the Mascarpone Frosting. Spread the frosting as smooth as possible over the top and sides.Lemon Cream Coconut Cake
Garnish:
  1. Gently press coconut around the sides and over top of the cake.
  2. Refrigerate the cake at least 30 minutes before serving to firm the frosting before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.