Awesome Coconut Cake (And Yes, It Tastes Like Coconut)

Okay, are you ready to work your tail off for this delicious confection? I probably did it the hard way but I'm telling you, it was worth every effort when my husband and I took our first bite into this moist coconut cake.

How I went about this was through research and reading ingredients online and wondering if my coconut cake idea would work out with a particular white cake mix. After some time with reading reviews I found a white cake recipe that is absolutely best for this cake. I made a double layered cake and added coconut shavings in the middle frosting for texture.

What I'm about to share is a recipe derived from an Allrecipes member who calls this "Heavenly White Cake." Indeed, it is truly heavenly and sinfully decadent for a white cake especially when you compliment it with your favorite white/vanilla store bought or homemade buttercream frosting. My mind shut down on daily calorie intake while making this. It was a great new experience and I will keep this recipe as a family favorite.

Here's what you'll need to bake an Awesome Coconut Cake:

2 3/4 cups of sifted Cake Flour (I used an asian brand cake flour called Red Lotus.)
4 teaspoons Baking Powder
3/4 teaspoon of Salt
4 Egg Whites
1 1/2 cups of White Sugar (use the real thing)
3/4 cup of Butter (1 1/2 sticks of butter)
1 cup of Coconut Milk
1/2 cup of Milk
2 teaspoons of Vanilla Extract (for the first time used Madagascar Vanilla extract...good stuff)

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease your pans of choice. The original recipe calls for a  15 x 10 x 1 pan. I used two 8 x 8 square pans.

• Sift dry ingredients three times: Cake Flour (yes it's sifted but sift again you must), baking powder and salt.

• In a bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Then gradually add 1/2 cup of sugar and keep beating till eggs form soft peaks. I recommend bringing your eggs to room temperature 30 minutes prior. Keep beating your eggs and do not give up hope, they do eventually get foamy.

• In another bowl, cream butter. Gradually add the rest of the sugar. Get the consistency to a creamy state. 

• Alternating, add the milks (coconut & milk) and sifted ingredients into the butter mixture. Continue to beat after each ingredient gets added. 

• Add your vanilla and beat well.

• Finally, fold in your eggs and mix well with a spatula.

• Pour mixture into your pan(s) and bake for approximately 25-30 minutes. Your cake should be done when you poke a toothpick (I had a thin steak knife) into the center of the cake and the toothpick/knife comes out clean.

• Let cool in pan for about 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan and let cool on wire rack.

• For frosting, let cake cool completely. 

Just in case you want to know what the packaging looks like for the flour and coconut milk I used.

Fruit Tart To Go

I had the pleasure of visiting La Madeleine French Cafe for the first time yesterday. Usually I just pass by the store and think about getting a pain du chocolat (chocolate croissant) but never following through. Lucky for me, I had my sister and her family in town this past week and she is a French food lover.

So we stopped by their bakery and bought a fruit tart and a lemon tart. Yummy!

I tried the fruit tart and found it to be exactly the way I imagined the taste to come off...lightly sweetened, cool and creamy. It was the opposite for my lemon tart. My lemon tart was not quite as tart as I would have wanted and there was too strong of a taste of evaporated milk.  Oh well, it was passable nonetheless.  I did fill out a survey in hopes that they improve their lemon tart. I don't give up on food and restaurants that easily unless the service was a nightmare. And believe me, I'm an extremely patient and understanding customer.

Anyway I just wanted to share my experience with you at a local La Madeleine cafe.  I would definitely visit again because there was so much more I haven't experienced.

Au revoir, mes amis!

Healthy Snack Idea

One of our favorite fruit combos in our household is mixing strawberries and blueberries together with a teaspoon sprinkle of Splenda granulated sugar or drizzle some blue agave syrup.

If you're wanting to add a healthy and sweet-satisfying snack into your busy schedule then prepare this the night before, right after you've done your dishes. You'll be the envy of your office, especially when they see you mix in some creamy Greek yogurt (I'm addicted to Fage at the moment) and top it off with some granola. Yep! It's that simple and delicious.

But hey, if you're feeling a little naughty then by all means spoon that, press that, glob that whipped topping and get downright wicked, you calorie rule breaker you! I would invite myself to a whipped cream dessert any day. So go on with your bad self.

Folk Singing at a Taco Bell Drive-Thru

I have had the giggles this whole weekend. If laughing is healthy for you well, sign me up. This weekend I spent the evenings browsing through America's & Britain's Got Talent vids on YouTube.  When I ran out of funny performances to watch and laugh at (or with), I moved onto Awkward Family Photos to laugh at MORE hilarious clans of people.  To top off the weekend I found Rhett and Link on YouTube with their Fast Food Folk Song (at the Taco Bell Drive-Thru).  Quirky thing to share? Yes. So here goes:



Oh yes and Mexican Pizzas at Taco Bell was quite the hit with me in college. Ahhh memories.

Stuffed Cucumber and Pork Soup

Hi everyone, today I'll be showing you how to make Stuffed Cucumber and Pork soup. Growing up with my family, my father would always enjoy his flavorful stir-fries along with a side of hot soup.  Sometimes my mom would make a leafy green soup and other times completely meat. This soup gives us a veggie stuffed with meat so kudos to her.

There is a more popular soup like this that is made with bitter gourd and it's quite delicious if I may add my 2 cents.  But this particular one came to mind because of summer and all this talk of cucumber tea/water and my sudden craving for peppery pork. So I wedded the two ingredients in my mind and that's how I ended up making this delight for dinner. Random? I know. But that's how this crazy brain works.

Here is the way I make Stuffed Cucumber and Pork Soup. Mind you, I usually make enough to feed about 4-6 folks so if it's just you or two...please minimize accordingly or go all the way and have leftovers.

What you will need:

8 cups of water
3 medium to large Cucumbers
1 or 1/2 of Ground Pork
4 cloves of Minced Garlic
2 teaspoons of Black Pepper
1 teaspoon of Salt
Pork or chicken bouillon
Bean Thread Noodles (Optional. Before adding them to hot water, make sure they've been soaking in cold water for at least 5-10 minutes)
More salt & some soy sauce to taste

• Peel cucumbers and cut into 1 to 2 inch thick pieces.

• Using a small knife or whatever allows you to gently scoop out the inside seeds and mushy part of the cucumber pieces.

• In a bowl mix ground pork, minced garlic, salt & pepper.

• Stuff the cucumbers with the pork mixture.

• Bring water to boil in a large pot. Add the bouillon.

• Gently drop the stuffed cucumbers into the boiling water. 

• Cook under medium heat until meat is almost cooked.

• The add bean thread noodles and add more salt or soy sauce according to taste. Serve when pork is completely cooked. 

If your main dish is fairly salty, cut back on the soup's salt. Creating balance for your palate can be quite enjoyable.

Super Sweet 'n Fruity Rice Squares

WARNING: The contents of this treat may cause Sugar Overload leading to uncontrollable children and adults. Sudden crash and burn may occur. In case of this emergency please find nearest rest area.

It was my husband's idea that we purchase fruity rice cereal and make treats out of them. My finger is pointed at him as I take a delicious bite of our Sweet n' Fruity Rice Squares.

The next time we attempt this recipe instead of going full-on with 6 cups of fruity cereal, we will divide it into 3 cups of fruity rice cereal and 3 cups of normal (unflavored) rice cereal.

We love taking advantage of cereal for less at Aldi's and so we got Millville's Fruity Rice (fun and colorful box designs). And guess what? Fruity Rice does not, I repeat does not have high fructose corn syrup in it. Nice for us since we loaded up on marshmallows and butter.

The recipe is easy and many people go by the Original Rice Krispie Treat recipe. I just added a little more butter and maybe little more marshmallow against my healthy judgement. But have fun making these with the kids and big kids...you know who you are.



That's how I'm feeling after 4 or 5 squares!

Winning Bertolli's Recipe Challenge = NYC + Rocco DiSpirito + MORE?!

Yes I'm back with another recipe contest that's being held until June 30th 2010. Sadly ladies, I missed Cooking Light's competition due to a busy past month. But...I'm still determined to make a dish that's within the contest limits and get it posted. And just a reminder of an invitation, if you would like to share your recipes on this blog feel free to write me at TheFullTimeWife@gmail.com. We'll post your recipe and photo if you have one to share.

Anyway, back to the subject of today's entry. Bertolli Ristorante is sponsoring a recipe contest and they are asking for your originality and creativity to spark their taste buds in one of the five categories listed:

• Appetizer
• Poultry/Chicken Entree
• Seafood Entree
• Meat Entree
• Pasta/Vegetable Entree (no chicken, poultry, meat and seafood--keep it veggie!)

The grand prize winners receive a trip to New York City to attend to an exclusive event hosted by Rocco DiSpirito with your recipe featured in the menu. (Why I would be so honored...)

$500 spending cash that would probably disappear real fast if I was dropped off at the mall or anywhere near a fragrance store.

A signed copy of Rocco's cookbook Now Eat This!:150 of America's Favorite Comfort Foods, All Under 350 Calories. Why wouldn't I want a cookbook that gives me the foods I enjoy and less time in the gym? In addition you'll also receive a pricey 10-Piece cookware set and 1 year supply of Bertolli Pasta Sauce. Bring it on Bertolli!

So that's what I have for you so far. I think this sounds wonderful and now I'm hungry for pasta with red clam sauce...until the next post.

Just one of the many Bertolli commercials out there...