quick coconut cake with Amaretto buttercream icing
It is not often that I have a chance to make something in the kitchen just for the my youngest son. He recently asked me “What does coconut taste like?” I could think of only one thing…. Cake. So I put together what I had in the kitchen and made up a simple white cake made with coconut milk and sweetened condensed milk as the flavoring. Then topped off the cup cakes with my favorite flavoring, Amaretto, in a butter cream icing. I could have made the cake in a traditional two layer style but I really wanted to share the cake so I ended up with 36 white and toasty cupcakes instead. They were a big hit with my husband, my co-workers and my son… he likes the sweet soft coconut not the crunchy topping. I guess you win some and you lose some. Next time we will make it with the regular shredded coconut as topping instead, even if I love the toasty crunch.
So the cake is really simple I used a store-bought white cake mix and to that I added 1 8oz. can unsweetened coconut milk and 1 6oz. can sweetened condensed milk and 3 eggs omitting the oil in the directions.
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This recipe is one that I will use again when we get closer to Easter and the bake sales for the church and 4-H Clubs start again in the spring
The recipe:
1 box of white cake mix.
1 can unsweetened coconut milk 8oz.
1 can sweetened condensed milk 6oz.
3 eggs
pour one 1/4 cup of batter into muffin tins lined with paper wrappers
The cooking time is slightly longer then what is listed on the box. I think I needed to add about 8 minutes making the cooking time 30 mins. at 350 degrees.
While the cupcakes cooled I toasted one 12 oz. bag of sweetened shredded coconut. placing the coconut on a cooking sheet in a thin lares under the broiler on low heat. Watching constantly, stir every time the flakes on the edge of the sheet begin to brown. This took stirring 5 or 6 time over the 5 minutes.
toasting sweetened Coconut
Frosting:
1 cup real butter at room temperature. This is two sticks.
1 2 pound bag of powered sugar, mixed into the soft butter slowly.
2 teaspoons almond extract, or Amaretto liquor.
1 tablespoon milk
After cupcakes have cooled frost and roll in toasted coconut. Adding half of a Maraschino cherry on top if desired.
the recipe makes 36 to 38 cup cakes.
Coconut cupcakes with almond buttercream icing and toasted coconut toping.
So what would you make if you were asked ” What does Coconut taste like?” I have not cooked with it much other than making cakes or cookies. If you have any other ideas send them my way I would love to try other things too!
Categories: Amarretto, cakes and family deserts, coconut, Easter, family memories, Holidays Tags: Amaretto, buttercream, cake, coconut, Easter, family fun, holiday cooking
One of my favorite things about having kids is doing things together that they will remember when they are old and gray. I try to spend time with my sons doing creative things that we will both like to do too.
Christopher building gingerbread house
This seems to always involve food or building something so we finally found a way to combine the two, gingerbread houses. I am now hooked and will be looking at other houses for ideas. We cheated this year with a kit house and some stale candy from Halloween. I learned tons and am thinking of already making another one from scratch.
The two houses my friends Jacquelyn has written about her Blog http://quiltofmissingmemories.wordpress.com/2013/12/07/one-sweet-forecast/ made a real impression on me and I hope to get an idea as nice as her “Dance Studio” house for the kids to build in the future. I am sure that I would end up dragging Tom into it also… He could draw out the plans on butcher paper and I would cook the cookies and make the icing.
My older son suggested that we make a barn and I am thinking that would be great if I can maybe make it with animal crackers we decorate or find some cookie cutters in animal shapes… the ideas go on and on.
But in the end it was all about making memories with my son and having fun on his Thanksgiving break and spending family time together.
small ginger bread house
Then after all the fun is over mom still gets to clean up the mess.
mess left after decorating ginger bread house
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at Katherine’s Corner.com
Categories: cakes and family deserts, candy, Christopher, cooking, gingerbread, Holidays Tags: candy, family fun, ginger bread house, holiday cooking