CONFESSIONS OF A RECIPE ADDICT and Michael’s Coconut Cake

There I go again, copying one of those “that looks good” recipes off the internet.Yesterday, I must have torn out a baker’s dozen from some of the magazines saved up.

What is the matter with me?! The internet is full of any and every possible recipe known to man or woman. Even kids pick up their I phones if they need to know how to make something. Yet I continue the magazine subscriptions like a junkie.

My society meeting members know better than to bring something to eat to a meeting without a recipe. “Can I get your recipe” is quickly satisfied compared to having to go back home, dig it up and email it. There are others like me out there. My sister says the same thing, and complains about her boxes of paged recipes waiting for more attention.

I can’t believe the amounts of money I have spent over the years paying people to file those slips of paper. They are smarter than I am, but occasionally one will belabor over several stacks of sorted pages, asking if she, too, might copy some. My file drawers are full, waiting for the big “cleanout day”. My computer is full. Now I have several files of different project, and of course there is a Recipe Section.

My favorite TV food network show is the “Chew”. That cast of characters can keep you laughing over more recipes produced in their lickety-split segments than any I know.

I can’t believe the amount of time I spend on the internet looking for that “one that looks good” today. Of course I have signed up to receive a daily email, but the one I want is not on the agenda of those listed. Not today anyway. This allows me time to complain about the number of emails I have to wade through and also how hard it is to find what you are looking for on the internet.

Then, because I am such a health-minded foodie, I must add, subtract, substitute and revise every one to meet the latest information received about “better choices”. By this time, half the day has slipped through my recipe-finding colander, and I can complain about that, too. More research, more time, after all one cup of sugar isn’t one cup of stevia, you know.

Then there are the fabulous blogs I follow. It isn’t just that they have a daily notice on email for an important health facts, there are recipes to catch your eye, your time, your copier, and that big in-box of like-minded paper under the desk.

What is one to do? I have, in the past, put together workshops for foodies like myself. Like most addicts, I had a hidden agenda. After all was said and done, complaints aired, questions raised and answered, problems resolved, surely someone would come up with a way to stop the craving I had to keep collecting recipes. No such luck. We left every meeting with a whole new set to file, or put in “that box”.

Today I blame Michael Symon’s Coconut Cake:

Coconut Cake MICHAEL SYMONchewrecipes.com/coconut-cake-michael-symon/1/6/2017

This Coconut Cake is delicious for any occasion!

ingredients
COCONUT CAKE
Cake:
4 cups cake flour or all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 1/4 cups unsalted butter (room temperature)
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 lemon (zested)
4 large eggs (room temperature)
2 1/2 cups buttermilk (well shaken)
COCONUT ICING:
4 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup coconut water
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups sweetened shredded coconut

directions
For the Cake:
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line the bottoms of 2 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together. Add the vanilla, lemon zest, and eggs one at a time and mix to combine. Slowly add the buttermilk and then the flour mixture in 3 additions. Turn the speed to high and mix to aerate the batter, about 30 seconds.

Place in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, turning and rotating the pans halfway through baking. Remove from oven and cool completely.
For the Coconut Icing: Prepare a double boiler with water and turn the heat on to a simmer.

In a medium bowl, add the egg whites, sugar, coconut water, cream of tartar, and salt, and mix to combine. Place the bowl over the simmering water and immediately begin whisking. Whisk until the egg whites start to become frothy and the sugar has dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Pour the egg white mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whisk on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add the coconut and vanilla extract and whip on medium-high speed for 3 more minutes until light and fluffy.
To Assemble: Slice each cake round in half horizontally. Stack the first layer of cake onto a cake stand. Spread about 3/4 cup of frosting to the edge of the cake and sprinkle with 1/4 cup of coconut, top with another layer of cake, followed by 3/4 cup of frosting spread to the edge and 1/4 cup of shredded coconut. Repeat three more times ending with the frosting.
Coat the sides of the cake with the remaining shredded coconut. Slice and serve.
Tip: For a store-bought solution, use your favorite cake mix and add lemon zest to the batter.