Thursday, August 26, 2021

Coconut Pound Cake

People sometimes are like, how do you decide what you want to try making? Well, here's how it usually goes: I was watching Virgin River, and the main character is like I just want a bath and a coconut cupcake for my birthday, and I was like damn, that sounds good. We always do our low country boil at the end of August, and for some reason, I always want a bundt cake for that occasion. I don't know why my brain has associated these two things, but you know what, every time I hear the song "Like a Prayer" by Madonna, I associate it with the movie Home Alone. I don't fucking know why. Who knows why our brains do what they do. What I DO know is that low country boil equates to a bundt cake, and this year, I needed coconut. 

This recipe makes one bundt cake (serves 18ish)

For the Bundt

1 1/4 c shredded coconut, sweetened

3 sticks unsalted butter, room temp

1 c granulated sugar

1/2 c brown sugar

6 large eggs

1 3/4 c all-purpose flour

1/4 c full-fat coconut milk (more needed for glaze as well)

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract *you can use coconut extract here; I just don't really like it.

1. In a non-stick pan, put coconut on medium heat and lightly toast, stirring frequently. Do NOT walk away! She's fickle, and she'll burn in a heartbeat. 

2. Once toasted, allow to cool for a bit. 

3. Take one cup and finely chop in a food processor or with a sharp knife. Reverse the rest for the topping. 

4. Prepare bundt pan with goop and preheat oven to 325F. 

5. Cream together butter and sugars in a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. 

6. Slowly add in eggs, making sure to incorporate between each egg. 

7. Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl (flour, salt, baking powder). Add them to butter and sugar slowly until incorporated. 

8. Add vanilla and coconut milk to the batter and combine. 

9. Fold in the one cup of coconut. 

6. Bake for 45 - 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 


For the Glaze 

You either already hate me because you know what I'm going to say here, or you have grown confident with your glaze making skills and therefore no longer need me. We measure with our hearts, so I will try to give you an estimate, but really, it's all about the feel. 

About 2 c powdered sugar, sifted

Pinch of salt

Splash of vanilla 

1/4-1/2 c coconut milk 

1. Sift sugar into a large bowl. Add salt. 

2. Add vanilla and start to add a little coconut milk and whisk to combine. 

3. You are looking for something thick, but that will still run. If it's too thin, add more powdered sugar; if it's too thick, add more coconut milk. Here's my consistency:

Assembly

1. Once the bundt has cooled, turn out onto serving platter. If it sticks to the pan a bit, as mine did, that's okay! Peel it out and slap it back together - you're covering with glaze and coconut anyway. 


2. Drizzle with glaze- as you can see in my picture, I went a little overboard with the glaze, and I have no regrets. 

3. Top with the remaining 1/4 c of toasted coconut. 

4. Serve with a rum-based drink. You'll thank me. 

Thursday, August 5, 2021

Brown Butter Rice Crispy Treats


I am going to preface this recipe by saying it's really not a lot of a recipe. These are rice crispy treats, y'all. I mean, pretty fucking basic. I WILL say that this is a bit of a glow up for the rice crispies you had as a child. The brown butter makes it a little nutty, and the flakey sea salt give you the balance you didn't know you craved. This recipe makes a 13x9 pan. 

For the Rice Crispies:

6 tbsp unsalted butter, room temp

12 oz (ish) marshmallows

6 c rice crispy cereal

1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract if you don't have it)

1 tsp flakey sea salt 

1. Prepare a 13x9 with nonstick cooking spray. Keep the spray out as well- you can use this later. 

2. In a large pot, begin to melt butter. You will bring it to a boil and stir constantly. At first it will get foamy, and then it will begin to clear a bit, and you will start to see little brown bits. It will also darken in color some as well. 

2. Add in 10 oz of marshmallows and vanilla bean paste; stir constantly until all melted and incorporated with the butter. 

3. Take off the heat and then add in the rice crispy cereal and the last 2 oz of marshmallow so you get some marshmallow chunks. 

4. Pour the rice crispies into the prepared baking dish. Spray hands and pack down into the pan. 

5. Sprinkle with flakey sea salt. 










Gluten Free Brownies

This recipe is riffing off of a flourless chocolate cake recipe I have used in the past. So, like duh, it's already, gluten free, but I ...