Wilton Cake Course Cake #2- Coconut!

This cake has quite the story. For our final class of the Wilton Cake Course 1, we were required to bring in a cake so that we could decorate it. I did some searching, and what caught my eye was Bobby Flay's Throwdown Toasted Coconut Cake with Coconut Filling and Coconut Buttercream. What a name! You can see that there's no toasted coconut on top, but I needed a flat surface to do decorations. So I spent all day making this multi-step 4-layer cake that turned out beautifully. Here's the catch: the classroom we were in was very warm, and the cake was sitting out for about 2 hours, which resulted in the icing and filling getting very soft. Jaylene and I were 4 turns and 1 minute away from my place when.... schloopp. Top 2 layers just slid right off. So in the midst of my panic, I was able to open the carrying box and shove the top layers back on- leaving a not so pretty looking cake. Hand-print on the side, layers uneven.... NOT IMPRESSED!! Because the icing was so soft I managed to somewhat put it back together when I got up to my apartment, but I could not completely fix the unevenness. The picture isn't the greatest but it was my one chance to snap a picture of the whole cake before it got gobbled up!

This cake was not at all like the last cake I made for the course (not that that one didn't taste good!). It was light and fluffy with a perfect crumb while still being able to withstand being stacked. The coconut filling was delicious, like a whipped pudding, and I could have eaten all of it on it's own! The only thing that I would say about this cake is that despite the 3 coconuts in the name, it didn't actually have a strong coconut flavour like I was expecting. The cake was fantastic, but I was really hoping for that coconut flavour to shine through. In the recipe below, I've added and starred a couple ingredients that I might use next time to try and bring out that flavour, but because I haven't tried it yet, I can't guarantee that it will work!

As mentioned before, the cake is made in stages. I've separated each ingredient list with the corresponding instructions, so that you don't have to keep scrolling up and down. They are in order of how I made them.

Coconut Simply Syrup:
1 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 cup flaked coconut

Bring water and sugar to a boil. Stir in the coconut, remove from heat and let sit for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours. Strain the liquid into a clean saucepan, bring to a boil and let cook until the mixture is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Let cool completely. Set aside.

Coconut Custard:
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
4 large egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons coconut rum (such as Malibu)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Combine the milks and vanilla bean and seeds in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Whisk together the yolks, sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl. Slowly whisk the warm milk into the egg mixture then return the mixture to the pot over medium heat and bring to a boil, whisking constantly, until thickened. This will happen quickly- make sure not to burn. Press the custard through a mesh sift into a bowl to remove any clumps or cooked egg bits. Whisk in the rum and vanilla extract. Cover custard with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap down into the bowl so that it is touching the custard. This will prevent a skin from forming on the surface. Refrigerate custard until cold, at least 2 hours. *This is not the filling yet, instructions to come after the cake.

Cake:
1 1/2 cups cake flour, plus more for pans
3/4 cup whole milk, at room temperature
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/2 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
3/4 teaspoon coconut extract*
1 cup and 3 tablespoons sugar
3/4 tablespoon and 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces, at cool room temperature
** Measurements might look odd because I cut the original recipe into 2/3. This recipe makes enough for 2 6-inch cake pans; the original makes enough for 2 9-inch pans.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Use shortening or butter to grease pans and then sprinkle flour on top.

Whisk together the milk, egg whites, vanilla bean seeds and extract in a medium bowl.

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. With the mixer running at low speed, add the butter, one piece at a time and continue beating until mixture resembles moist crumbs. Add all but 1/2 cup of milk mixture to the crumbs and beat at medium speed until the mixture is pale and fluffy, about 1 1/2 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the remaining 1/2 cup of the milk mixture, increase speed to medium and beat 30 seconds more. Scrape sides of bowl and mix for 20 seconds longer. Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans and tap the pans on the counter a few times to even out.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean, about 22 to 24 minutes. Leave in the pan on a baking rack for 10 minutes. Run a small knife around the sides of the pans and invert cakes onto the baking rack. Let cool completely.

Coconut Filling:
3/4 cup coconut custard, cold
3/4 cup very cold heavy cream
1 teaspoon coconut extract
3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut*

Combine the custard, cream and extract in a bowl and whip until soft peaks form. Fold in shredded coconut.

Coconut Buttercream:
3 sticks unsalted butter, softened (1 1/2 cups)
1 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup coconut custard
pinch sea salt
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract*

Beat the butter and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the coconut custard, extract and sugar and beat until combined and smooth.

To Assemble the Cake (finally!):
Using a long serrated knife, slice each cake horizontally into 2 layers. Brush each top side of the layers with the coconut simple syrup. Spoon 1/3 of the coconut filling onto the bottom layer and using an offset metal spatula, spread into an even layer, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge of the cake. Repeat with the 2 other layers.

Frost the sides and top of the cake with the buttercream. *If you are not decorating the cake like I did, you can pat toasted coconut onto the sides of the cake and sprinkle the top.

Source: adapted from Bobby Flay (visit if wanting to do a larger cake)


Now... you didn't think I would let you go without showing you the flowers I was taught to make in the course! The following day I spent an hour practicing- they're so much fun to make!

They're so pretty! My favourites are the white ones with the pink center. Once you get the hang of them, they're very easy and quick to make, but look so professional!

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Cranberry Scones

On Monday morning I had some time and was experiencing the urge to make something, but as some of you may know, Monday is my grocery-planning day, which is equivalent to no longer having a full fridge and pantry. I had an abundance of oranges, so I knew that would be one ingredient, but what to make? I was caught between my favourite orange coconut loaf, cranberry orange scones, and pull-apart raisin cinnamon muffins. The scones won out because I will be making a coconut cake later in the week, and I didn't think I had enough time to make the muffins. Oddly enough though, the scones were more frightening to me than the multi-step yeast-rising pull-apart raisin muffins. I'm not sure why, as my mother frequently made scones for Sunday morning brunches and I would see her throw all the ingredients into the food processor and be finished in no time. While I always loved my mother's homemade scones (sorry if you're reading this mom!) they were frequently dry and dense, and would require a lot of butter to go with them! And that was my sole experience with scones, so I was in for a surprise with the cranberry orange scones.

These are remarkably simple to make, particularly if you do have a large enough food processor (I do not and instead have a mini food processor, and so did it in 2 batches because I thought this would be less complicated than trying to mix it myself- probably caused me more work realistically). If you do not have a food processor a stand-mixer, pastry blender, or 3 knives works as well. The end result was a delectably light and fluffy scone that was slightly tart from the cranberries but had a hint of sweetness from the sprinkled sugar on top and an undertone of orange from the zest. Unfortunately both my batches got slightly burnt on the bottom :( which confused me because for both I took them out before the minimum allotted time, and the second batch I moved the rack higher up in the oven and turned the temperature down. But it didn't make that much of a difference, they were still the best scones I've ever had! To give you an idea, I brought 2 freshly-made scones into work for Sean to have, and he later told me that he had gobbled both up probably before I had even made it up the 2 flights of stairs to my office, WITH the burnt bottom included! (Although I did tell him to peel it off/ignore it/not look at it/pretend it wasn't there)

Yield: Approximately 10 scones, depending on size

Ingredients:
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly grated orange zest (lemon works great as well)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/4 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
1 cup heavy cream  (I didn't have a full cup, and so ended up using 1/3 cup heavy cream and the remainder with table cream and this worked fine, so for a lighter version I'm sure you could substitute a full cup table/half & half cream)
Additional sugar for sprinkling

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

In a food processor, combine the lemon zest, flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder and salt. Pulse briefly to blend. Add in cold butter pieces and pulse again briefly until the mixture resembles coarse meal and the butter pieces are no larger that peas. Transfer to a medium mixing bowl.

In a small bowl, toss together the chopped cranberries and remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar. Stir this into the flour-butter mixture.

In another small bowl or a liquid measuring cup, combine the egg, egg yolk, and heavy cream; whisk to blend. Add the liquid ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir gently with a spatula or wooden spoon just until all the dry ingredients are moistened. Knead gently to be sure the dough is evenly mixed, being careful not to overwork the dough.

Place a 2 1/2 or 3-inch round biscuit cutter on the lined baking sheet. Scoop some of the dough inside the cutter and pat down gently to form a 1-inch thick round. Repeat with the remaining dough, placing the rounds 2-3 inches apart on the baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with additional sugar. There are many different ways to shape scones, You can shape the dough into one large disc and slice it into triangular wedges, roll it out and use a biscuit cutter, make drop scones, etc.

Bake in the preheated oven until lightly golden brown, about 14-18 minutes.

If you'd like to make scones ahead of time, they can be frozen. Flash freeze the scones at the point before baking them (once you've shaped them the way you want) by placing them on a baking sheet in the freezer until frozen. Transfer to a freezer-safe plastic bag and store until ready to bake. If baking from frozen, add an additional 5 minutes to cooking time.

Source: adapted from: Smitten Kitchen

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Berries and Quinoa Hot Cereal

Most mornings, I'm fairly unmotivated to put anything together other than milk and cereal, which is a shame because this breakfast is so easy to make and doesn't take too much time. This recipe can be adapted to suit your own tastes, and has an ideal combination of flavour and nutrients to get your morning started! The recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to serve more than one person.

For some people, quinoa can be off-putting due to its texture. It's comparable to something like couscous... but not quite the same. For myself, certain recipes are a complete no-go. For instance, I just made a wonderful bocconcini and oregano salad, full of fresh and tasty vegetables. Yet I could not get over the texture of the quinoa! Most of the salad went to waste, which was disappointing because the ingredients were not cheap. I think what makes this recipe different is that it has oats in it as well, so texture-wise it seems just slightly different from regular hot oatmeal.

Ingredients:
1 cup water
3 tablespoons quinoa
3 tablespoons quick-rolled oats
1-2 teaspoons maple syrup, honey or brown sugar
1 teaspoon flax (*ground or whole seeds)
3 tablespoons fruit of choice (I didn't have any fresh berries on hand, so ended up thawing a frozen 4-berry blend)
milk, half and half cream or yogurt (vanilla or flavour of choice)

* Most experts will recommend using ground flax seed over whole seeds. Ground flax is easier to digest than whole seeds, so you may not end up getting all the health benefits from whole seeds. Flax seed is high in fibre and omega-3 fatty acids. If purchasing flax seed for the first time, store in an airtight container or bag and keep refrigerated, as it will go rancid over time.

Directions:
Place the water and quinoa in a small pot, bring to a boil and cover. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 12 minutes. Stir in the oats, cover and continue to cook for another 5 minutes, until the oats are tender. Stir in the maple syrup and flax and keep over heat for 1 more minute. Top with fruit and cream and serve immediately.

That's it! Enjoy!

Source: adapted from: Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood

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Salmon on Red Quinoa and Aspargus with Lime Chive Sauce

I made this dish about a month and a half ago, and my immediate reaction was, "Wow. This is a show stopper meal and perfect for entertaining." I banked the recipe in the back of my head to make at a later date, and when my trip home was planned, it was a no-brainer that I would be serving this to my family. This is an ideal dish to serve to guests as it requires few ingredients, little time, and is very simple to make. Not only that, but if arranged like I have, it looks like a professional dish! Your guests will be in awe when you bring this dish to them, and will beg you for the recipe.

What's even better about this dish is that it is extremely healthy for you. Salmon is high in protein, rich in good fats, and loaded with other nutrients like vitamin D. Quinoa is high in protein and fibre while being low in cholesterol and sodium, making it an ideal replacement for less nutritious grains like white rice. And lastly, asparagus is a good source of fibre and various vitamins, and low in cholesterol and sodium. You can't go wrong with this, you gotta make it! Do it, Doo it, Dooo it!!!

Ingredients:
1 cup red quinoa
2 cups water or vegetable broth (if using water, I would suggest adding a bouillon cube for flavour)
1/2 cup light sour cream
3 tablespoons light mayonnaise
1-2 teaspoons grated lime zest (based on personal taste)
2-3  tablespoons fresh lime juice (or about 1/2-1 lime)
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger/dry ginger
*2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
pinch of salt and white pepper
4 fresh salmon fillets
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 lbs asparagus (I really load up, and so use closer to 2 lbs)
1 tablespoon butter
extra lime juice for asparagus

*Note: The original recipe uses cilantro rather than chives. I despise the taste of cilantro and will not use it in my cooking, and so replace it with other suitable herbs. Dill would work as a substitute as well, but if using either dill or cilantro, because of the stronger flavour, I would recommend using half the amount and adjusting it to your taste.

Directions:

Bring the quinoa and water/broth to a boil in a small pot. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes, or until quinoa is no longer crunchy. (Every recipe that has quinoa in it I find drastically underestimates the cooking time. Quinoa is like rice, and takes awhile to soften up. Perhaps I know nothing and quinoa is supposed to be crunchy, but I do not enjoy it and would like it to have the texture of cooked rice. I have also found that recipes underestimate the amount of water needed, and so I am constantly adding more which slows down the cooking process. I have reflected my changes in the amounts and cooking time above.)

In the meantime, combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, lime zest, 1-2 tbsp of the lime juice, ginger, chives, and pinch of salt and pepper in a small bowl, mixing well. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Place the fillets on a foil-lined baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray (I find this helps in removing the fillets easier). Brush the fillets with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in the oven and bake uncovered for about 11 to 14 minutes until the salmon is pink and flakes easily with a fork.

While the salmon is cooking, prepare the asparagus. Snap off the tough portion on each spear by grasping the asparagus ends with either hand and bending it near the bottom third. The asparagus will snap where it begins to get tough. Make sure to rinse the asparagus thoroughly to remove any dirt or sand. Place the asparagus in a large saucepan of boiling water and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes, until tender but crisp. They should have a nice bright green colour. Toss the asparagus in the butter and remaining 1 tbsp of lime juice. Season with additional salt to taste.

Serve immediately while hot. Enjoy!

Source: adapted from Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood

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Guinness and Baileys Irish Cream Cupcakes

I'm at home this weekend for several reasons, the main one being that it is my best friend's Stag and Doe tonight! This is an event that we've all been looking forward to for some time, but I can tell that today is going to be a very long and busy day. Last night when the bridal party was getting together for some prep work one of the ladies said something to sum up the situation perfectly: "Your good friends' Stag and Does are something you look forward to so much, but if you're in the party, you don't really get to enjoy it that much." Of course she didn't mean that we won't be having a good time, but what she did mean is that we'll be busy working the games and such all night. And THEN doing clean-up afterwards. 4:00 a.m.? Most likely.

Keeping this in mind, I created some treats to keep us going in the hours to come. Guinness and Baileys Irish Cream cupcakes in honours of St. Patty's Day. While the thought of Guinness in cupcakes might turn you off (if you're not a fan of the dark ale like myself), I'd be surprised if you weren't reaching for a second one. The cake is incredibly light and moist- which I'm attributing to the carbonated beer- which gives a lovely deep chocolatey taste with just the slightest hint of Guinness. And ohmygosh. The frosting? Baileys Buttercream. Might just be my favourite... I was licking up the leftovers in no time. And if that all doesn't sound good enough to you, let's just sweeten up the pot further. Inside the cupcake is a surprise: a Baileys chocolate ganache. In other words, this cupcake is pure heaven inspired by the luck o' the Irish.



You can't go wrong with this.

Yield: 24 cupcakes *I was able to get only 20, but I like my cupcakes a little fuller.

Ingredients:
For the Guinness chocolate cupcakes:
1 cup stout (Guinness)
16 tbsp. unsalted butter
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1½ tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

For the Bailey’s ganache filling:
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp. butter, at room temperature
2 tsp. Bailey’s Irish cream

For the Bailey’s buttercream frosting:
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
4-8 tbsp. Bailey’s Irish cream
*Note, I used up every last drop of icing on 20 cupcakes, so if you are able to make 24, and enjoy icing like myself, I would increase the amounts slightly.
Also, I didn't have any Baileys, but used a similar Irish Cream which worked out just as well.

Directions:
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. Combine the stout and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until butter is completely melted. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until smooth. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the eggs and sour cream to blend. Add the stout-butter mixture and beat just to combine. Mix in the dry ingredients on low speed just until incorporated. Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners, filling them about 2/3 to ¾ full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the ganache filling, place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until simmering, then pour it over the chocolate. Let sit for one minute and then whisk until smooth. If the chocolate is not completely melted, place the bowl over a double boiler or give it a very short burst in the microwave (15-20 seconds). Add the butter and Bailey’s and stir until combined.

Set aside to let the ganache cool until it is thick enough to be piped. (You can use the refrigerator to speed the cooling process, but be sure to stir every 10 minutes or so to ensure even cooling.) Meanwhile, cut out a portion from the center of the cupcake using the cone method (a small paring knife works best for this). Once the ganache has reached the correct consistency, transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a wide tip and pipe it into the cupcakes. (A plastic bag with the tip cut out works equally as well, and less mess after)

To make the frosting, place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Gradually add the powdered sugar until it is all incorporated. Mix in the Bailey’s until smooth. Add more if necessary until the frosting has reached a good consistency for piping or spreading. Frost the cupcakes as desired.

Source: Annies Eats (adapted from: Smitten Kitchen)


Who's lucky enough to win this trophy?

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