Coconut Crunch (pie?)

Last week Erin and I stayed in Iowa City and had Thanksgiving with my family. We usually have at least some people come and share the meal with us, but I think this year was a record--I think we had at least 30 people there! Erin and I were in charge of bringing pies. Other people were planning to bring pies as well, but I wanted to make sure there was plenty to go around and so we went kind of crazy with the pie-making. We made a chocolate chip pecan pie and a pumpkin custard pie (both courtesy of Emeril; see Good Morning America online for recipes), another pumpkin cream pie (made with pumpkin-flavored pudding, cool whip and graham cracker crust), two buttermilk pies served with raspberry topping (these were a really big hit! see past post for recipe), we bought a frozen mincemeat pie specifically for grandma's consumption, and I made this Coconut Crunch dessert (see recipe below, courtesy of Erin's mom).

I need to tell one quick story about the Coconut Crunch: The first time that my family met Erin's family was out in Utah prior to our wedding. Erin's parents invited us to their home and served us a delicious dessert--Coconut Crunch. We all loved it, especially my mom. I still tease Erin about it because pie is her favorite dessert (and I think this is true of her family as well), and I like to point out that even when serving a dessert that is not technically pie, they still served a very pie-like dessert. So the debate continues...I say Coconut Crunch counts as a pie, Erin says it doesn't. Try this delicious recipe and tell us what you think!

• ½ cup butter, melted
• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/4 cups, flaked coconut
• 1/4 cups brown sugar
• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 3.4 oz pkg Instant vanilla pudding mix
• 3.4 oz pkg Instant coconut pudding mix
• 2 2/3 cup cold milk
• 2 cups whipped topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the first 5 ingredients; press lightly into a lightly greased 13 x 9" pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 min or until golden brown, stirring every 10 minutes to form coarse crumbs and prevent burning the edges. Cool.
Press crumb mixture into the same baking pan for crust, reserving about 3/4 cups for topping.
In a mixing bowl, beat pudding mixes and milk together till they thicken. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon over crust. Top with remaining crumb mixture.
Keep Refrigerated.

Zucchini Bread

As it has moved into autumn, we have been looking for more recipes that use squash. I found this recipe on FoodNetwork.com (courtesy of Paula Deen). This is a sweet bread that is good for any occasion: appetizer, snack, breakfast or dessert (but it has zucchini in it so it's healthy, right?). So far I have made it twice and it has been a hit with those who try it. Erin shared it with some friends from dental school and they have been asking for the recipe, so here it is...

• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 3 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 cups finely grated zucchini
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
• Cinnamon sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two standard loaf pans.

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and sugar. In a separate bowl, combine oil, eggs, water, zucchini and lemon juice. Mix dry ingredients into wet. Fold in nuts. Divide into the two greased loaf pans. Sprinkle the top generously with cinnamon sugar (certainly not necessary, but certainly recommended). Bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Flan

Flan is a baked egg custard with caramel in the bottom. It turned out of its baking dish and served upside down. According to the classic cookbook "Joy of Cooking" (from which this recipe was taken), "flan is the preeminent dessert of Spain and Latin America. It is also a favorite in France, where it is known as crème caramel." Interestingly, I first encountered flan when I was living in Japan. Like most desserts that you find in Japan (and in contrast to most American desserts), flan is more subtly sweet (not in-your-face sugar, sugar, sugar). I appreciated the subtle sweetness of desserts in Japan and was excited to find this recipe. Please don't be intimidated by the length of these instructions. It turned out to be much easier to make than I would have guessed--and just as delicious as I remembered!

Preheat oven to 325°F. Have ready eight 6-ounce custard cups or ramekins (I used four 7-ounce and two 16-ounce ramekins because that is what our corningware set contains) or a 2- to 2½-quart soufflé dish.

Flan, like other custards, should be cooked in a water bath to allow equal distribution of heat. To do this: Find one or two larger pans (like casserole dishes or 9x13 in. baking pans) that will hold the dishes you are using for the flan. Place a dish towel or several layer of paper towels in the bottom of the pan (this helps protect the bottom of the custard dish from direct heat). Partially fill the pan with water, such that when the custard dishes are placed in the pan the water comes 1/2 to 2/3 of the way up the custard dishes.

To prepare caramel in the dishes, combine the following in a small heavy saucepan:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup water

Cook over medium heat without stirring, very gently swirling the pan, until the sugar is dissolved. Do not allow the mixture to boil until after sugar is dissolved, so slide the pan on and off the burner as necessary. Once sugar is dissolved increase the heat to high and bring the syrup to a rolling boil; cover the pan tightly and boil for 2 minutes. Uncover the pan and cook until the syrup begins to caramelize, or darken. Gently stir once again and cook until the caramel syrup turns a deep amber (or light brown or golden) color.

Quickly pour the caramel syrup into the dishes. Immediately tilt the dishes to spread the caramel over the bottom and halfway up the sides. It is important to do this quickly for two reasons: 1) the caramel will continue to cook and quickly turn darker and darker while it is still in the pan, so you want to get it out of the pan and into the dishes before it gets too dark; 2) the caramel will harden quickly as it cools, so you want to spread it around in the dish before it becomes too hard. So if there is someone available to help you, I recommend having one person quickly pour the caramel into the dishes and a second person tilt the dishes to spread the caramel.

To prepare the custard, whisk (or use handmixer on low speed) the following in a large bowl until blended:

• 4 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks (or 5 large eggs)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/8 tsp. salt

Heat the following in a medium saucepan over medium heat until just steaming:

• 3 cups whole milk (if you normally just buy skim milk like me, you can use 3/4 cups half-and-half, 2 1/4 cups skim milk)

Remove from heat and gradually whisk (or beat on low speed) the milk into the egg mixture and stir gently until the sugar is dissolved. It is important to do this gradually; if you pour too much hot milk in at once, it can cause the egg to cook and leave some lumps in the custard. I didn't find the following step necessary, but for extra smooth custard: Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into another bowl or measure with a pouring lip.

Stir in the following:

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Pour into the caramel-lined dishes. Place the dishes into the prepared pans containing the water, being careful not to allow water to splash into the custard. Bake in 325°F oven in water bath for 40-60 minutes for individual cups, 60-90 minutes for a single dish, or until firmly set in the center. To test for doneness, gently shake dish; custard is done if the center appears quivery, like firm gelatin. Alternatively, insert a knife near the edge of the dish; if the blade comes out clean, the custard is ready to be removed. There is enough heat stored in the dishes that the custard will continue to set as it cools.

Remove from oven and cool on a rack; then cover each dish tightly with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for at least 4 hours before serving.

To unmold and serve, dip the cups or dish briefly in hot water, loosen the edges of the flan with a knife, and invert onto plates. Enjoy!

Lemon Cake

I'm not sure why, but I've always been intrigued by lemon cakes. So I'd been wanting to make one for awhile. I decided to try it as my brother's 18th birthday cake. The reciped is from Cake Love by Warren Brown. He calls it the "Light and Lemony Cake." It uses both fresh lemon zest and segmented lemons and it achieves a very nice lemon flavor, but not too strong. My brother loves raspberries and so I made the Italian buttercream frosting and flavored about half of it with vanilla extract and the other half with raspberry puree (see recipes on this blog). It was every bit as tasty as it looks!

Dry Ingredients

• 8 ½ ounces (1 ½ cups + 3 T.) flour (high altitude: 9 ounces; 1 ¾ cups + 1 T.)
• 2 T. potato starch
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. baking soda

Liquid Ingredients

• 2 lemons
• ¼ cup sour cream
• ¼ cup heavy cream (high altitude: ¼ cup + 2 tsp.)
• ¼ cup whole milk (high altitude: ¼ cup + 2 tsp.)
• ½ tsp. vanilla extract
• ½ tsp. lemon extract (optional)

Creaming Ingredients

• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 ounces cream cheese
• 16 ounces (2 cups) extra-fine granulated sugar (high altitude: 15 ounces; 1 ¾ cups + 2 T.)
• 2 T. turbinado sugar (or dark brown sugar)
• 1 T. lemon zest
• 4 eggs, room temperature (high altitude: 5 eggs)
• 1 egg yolk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (335 for convection oven). Set the rack in the middle of the oven.

Zest lemons and then segment the zested lemons. Lemon zest is the very outside portion of the peel (not the white part). It is filled with the lemony flavor. There are citrus zesters you can buy, but I found that a vegetable peeler works very well. Use the peeler to lightly peel the exterior portion of the lemon peel (be careful not to get the bitter white part)--it helps to wiggle the peeler back and forth slightly as you are doing it. Then use a knife to chop up the peeled portion into pieces as tiny as possible. Segmenting lemons involves cutting all the white away from the lemon and then cutting out wedges containing only the meat of the fruit. If you are unsure, an internet search will yield directions (and even video) on how to do these things.

Measure the dry ingredients into a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside. Measure the liquid ingredients into a separate bowl and whisk to combine. Don't try to break up the lemon segments—the mixer will take care of that.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (using the paddle attachment), cream together the butter, cream cheese, sugars, and lemon zest on lowest speed until it starts sticking to the sides of the bowl. (This is a very important step. Be sure to do it on the lowest setting. It takes about 5 minutes for this step.)

With mixer still on lowest speed, add the eggs one at a time followed by the yolk. Allow to fully incorporate after each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape sides of bowl.

With mixer still on low speed, add the dry ingredients and liquid ingredients alternating, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. This should take about 60 seconds in total (3 to 5 steps of alternating adding). Don't wait for the ingredients to be fully incorporated before adding the next.

Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl. Mix on medium speed for 15 to 20 seconds.

Prepare the pans. For 9-inch-round cakes, grease and flour only the bottom of the pans; do not spray the sides. For cupcakes, grease or use cupcake liners (also lightly spray the top of the cupcake pan to help release any overflowing crowns). For Bundt pan spray generously with nonstick spray. Deposit batter equally into each 9-inch round and smooth with spatula (for cupcakes, fill cups ~2/3 full; for Bundt cake fill to ~3/4 full). Bake 9-inch rounds for 30 minutes (high altitude: 35 minutes); Bundt cake 45-50 minutes (high altitude: 50 minutes); cupcakes for 22 minutes (high altitude: 32 minutes). Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into center of cake. Cake is done when there are just a touch of crumbs clinging to the toothpick. The cakes edges may pull away from the pan. Allow to cool to room temperature, 25-30 minutes, before carefully removing from pan. For Bundt cake, allow to cool 5-10 minutes before removing from pan. May be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 5 days prior to frosting (not necessary, but if you are cutting it into a four-layer cake it will be much easier to work with when cold).

Banana Cake

I made this cake at the request of Erin. It is from Cake Love by Warren Brown and he calls it "Mr. Banana Legs." It reminds me of banana bread, but sweeter. It is a unique and tasty cake. As the pictures above show, I served it with powdered sugar. I could also see it being good as cupcakes or a round layer cake served with frosting.

Dry Ingredients

• 10 ounces (2 cups) flour (high altitude: 10 ¾ ounces; 2 cups + 2 T. + 2 tsp.)
• 1 T. potato starch
• 1 T. turbinado sugar
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. baking soda (high altitude: no baking soda)
• 1/8 tsp. nutmeg

Liquid Ingredients

• 6 ounces very ripe peeled bananas (~1-2 bananas)
• ¾ cup half-and-half (high altitude: ¾ cup + 2 T.)
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

Creaming Ingredients

• ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 21 ounces (2 ¾ cups) extra-fine granulated sugar (high altitude: 19 ½ ounces; 2 ¼ cups + 3 T.)
• 4 eggs, room temperature (high altitude: 5 eggs)
• 3 egg yolks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (335 for convection oven). Set the rack in the middle of the oven.

Measure the dry ingredients into a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside. Measure the liquid ingredients and combine in a food processor or blender for ~30 seconds. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (using the paddle attachment), cream together the butter and sugar on lowest speed until it starts sticking to the sides of the bowl. (This is a very important step. Be sure to do it on the lowest setting. It takes about 5 minutes for this step.)

With mixer still on lowest speed, add the eggs one at a time followed by the yolk. Allow to fully incorporate after each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape sides of bowl.

With mixer still on low speed, add the dry ingredients and liquid ingredients alternating, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. This should take about 60 seconds in total (3 to 5 steps of alternating adding). Don't wait for the ingredients to be fully incorporated before adding the next.

Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl. Mix on medium speed for 15 to 20 seconds.

Prepare the pans. For 9-inch-round cakes, grease and flour only the bottom of the pans; do not spray the sides. For cupcakes, grease or use cupcake liners (also lightly spray the top of the cupcake pan to help release any overflowing crowns). For Bundt pan spray generously with nonstick spray. Deposit batter equally into each 9-inch round and smooth with spatula (for cupcakes, fill cups ~2/3 full; for Bundt cake fill to ~3/4 full). Bake 9-inch rounds for 26-28 minutes (high altitude: 42 minutes); Bundt cake 45 minutes (high altitude: 55 minutes); cupcakes for 22 minutes (high altitude: 32 minutes). Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into center of cake. Cake is done when there are just a touch of crumbs clinging to the toothpick. The cakes edges may pull away from the pan. Allow to cool to room temperature, 25-30 minutes, before carefully removing from pan. For Bundt cake, allow to cool 5-10 minutes before removing from pan. May be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 5 days prior to frosting (not necessary, but if you are cutting it into a four-layer cake it will be much easier to work with when cold).

Chocolate Pound Cake

Deliciously chocolate pound cake from Cake Love by Warren Brown. This was a big hit with all the family members who tried it. Delicious on it's own or served with ice cream. To dress it up a bit, consider sifting powdered sugar on top.

Dry Ingredients

• 10 ounces (2 cups) flour (high altitude: 11 ounces; 2 ¼ cups + 2 T.)
• 2 ounces (1/2 cup + 2 tsp.) unsweetened cocoa powder (high altitude: 2 ¼ ounces; ½ cup + 3 T.)
• 2 T. turbinado sugar (or dark brown sugar)
• 1 tsp. potato starch
• ¾ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. baking soda

Liquid Ingredients

• ½ cup (4 ounces) sour cream
• ¾ cup + 1 T. whole milk (high altitude: ¾ cup + 3 T.)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Creaming Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 24 ounces (3 cups) extra-fine granulated sugar (high altitude: 21 ounces; 2 ¾ cups + 2 tsp.)
• 4 eggs, room temperature (high altitude: 5 eggs)
• 3 egg yolks, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (335 for convection oven). Set the rack in the middle of the oven.

Measure the dry ingredients into a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside. Measure the liquid ingredients into a separate bowl and whisk to combine.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (using the paddle attachment), cream together the butter and sugar on lowest speed until it starts sticking to the sides of the bowl. (This is a very important step. Be sure to do it on the lowest setting. It takes about 5 minutes for this step.)

With mixer still on lowest speed, add the eggs one at a time followed by the yolk. Allow to fully incorporate after each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape sides of bowl.

With mixer still on low speed, add the dry ingredients and liquid ingredients alternating, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. This should take about 60 seconds in total (3 to 5 steps of alternating adding). Don't wait for the ingredients to be fully incorporated before adding the next.

Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl. Mix on medium speed for 15 to 20 seconds.

Prepare the pans. This recipe can be made into cupcakes or baked in a Bundt pan. Spray very well with nonstick cooking spray. Fill Bundt pan about ¾ full. Level the batter with spatula. (Cupcake cups should also be filled about ¾ full). Bake Bundt for 50-55 minutes (high altitude: 60 minutes); cupcakes for 15 minutes (high altitude: 32 minutes). Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into center of cake. Cake is done when there are just a touch of crumbs clinging to the toothpick. Allow to cool until you can hold the pan in your bare hands (5-10 minutes) and then remove cake and allow to fully cool.

Chocolate Butter Cake

This is another delicious cake recipe from Cake Love by Warren Brown. It makes a delicious chocolate cake--that you can spruce up with the frosting of your choice. So far I have tried it with the Coconut Buttercream and the Pecan Crunch Buttercream. The picture above was taken as I was assembling the cake with Pecan Crunch Buttercream.

Dry Ingredients:

• 7 ounces (1 ¼ cups + 2 T.) flour (high altitude: 7 ¼ ounces; 1 ¼ cups + 3 T.)
• 2 ounces (1/2 cup) unsweetened cocoa powder (high altitude: 2 1/8 ounces; ½ cup + 1 T. + ½ tsp.)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 ½ tsp. baking powder (high altitude: 1 tsp.)

Liquid Ingredients:

• 1 cup half-and-half (high altitude: 1 cup + 2 ½ T.)
• 1 T. vanilla extract

Creaming Ingredients:

• ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 14 ounces (1 ¾ cups) extra-fine granulated sugar (high altitude: 13 ounces; 1 ½ cups + 2 T.)
• 4 eggs, room temperature (high altitude: 5 eggs)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (335 for convection oven). Set the rack in the middle of the oven.

Measure the dry ingredients into a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside. Measure the liquid ingredients into a separate bowl and whisk to combine.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (using the paddle attachment), cream together the butter and sugar on lowest speed until it starts sticking to the sides of the bowl. (This is a very important step. Be sure to do it on the lowest setting. It takes about 5 minutes for this step.) If using a vanilla bean, scrape out seeds and add to the creaming butter and sugar.

With mixer still on lowest speed, add the eggs one at a time followed by the yolk. Allow to fully incorporate after each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape sides of bowl.

With mixer still on low speed, add the dry ingredients and liquid ingredients alternating, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. This should take about 60 seconds in total (3 to 5 steps of alternating adding). Don't wait for the ingredients to be fully incorporated before adding the next.

Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl. Mix on medium speed for 15 to 20 seconds.

Prepare the pans. For 9-inch-round cakes, grease and flour only the bottom of the pans; do not spray the sides. For cupcakes, grease or use cupcake liners (also lightly spray the top of the cupcake pan to help release any overflowing crowns). Deposit batter equally into each 9-inch round and smooth with spatula (for cupcakes, fill cups ~2/3 full). Bake 9-inch rounds for 28 minutes (high altitude: 35 minutes); cupcakes for 22 minutes (high altitude: 20 minutes). Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into center of cake. Cake is done when there are just a touch of crumbs clinging to the toothpick. The cakes edges may pull away from the pan. Allow to cool to room temperature, 25-30 minutes, before carefully removing from pan. May be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 5 days prior to frosting (not necessary, but if you are cutting it into a four-layer cake it will be much easier to work with when cold).