A Coconut Cake For No Particular Occasion

This weekend I finally broke down and bought the necessary 9" cake pans for a three layer cake I've been stalking from Cooking Light. It may have been that it incorporated a whole coconut, the water and flesh.

It's also the part that proved to be most time consuming. If anyone has tips on shaving the flesh of a coconut, please share! After successfully hammering (literally with a hammer and nail) three holes into the coconut, I drained a cup of water that was used for the cake batter, which also includes:
3 C cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 C sugar
2/3 C butter
1 C warm coconut water
1 tsp vanilla
6 lg. egg whites
Preheat oven to 350. Coat 3 cake pans with nonstick spray. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Place 1.5 C plus 2 tbsp sugar in large bowl, combine with butter and beat until well blended. Add flour mixture and coconut water. Beat in 1 tsp vanilla.

In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Add 2 tbsp sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into batter, pour into pans. Bake 18-20 minutes.

The frosting is Italian meringue which I was on the fence about. It came out to sort of a marshmallow consistency. It made for a lighter cake, which I suppose isn't surprising considering the recipe is from Cooking Light.

Frosting:
Combine 4 lg egg whites with 1/4tsp cream of tartar and a pinch of salt in large bowl. Beat until foamy. Add 2 tbsp sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Combine 1 1/4 C sugar with 1/4 water in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Slowly pour the hot syrup over the egg whites, beat for about 8 minutes until frosting has cooled. Stir in 1 tsp vanilla. Toast the shaved coconut you slaved over with a dull blade. Frost and layer cakes.


Sprinkle cake with coconut, but not the stuff you burnt until it blackened, oops.

Cut and enjoy! P.S.-if you're wondering what to do with the TEN egg yolks, try this.

Lemon Rissoto with Shrimp

Although risotto is typically made with a super starchy rice, I didn't have any on hand. Hence, the introduction of basmati brown rice pilaf. I've been a little (ok, a lot) apprehensive towards making risotto. It gets a bad reputation for being so hands on, the constant need to be stirred and tended to and the ease of making fatal mistakes. Or so I hear. I started by sauteing a shallot and lemon zest in a tablespoon of olive oil and two tablespoons butter. Next, added 2 cups rice and half a cup of chicken broth.

Constantly stir over medium-low heat, continue to add broth, half a cup at a time (total of 3 cups). Cook until it has absorbed and becomes creamy. Since it's lacking in the starch department, it does not become as creamy so a splash of cream or milk is helpful.
Saute shrimp with lemon and olive oil.

Add shrimp to risotto(ish).

Is it just me or did the creamy texture of the risotto just beg for a poached egg? No? Just me.