White Coconut Cake with Fluffy Frosting

We celebrated the DH's birthday on Saturday with a cake made from a recipe that's probably a bit older than he is.  White Coconut Cake (his request) is an old-fashioned white cake (meaning only egg whites, no yolks). The only coconut is the shredded variety that's placed atop the frosting.

This is the first time I've seen a cake recipe calling for egg whites that are added directly to the batter without whipping separately, a real time (and bowl) saver.  It's a very easy cake. In fact, I prepared it while the DH was taking one spin on his bike around Prospect Park -- it's that quick to make.

Mrs. Dumford, the recipe's author, suggested a seven-minute frosting, and I found one, called Fluffy Frosting, in my collection.  Seven-minute frosting, once a standard in mid-20th century kitchens, has fallen out of favor (often replaced with "buttercream" made from butter and confectioner's sugar), but it does have its appeal. It contains no butter -- just egg whites, sugar, corn syrup and water.  The magic happens during the seven minutes of whipping the ingredients in a double boiler.  The result? Everyone (family members, and special guest Andrew, the DS's friend and a champion dessert eater) thought I'd frosted the cake with marshmallow fluff!

Whole Foods, where we'd shopped that morning, didn't have grocery store sweetened coconut, so I bought the large flaked unsweetened coconut, organic (of course!). It worked perfectly, as the cake and frosting were pretty sweet, just like the DH.

Begin by creaming the butter and sugar. Mine didn't get as "light as whipped cream" as Mrs. Dumford instructed, but it didn't matter.

Add in the unwhipped egg whites.

The batter is thick, so coax it to the pan edges, using an offset spatula, butter knife or the back of a spoon.

After 20 minutes, test the cake with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, the cake is done. If not, bake another five minutes or so.

I failed to take photos of the frosting in progress. It's easy, but tedious, as the cook needs to stand over a hot stove while mixing it for seven loooong minutes or until it holds stiff peaks.

Production notes: I followed the recipe exactly, adding in the lemon extract and vanilla at the end. I also didn't beat as vigorously as instructed because overbeating can result in a tough cake. Be sure the butter is at room temperature. I baked it at 350 F for 25 minutes.

I followed this recipe exactly.  After the vanilla is added, beat for another minute or so.  I also don't have a double boiler, so I fashioned one by placing a bowl over a saucepan of  boiling water. This would make enough for a three-layer cake.

Birthday celebration, and the birthday boy.

Salvation Army Whip Cream Cake with Lemon Butter Frosting

I just returned from a whirlwind 36-hour visit to Akron to celebrate my mother's 85th birthday.  While I have mixed feelings about my hometown (are there any good restaurants?), one thing that never disappoints are the fabulous estate sales held each weekend.

At a particularly interesting one (read: house packed with treasures) on Sunday, I discovered a c. 1960 cook book filled with the recipes of members of the Women's Auxiliary of The Salvation Army of Akron.  (The Salvation Army is not an army at all, but rather a Christian church.)

I was especially interested in the recipe for Whip Cream Cake, as I had recently purchased some fabulous and hard-to-find heavy cream that was not ultra-pasteurized.  This is a rich, almost yellow, cream that is a completely different (and much better) animal than the supermarket heavy cream.

For the frosting, I chose a recipe I've wanted to try for a while -- something called lemon butter, which is really lemon curd but with an easier method.

Old-fashioned whipped cream cakes use cream in place of butter.  As such, they are really easy to prepare.

To make the cake, whip the cream until it thickens and resembles whipped cream.

Add the rest of the ingredients and blend.

Pour into greased and floured eight-inch pans.

For the frosting, zest and juice a couple of lemons.

Place eggs, sugar, the lemon juice and zest, a dash of salt and butter in a saucepan and cook over low heat until thickened.

Better cooks may skip this step, but I always need to strain the lemon curd to remove the egg protein which "cooks" in the sauce.

Voila.  A gorgeous lemon curd.  Refrigerate until cold.

Place a small amount between the layers and the rest on top. Some fresh fruit is a nice finish.

Production notes:  I baked this for 19 minutes (but was using my Chambers oven, which doesn't have a reliable thermostat).  I followed the recipe exactly, but only sifted the flour once.  Grease and flour the pans for an easy release.

The Lemon Butter is a variation of lemon curd.  I followed this exactly, but needed to strain it at the end.  I also used butter instead of Oleo.