Coconut Cake

This has become the favorite office Coconut Cake. It's a two-layer cake which can easily be cut into a four-layer cake ... there is plenty of creamy frosting to cover the layers.

3/4 lb. (3 sticks of butter), at room temperature

2 cups sugar

5 large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp. almond or coconut extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup milk

4 oz. sweetened shredded coconut

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 9-inch cake pans and dust lightly with flour.

2. In the bowl of a mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high for about four minutes until light and fluffy.

3. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond/coconut extracts and mix well.

4. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and milk to the batter in three parts, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix until just combined. Fold in the coconut with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon.

5. Pour the batter evenly into the pans and smooth the tops.

6. Bake in the center of the oven for 40 - 45 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean. The cakes should be a golden brown. Cool on a baking rack for 30 minutes and then remove from pan to cool completely.

Frosting:

8 oz. cream cheese at room temperature

1/2 lb (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature

3/4 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 tsp. almond/coconut extract

5 cups confectioners' /powdered sugar

1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

1. In the bowl of a mixer, combine the cream cheese and butter, vanilla and almond/coconut extract on low speed.

2. Gradually add the powdered sugar and mix only until just combined. Do not whip!

3. To assemble cake, place one layer (top down) on a cake plate and spread with a generous amount of frosting. Sprinkle a light layer of coconut on top of the frosting. Place the other cake (topside up) on the frosted layer, and spread frosting on the top and work your way down to the sides of the cake. Sprinkle the rest of the coconut on the top and sides of the cake. This is a messy process ... I usually put the cake plate on a clean baking sheet and toss the coconut at the sides of the cake.

This cake bakes into a beautiful golden brown.

Rich Marble Pound Cake with Chocolate Glaze

3 cups (12 oz.) cake flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 1/2 (17.6 oz.) cups sugar, divided

1/2 cup (1.4 oz.) natural cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed)

6 Tbsp. water

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks/12 oz.) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

5 large eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup milk

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 10-inch bundt pan and dust with flour.

2. In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

3. In a small bowl, whisk the cocoa powder, 1/2 cup sugar and water until sugar is dissolved. Set aside.

4. Place softened butter in the bowl of a mixer and cream for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Gradually add the 2 cups of sugar, mixing well for 4 minutes until mixture is well blended.

Add the vanilla and mix well.

5. At medium speed, beat in the eggs one at a time.

6. At low speed add the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the milk in two additions. Begin and end with the flour mixture.

7. Add 3 cups of the butter batter to the cocoa mixture and fold until well blended.

8. Spoon a third of the plain batter into the bottom of the bundt pan. Add a layer of the cocoa batter. Then add another layer of plain batter. After which add the last layer of cocoa batter and end with the plain batter.

9. Bake the cake for about 60 - 70 minutes or until a cake tested comes out clean. Cool the cake on a wire rack for about 20 minutes before removing from the pan. Cool completely before glazing.

Glaze:

4.25 oz. dark chocolate (I used Hershey's Special Dark)

1/3 cup heavy cream

1. In a heat proof bowl break the chocolate bar into pieces, add the milk, and cook over a double boiler until all the chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth.

2. Remove from heat and set aside for about 7 minutes. Keep an eye on it because you do not want it to become too hard to drizzle.

3. Once glaze is thick enough to drizzle, glaze the entire cake.

This makes a beautiful tall cake

Note: If you want to run a knife through your cake batter to swirl it before baking, you can. I left it in layers because I felt like a layer kind of cake, and I figured the baking process would create its own marbling effect.

Quick Barbecue Sandwiches

Sarah loves the smell of pot roast not because she likes it but because she knows that all the leftovers will be turned into these quick barbecue sandwiches that she will eat any time. Serve that with the Quick and Easy Coleslaw below and Sarah is a happy child.

3 to 4 cups shredded leftover potroast

1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce (brown sugar)

1/2 cup ketchup

1 Tbsp. hot sauce

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1 Tbsp. minced onion

1. Saute onion in 1 Tbsp. of vegetable oil in large saucepan.

2. Add barbecue sauce, ketchup, hot sauce, brown sugar and apple cider vinegar to the onion mixture and heat to a gentle boil.

3. Add shredded meat and heat through gently.

4. Cut sandwich buns in half and toast in a flat pan that has been coated with butter. Pile with barbecue and serve warm.

Quick and Easy Coleslaw

This is a super easy recipe that I use on a busy day. It has become one of Sarah's favorites.

3 cups prepared coleslaw mix

1 medium sweet apple, sliced like matchsticks

1 3/4 cups mayonnaise or miracle whip

1 Tbsp. sugar

3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1 tsp. celery seeds

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Mix the apple sticks with the coleslaw mix.

2. Blend in the mayonnaise. Add the apple cider vinegar and mix well.

3. Sprinkle sugar into the mixture and blend well but gently.

4. Add the celery seeds, salt and pepper, and mix well.

5. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight.

No-Bake Chocolate Fudge Pie

When John starts peeping into the display cases at the bakery of the grocery store, I know he is looking for something chocolate, and this is the pie that I whip up for him. I keep multiple packets of those large Hershey bars just for this pie.

10.85 oz. Milk or Dark chocolate candy bars, broken into pieces

20 large marshmallows

1/2 cup milk

2 cups whipped topping or whipped cream

1 9-inch graham cracker crust or make your own

Crust:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

2 Tbsp. sugar

5 oz. butter, melted

1. Mix graham cracker crumbs with the sugar in a small bowl.

2. Pour melted butter into crumb mixture and mix well.

3. Put into a 9-inch round pie plate and flatten the mixture with the bottom of a measuring cup. With your fingers work the crumbs up the sides and press firmly.

4. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely.

Pie:

1. In a large saucepan, combine the milk, candy bar pieces and marshmallows. Cook and stir over low heat until smooth and there are no streaks of white marshmallow.

2. Remove from heat and cool completely. Might take an hour or two.

3. Fold in whipped topping gently until well combined. Pour into crust.

4. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. Garnish with additional whipped topping or cream.