Coconut Cream Cake -Guest Author Leslie Ann Sartor

It's Too Yummy Tuesday!

On select Tuesdays I share delicious recipes either inspired by my books or that are just plain delicious! Today I'm happy to have special guest Leslie Ann Sartor, author of  Dare to Believe. She's here to share her recipe for coconut cream cake...yum! Take it away, Leslie!

COCONUT CREAM CAKE

This fabulous cake came from the majestic Halekulani Hotel on Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii, where it has been the hotel’s signature cake for years. It’s cut into three layers, then pasted together with pastry cream. Don’t worry if your layers aren’t perfect; once it’s put together, you’ll never know. The taste is all you’ll care about.

Ingredients

Sponge Cake:

1 1/2 cups cake flour

2/3 cup sugar, plus 1/2 cup, divided

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

2/3 cup water

8 egg whites

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Pastry Cream:

2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk, divided

1/2 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 tablespoons cornstarch

2 eggs

2 tablespoons butter

1 1/4 cups sweetened flaked coconut

1/2 cup amaretto

Whipped Cream:

3 cups heavy cream

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut 

Directions

1. To prepare the cake, preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 9-inch springform pan.

2. Sift together cake flour, 2/3 cup sugar, salt and baking powder in a small bowl. In separate bowl, combine oil, egg and water; add to flour mixture. Mix until smooth.

3. Whip egg whites and cream of tartar. Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar and whip until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into batter until just combined.
 

4. Pour into pan and bake about 30 minutes or until center is set. Remove from pan set aside to cool. Store in the refrigerator several hours before cutting.

5. To prepare the pastry cream, combine 1 3/4 cups milk, sugar, salt and vanilla in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until tiny bubbles form. Combine remaining milk with cornstarch; add eggs and beat several times.

6. Add ½ cup hot milk mixture to egg mixture; mix well. Pour egg mixture back into milk mixture in saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thick. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Scrape custard into a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator.

7. To prepare the whipped cream, combine heavy cream and sugar in a nonreactive mixing bowl and whip until stiff peaks form. 

8. Add 1 cup of whipped cream, amaretto and 1 1/4 cups coconut to pastry cream; stir well. Set remaining whipped cream and coconut aside.

9. When cake is completely cooled, cut into three layers using a serrated knife. Place one layer on a 9-inch cake board or a serving plate. Place half the pastry cream on top and spread to edge evenly. Place second layer of cake on top of pastry cream and spread remaining pastry cream on top. Place third layer of cake on top. Frost top and sides of cake with remaining whipped cream and sprinkle with 1/2 cup coconut.

Recipe by permission from the Halekulani Hotel, Honolulu.
http://www.relish.com/recipes/halekulani-hotel-coconut-cake/#ixzz25inq0GVW

Dare to Believe

by L.A. Sartor

Buy Links:

Amazon:  http://amzn.to/Qjzzgm   

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Are:  http://bit.ly/TssGOB

The Pulitzer prize winning writer …

Catherine Hemstead Malloy had it all – riches, glamour and happiness – or so it seemed. When her husband dies in an accident, she discovers she never really had anything at all. Now with nothing but a dismal bank account and her precious daughter, Cate fights to rebuild her life—until her daughter is kidnapped. Cate has no money, no resources – why would someone target her child?

And the knight in shining armor …

Jason St. Pierre doesn't think of himself as a knight, just a man who does what must be done, lives by his rules and damn the consequences.  He'll move heaven and earth to protect the innocent, and his heart—he loved once and lost and won't risk it again, especially to Cate Hemstead.

Together …

Their reunion pits them against a kidnapper who is always one step ahead and takes them on a hunt from the majestic mountains of Colorado to the idyllic beaches of Hawaii.  Can they solve the who-dunnit turned why-dunnit kidnapping in time to save Cate's daughter?

About the author

Leslie Ann Sartor (aka L.A. Sartor) began telling stories around the age of 4 when her mother, at Leslie’s insistence, wrote them down and Leslie illustrated them.  As an adult she writes suspense and action adventure novels with a dash of romance, and screenplays—she's had a contracted adaptation!  She lives in Colorado with her husband whom she met on a blind date. Leslie loves to travel and thinks life is an adventure and we should embrace the journey.  She has a blog: www.anindieadventure.blogspot.com. She is also one of the Five Scribes atwww.fivescribes.blogspot.com.  Check out her website, www.lesliesartor.com.

Social Links

L.A. Sartor's website:  http://bit.ly/Msu6J8

Facebook Profile:  http://on.fb.me/NxXQPL   https://www.facebook.com/Leslie.Ann.Sartor

Facebook Writer:  http://on.fb.me/MUU9HK

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