8/14/2011

Sunday Dinner

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Black Beans and Rice

Coconut Pound Cake with a Lemon-Mint Glaze
served with macerated pineapple


We are spending this weekend with family, so I needed a menu that would feed a crowd.  Plenty of shrimp, a couple of flank steaks to be grilled, and some fresh local corn oughta do the trick.  With all the strong savory flavors for the meal, a refreshing simple dessert was in order.  This pound cake is flavored with coconut and lemon.  A lemon-mint syrup glaze coats the flavor-packed outer crust.  The cream cheese in the cake makes for a rich underpinning of flavor.  The glaze keeps it moist, delivering the lemon and mint notes.  Served with some macerated pineapple, this is the perfect ending to our Sunday dinner.






Coconut Pound Cake with Lemon-Mint Glaze
serves 16

For the Cake
3 cups cake flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
8 ounces (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened but cool
6 ounces cream cheese, softened but cool
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
5 extra large eggs at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1/4 teaspoon coconut extract
3 Tablespoons unsweetened coconut milk
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut, finely chopped
1 teaspoon lemon zest

For the Glaze
1/2 cup water
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup fresh mint leaves

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 325ยบ F.  Grease and flour a 10-cup Bundt pan.

For the Cake
Over a sheet of wax paper, sift together the flour and salt; set aside.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.  Add the sugar and continue beating, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add the extracts and mix until combined.  Reduce the speed to low and using the wax paper as a funnel, add half the flour mixture, then the coconut milk, then the remaining flour mixture.  Beat each addition just until incorporated, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Using a rubber spatula, stir in the coconut and lemon zest.  Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.  Bake for 1 1/4 hours or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and cool in the pan for 10 minutes.  Set the rack over a baking sheet and invert the cake onto the rack.

For the Glaze
In a small saucepan, combine the water, lemon juice and sugar.  Cook over low heat just until the sugar dissolves.  Add the mint and simmer for 3 minutes.  Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve and discard the mint.  Brush the warm cake with the glaze.  Let the cake cool completely before serving.  Enjoy!

Source: Adapted from Williams-Sonoma

4 comments:

  1. I want a slice of this cake right now. It sounds really good.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The cake looks really tempting! Great clicks! My mouth started watering the moment I saw this cake!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi

    I was wondering if I could leave out the mint in the glaze and bump up the lemon juice, if so, how much lemon juice could I use in this recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hello, Jackie,
    The beauty of recipes is that you can certainly make them according to your own tastes. However, in my opinion, increasing the amount of lemon juice might over power the coconut flavor of the cake. If you want to omit the mint in the glaze, I would do just that and continue with the recipe. The glaze really helps keep the cake moist and lends a little more flavor. ahppy baking!

    ReplyDelete

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