Yankee-Belle Cafe: dessert

Showing posts with label dessert. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 26, 2020

Coconut Cake and Life in the Country

I love coconut. I can remember eating it right out of the bag when I was a kid. Okay, as an adult, too. Still, I don't indulge in coconut desserts that often. So when I do, it had better be good.

Well, the craving hit a couple of months ago, so I had made sure to pick up a bag of coconut on one of my grocery runs. Of course, you know what happened then. It kept calling to me, mocking me every time I went into the pantry, wanting to know when I was going to make something with it. And I knew what that something was going to be. Coconut cake.

I love this recipe. It makes a nice, rich cake.

Here's what you'll need:

1 white cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)

4 tablespoons melted butter

3 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 cup milk

1 cup sweetened flake coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease 9x13 baking pan with butter or spray.

Combine all ingredients except coconut in a large bowl, using an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down sides then continuing mixing at medium speed for two minutes.

Add coconut.

Fold into batter, then pour into prepared pan and spread evenly. Batter will be thick.

Bake 35-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Remove from oven and allow to cool before frosting.

For the frosting, you will need:

1 cup powdered sugar

¼ cup heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ cup sweetened flake coconut

Whisk all ingredients except coconut together until smooth then fold in coconut.

Spread over cake. You can serve immediately or chill before serving.

I usually eat it right way because I can't wait, however, what's left is always chilled because of the whipped cream. And I think I like it better chilled. It's not a light, fluffy cake, but it's not dense either. Just moist, rich and delicious. All winners in my book.

Well, we discovered some more baby wrens this week.

Their parents built this next in a cubbie on one of our utility vehicles. We never even knew the nest was there until the babies hatched and started making noise.

And here's what I saw as I pulled out of the driveway one day.

Even out here in the country, this is not a common sight.

Just a family out having some fun. Of course, it was about 85 degrees with at least 70 percent humidity, so I'm not sure how much it really was, but don't you know those kids got a kick out of riding down the road in a buckboard wagon.

What's something you love to eat, but don't fix very often? And what holds you back?

Three time Carol Award finalist Mindy Obenhaus is passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. She lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, one sassy pup, countless cattle, deer and the occasional coyote, mountain lion or snake. When she's not writing, she enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, cooking and watching copious amounts of the Hallmark Channel. Learn more at mindyobenhaus.com

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Celebrating with Lemon Bars

Today's the day!

Book four in my Rocky Mountain Heroes series releases today.

A fresh start...and an old love reignited?

For widow Kayla Bradshaw, restoring a historic Colorado hotel means a better life for her and her soon-to-arrive baby. But she needs construction help from Jude Stephens, the love she lost through a misunderstanding. Working with Kayla, the police officer finds himself forgiving her--and longing to rebuild her shattered confidence. But can they trust each other enough to forge a future together?

So let's celebrate with one of my favorite desserts.

Lemon bars are a quintessential southern tradition. One problem I have with these tasty treats, though, is that sometimes they're too sweet. I prefer mine with a little more tang. And this recipe has the perfect balance of sweet and citrus.Best of all, they're really quite easy to make. For years, I opted for a box kit but, really, this scratch-made version doesn't take much longer.

**FYI - refrigeration time is required, so plan accordingly**

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Line a 9 x 13 pan with foil.

For the crust you will need:

2 sticks of cold butter (I prefer unsalted)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix dry ingredients together, then cube butter before adding.

Cut butter into the flour, sugar, salt until crumbly, yet incorporated.

Then dump into foil-lined pan.

And press to cover bottom of pan.

Bake 20 minutes or until golden.

While that's baking, let's make the filling.

For the filling, you will need:

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
6 eggs
Zest and juice of 5 lemons

Okay, so this is where homemade versus a box-kit might cost you a little more time, because you have to zest and juice the lemons.

First, you want to wash them. Yes, that means soap. Just be sure to rinse them well before drying.

Now I'd like to introduce you one of my favorite kitchen gadgets.

This is called a microplane. You can use it for finely grating lots of things, like citrus peels, whole nutmeg, cinnamon, etc. I used to just use the fine grate on my standard cheese grater, but I was over the moon when I found this in my stocking one Christmas. I can't tell you how much easier it makes things. And no more bloodied knuckles or chipped fingernails.

Simply drag the grate across the peel and it traps everything in this little channel. Then you simply tap what's there into the bowl.

Once all you're lemons are zested...

Simply cut them in half and squeeze out all the juice, taking care to strain out any seeds. A task I usually just use my hands/fingers for.

Now, whisk together your flour, sugar and eggs until smooth.

Then add the lemon zest and juice...

And stir to incorporate.

Once your crust is done...

Pour the lemon mixture over the top.

Put it back in the oven and bake for another 20 minutes, or until just set.

Allow to cool, then cover and refrigerate 2 hours to overnight.

When ready to serve, lift foil from pan and dust with powdered sugar.

Cut into squares and serve.

So pretty. SO tasty. And that citrusy tang is perfect for summertime or a nice compliment after any rich meal.

As the title reveals, Reunited in the Rockies is a reunion romance. It's a story of broken hearts, broken promises and learning to trust in love again. Because true love, the way God intended it, never fails. It beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things and endureth all things.

So grab you a lemon bar, pull up a chair and let's talk books. What are you reading? I'm currently reading The Soldier's Redemption by Lee Tobin McLain and I can't wait to read the final book in her Redemption Ranch series, The Nanny's Secret Baby. How's your TBR pile looking?

Three time Carol Award finalist Mindy Obenhaus lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, the youngest of her five children and two dogs. She passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she's not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more a mindyobenhaus.com.