Let Them Eat Cake

A few weeks ago David and I were watching The Best Thing I Ever Ate, cake edition, and Anne Burrell was foaming at the mouth over this fabulous coconut cake that she schlepped from the Village to Midtown to get.  After watching them make the cake at Smith and Wollensky, I knew I had to make that cake soon. So I did. For Easter.



My cake batter was yellower than expected because I needed 7-8 egg whites and 2 eggs and only had 7 eggs.



And the cake came together in more steps than I am used to, but it was worth it in the end.



Did I mention there was rum involved? Malibu Coconut Rum!! This stuff should be illegal. Coconut rum mixed with cream of coconut, coconut milk and simple syrup. This stuff is divine. And both cakes were soaked in it.



Mine wasn't as pretty as theirs, and I had to make 2 rectangle layers vice 3-4 round layers, but it was appreciated by all of my extended family after Easter lunch.



I hadn't made liquor infused cakes since college when I worked as a chef/chauffeur/assistant to a man confined to a wheelchair. Bob taught me how to make a chocolate souffle and infuse Frangelico into yellow sponge cakes for fabulous birthday cakes for his friends. Bob was a wine importer/exporter and he hosted THE BEST dinner parties. As a starving college student, I was very appreciative of the leftovers and the knowledge he shared with me.

The coconut layer cake was last weekend. This past weekend, in order to celebrate the birth of that man of mine, I made a chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream frosting, his request and favorite.

The chocolate cake recipe that I used sounded weird when I got to the last ingredient listed, a cup of boiling water. And the batter was very soupy. I was nervous with this thin recipe because I got out the big guns - some round cheesecake pans I hadn't used in years. The cakes rose unevenly, but they rose, so I was happy.



And Scott was happy with his cake...that's all that matters. Happy Birthday, baby!