Recipe Monday - Toasted Coconut Cake

I used a base recipe, but made most of this up. It came out good!

• 1/2 cups flaked sweetened coconut 
• 1 (3.5 ounce) package instant coconut cream pudding mix (I used vanilla)
• 1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
• 1 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix (I used coconut cake mix)
• 1 cup vanilla yogurt (I used banana. Also, I'd cut this to 1/2 cup)
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
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• Frosting:
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray 2 9-inch round cake pans with cooking spray, and set aside.
2. Spread 2 cups of flaked coconut onto a baking sheet, and toast in the preheated oven, stirring often, until lightly browned and fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes. Set the toasted coconut aside.
3. Place the pudding mix and coconut milk in the work bowl of an electric mixer, and mix on Low speed until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Add the cake mix, yogurt, vegetable oil, eggs, and remaining 1/2 cup flaked coconut and mix on Medium speed until the batter is smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans, smoothing the top with a spatula if necessary.
4. Bake in the oven until the top is lightly browned and the cake springs back when pressed gently, about 40 minutes. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 20 minutes before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling.
5. To make frosting, place the cream cheese into the work bowl of an electric mixer and beat on Low speed until the cream cheese is softened, about 30 seconds. Beat in the confectioners' sugar, milk, and vanilla extract, and beat on Medium speed until the frosting is thick and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
6. Spread the cream cheese frosting over the top of one of cooled cake rounds, place the second cake round on top of the frosted round and spread the remaining frosting evenly over the layered cake. Press the toasted coconut gently into the top and sides of the cake.

Recipe Monday - Cake Mix Cookies

I don't have a large mixer or beaters, so when I make cake, I usually use cake mix. Someday this will change, but for now I usually have quite a few boxes of cake mix on hand.

The problem with that is my family can't usually finish a whole cake in time.

Cake mix cookies solve that in two ways...they last longer and they go quicker. Here are two recipes that have done us well.

Carrot Cake Cookies:

Ingredients:

Carrot Cake Mix
1/3 cup of butter, melted
1 egg
1/8 cup water
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put all the ingredients into a bowl and mix well with a spoon.
Drop tablespoons of dough onto a cookie sheet. (Next time I'll roll them into balls.)
Bake for 12 minutes.




German Chocolate Cake Cookies

INGREDIENTS:
1 box German chocolate cake mix
6 ozs. semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 oil
2 eggs, slightly beaten


PREPARATION:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, combine all ingredients; blend well.
Next time I'm going to use half the chocolate chips and twice the oatmeal / raisins.
Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. 
Bake for 8-10 minutes or until set. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets.



These recipes make for delicious cake-like cookies, that are huge hits in my house.


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