Lemon Coconut Cake

We spent the week before Christmas at Tahoe as usual. Unfortunately it was blue skies and dry the whole nine days we were in residence. It turned out to be okay. It would have been hard for me to focus on work if the snow conditions were pristine. And I did have to work.

We spent one afternoon ice skating at Northstar. Skating is free and ice skates are $5. This could be the biggest bargain on the north shore. The rink is lined with fire pits and heated cabanas. F&B can be ordered and consumed right there. And there was a live band playing. Even the break for the Zamboni was an event with people lining up around the outside edges of the rink high fiveing the driver. We killed a few hours with my parents, my brother and his family, his sister-in-law and her kids, and his in-laws, the Owles. Northstar was very lively compared to Squaw.

After that we headed to the Owles' nest in Dollar Point for drinks and appetizers. My parents birthdays are Dec 5 and 6 and I'd baked a cake that morning for a belated celebration at the Owles. It was one of the best cakes I'd ever baked. The cream cheese frosting is worth every calorie.

Layered Coconut Cake

• 1 cup butter, room temp
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons good quality vanilla
• 3 cups cake flour, sifted
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 cup dessicated coconut
• lemon curd

Fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 8-ounce packages Philadelphia Original Cream Cheese, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon good-quality vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese at high speed until light, about five minutes. Beat in the vanilla, then the confectioners’ sugar; beat at low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and beat until light and fluffy, about three minutes.

Cake: Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter 3 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Butter the surface of the parchment paper as well. Lightly sift flour all over the sides and bottoms of the pans before tapping out any excess. Set aside.

In a fairly large bowl, sift the cake flour before adding the baking powder and sea salt. Whisk the three dry ingredients together and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer place the softened butter. Using a paddle attachment, cream the butter first on low speed, gradually increasing to medium speed. Once light and fluffy, add the sugar; again, beat until light and fluffy. This should take three minutes or less. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. Add the vanilla and mix for an additional minute.

With the mixer on medium-low speed, alternate adding the flour mixture and the coconut milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Divide the batter between the three buttered/floured pans. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until ever-so-lightly browned on top. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and cool for ten minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans and continue to allow them to cool on the wire rack.

Once cooled, place one cake on a cake plate and start layering. Begin with the frosting, then add the desiccated/shredded coconut and last the lemon curd. Repeat twice. Take cake under table and eat it there so you don't have to share.