Tangerine Cupcakes with Coconut Frosting

One more coconut recipe I have been itching to get made and tested :)

Tangerine Cupcakes with Coconut Frosting
4 eggs
4 egg yolks
1/2 c. buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. canola oil
2 1/3 c. cake flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 c. butter, softened
2 c. sugar
1 tbsp. tangerine or orange zest
3 tbsp. orange or tangerine juice

Cream cheese frosting
Flaked coconut

Line your muffin tins with muffin papers.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together your cake ingredients and mix well.  Pour into cupcake papers and bake for 18 to 20 minutes.  Cool.  Frost and sprinkle with coconut!

Coconut Lime Layer Cake :)

Okay - this recipe is brought to you by Land O Lakes - a beautiful and yummy cake.  Keeping in the coconut theme for November!  Which is hard since I found a recipe for sweet potato pound cake I was wishing I could share but I have to wait until Dec. for that one.  I have my Christmas cards here - need to address them and finish writing the letter and buy stamps.  I started some home decorating yesterday with my Flurryville Snowman collection!  I love those things and wish Herbergers was still producing them.  I have a bunch of them but I know I don't have all of them.....:( sad face.

Have a great day!

Coconut Lime Layer Cake
1 c. sugar
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. cream of coconut
2 tsp. freshly grated lime zest
4 eggs
1 c. buttermilk
3 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Heat your oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour 2 layer pans.  Mix together your cake ingredients.  Beat until well mixed.  Pour into pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.  Cool 10 minutes.  Invert onto cooling racks and cool completely. 

Frosting:
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/4 c. cream of coconut
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 tsp. freshly grated lime zest
5 c. powdered sugar
4 to 5 tbsp. milk to thin

Mix together and assemble and frost your cake.  Sprinkle sides and top of cake with sweetened, flaked coconut!

Yummy Squares

Continuing the November Coconut theme are these super quick and easy to throw together treats - they are called yummy squares.  If you didn't want to pour into a pan and cut into squares you could pour into Mini Muffin papers and make little candy type treats with it as well.  Thanksgiving is coming up quickly and the deal here is we have already had our meal with my family as that is the way the timing worked this year.  Now my mom and her husband have jetted off to spend the actual day with my daughter and son-in-law who live out in San Diego.  My middle daughter has to work that day and our son will be home with Ken and I.  I am thinking either ham or ribs - whichever strikes me when I go to the store today. That paired with a pan of cheesy hashbrowns a salad and a cherry pie (Ken and Grant both love this) for dessert. 

YUMMY SQUARES
1/2 c. butter
1 pkg. butterscotch chips
1 c. peanut butter
1 c. mini marshmellows
1/2 c. coconut

Butter a 9" cake pan. Melt the butter, peanut butter, butterscotch chips and marshmellows together.  Stir in your coconut.  Pour into the pan and put in the freezer to firm up.  Remove and cut into squares.

Banana Coconut Crunch Cake

In continuing with the coconut theme, here is another coconut recipe you must try!  So cold here in Minnesota that its a good excuse for me to crank up the oven. 

Banana-Coconut Crunch Cake
1 pkg. Banana Cake Mix (or vanilla)
1 small box Banana Cream Instant Pudding mix
1 (16 0z.) can fruit cocktail in juice
4 eggs
1/4 c. canola oil
1 c. flaked cocnut
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1/2 c. brown sugar

Glaze:
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. evaporated milk
1 1/2 c. flaked coconut

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 13 x 9 inch baking pan.
Combine cake mix, pudding mix, fruit cocktail, eggs and oil in a large bowl.  Beat for about 4 minutes.  Stir in the 1c. coconut.  Pour into your pan.  Bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

For glaze:  Combine sugar, butter and evaporate dmilk in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat.  Stir in coconut.  Pour over warm cake.  Best served warm!

November = coconut month!

I didn't even realize this until now but my only other post so far in November also has coconut in it as well - so may as well make the month about it.  I do love coconut so it shouldn't be tough!  Today is gray, drizzly and cold here in Minnesota - much like many days in November tend to be.  I made Snicker salad to take to my mom's tomorrow where we are celebrating Thanksgiving Family style a wee bit early.  So while I was in the kitchen figured may as well turn on the oven and warm up the house as well. 

Coconut Almond Biscotti
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
3 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. flaked coconut
1 c. toasted, sliced almonds

Mix together your butter and sugar until creamy.  Add in vanilla and eggs.  Beat well.  Add in your dry ingredients.  Mix in your coconut and almonds.  Divide dough in half and form each half into a log (about 10" long and about 3" wide).  Place on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for 32 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.  Take each loaf and slice into 1" slices.  Place slices (laying down flat) on your baking sheet and return to the oven for 12 minutes.  Flip each slice and bake another 12 minutes.  Cool,  Enjoy!

Toasted Coconut Pound Cake~!

This recipe that I found in the Martha Stewart Everyday Food magazine, looked to irresistable to pass up, especially since I love both Coconut and pound cake. 
In other news, I am certainly glad the election is over, I was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo sick of listening to all the campaigning.  As well as all of the whining on display on facebook.  I did not subject anyone to any ranting as I don't believe it is appropriate - now or ever.
Without further ado, here is the recipe:
(oh I did change it up just a bit)

Toast coconut:  spread coconut onto a baking sheet and put into a 350 oven for 5-10 minutes.  Stir often.  Watch carefully it can go from toasted to burned in a hurry!

Toasted Coconut Pound Cake
3/4 c. butter, softened
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs
1 c. fat-free half & half
1 1/2 c. sweetened, shredded, toasted coconut, divided

1 c. powdered sugar
2 tbsp. fat free half & half

Preheat your oven to 350.  Spray a loaf pan with pam spray.  Stir together your dry ingredients.  In a mixing bowl beat the butter,  and sugar until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes).  Add vanilla and then the eggs one at a time.  Then add in the half-&-half and the flour mixture.  Mix until well combined.  Stir in 1 1/4 c. of your toasted coconut.  Pour into the pan and bake for 60 minutes.  Let cool.  Remove from pan  Whisk together the powdered sugar and additional half & half.  Spread over cake.  Sprinkle with remaining coconut.

For more of a cake you can slice and take on the go - omit the frosting and additional coconut topping!

ENJOY :)