L ifestyle /C ulture
Spring Baking — Lighter, Fresher Flavors Prevail
F OO D
KERI WHITE | JE FOOD COLUMNIST
AS SPRING BLOSSOMS,
we naturally gravitate toward
lighter, fresher flavors.

I begin to move from the
heavier, deeper pumpkin,
chocolate and caramel recipes
to citrus and coconut desserts.

No, these are not “light” in the
sense of diet, fat or calories, but
they feel more seasonal as the
weather warms.

The coconut cake was a gift
to a friend for his birthday — we
planned to surprise him with
a small group of vaccinated
friends at my house for dinner,
and his partner informed me
that a white coconut cake
was his favorite. I looked at a
number of different recipes and
eventually came up with this
one, which uses coconut ingre-
dients in both the cake and
the icing, and also uses coconut
extract. If you can’t find the
extract, you can use a vanilla or
almond in its place.

This can easily be made
pareve with the use of coconut
oil, margarine or other
nondairy option in the place
of the butter/cream cheese. The
cake uses only the egg whites,
but don’t toss the yolks; make
lemon or lime curd, custard,
crème brulee, flan or a rich
omelet, frittata or scramble.

Cake: 5 egg whites
¾ cup unsweetened
coconut milk
1 stick butter, softened
¼ cup coconut oil
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Coconut cake
1 ¾ cup sugar
1 teaspoon coconut extract
(or 1 teaspoon vanilla and/or
½ teaspoon almond extract)
2½ cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking
powder ½ teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded sweetened
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18 MAY 27, 2021
1 stick butter, softened
1 8-ounce package cream
cheese, softened
¼ cup coconut oil
5 cups powdered sugar
¼ cup unsweetened
coconut cream
½ teaspoon coconut extract
Topping: 2 cups shredded
sweetened coconut
JEWISH EXPONENT
Photo by Keri White
Heat your oven to 350
degrees F. Spray two pans with
cooking oil and line them with
parchment; spray the parch-
ment. Set the pans aside.

Whisk the egg whites and
coconut milk until combined;
set aside. Mix the dry ingredi-
ents in a medium bowl; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat the
butter, coconut oil, sugar and
extracts for about a minute.

Slowly add the dry ingredients
until they are just mixed. Add
in the egg white mixture and
beat it for about 2 minutes.

Add the shredded coconut and
mix until just combined.

Pour the batter into the
pans, dividing evenly, and
bake for 25 minutes, or until
done, when the edges and
surface are starting to turn a
bit golden and/or a toothpick
comes out clean and/or the
cake springs back when
lightly pressed. Cool the cakes
completely and remove them
from the pans.

For the icing, blend the butter,
cream cheese and coconut oil
until fluffy. Slowly add powdered
sugar and coconut cream until
smooth. Add the extract and
mix well. If the icing is too “dry,”
you can add some more coconut
cream or coconut milk a table-
spoon at a time until the desired
consistency is achieved.

When the cake is completely
cool, ice the bottom layer of the
cake, sprinkle it with ½ cup
flaked coconut, then place the
top layer on and ice the entire
cake. Using your hands, gently
place and lightly press the rest
of the coconut on the top and
sides of the cake.

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