Coconut Key Lime Cookies

Hey you guys!  It's been a while... again.  Life is moving fast and I've been struggling to find the motivation to sit at my computer and post.  Whenever I have a quiet night at home, I feel more more inclined to relax on the couch with a book or a movie. I think I'm in need of a re-boot. Anyone else? I've got some pretty exciting projects coming up in June (think sponsored parties + birthday fun), so I guess it's time to get my butt in gear - and maybe I can actually share the good stuff with you before summer has come and gone.

But I digress. This post is supposed to be about cookies.  Delicious cookies that were a total happy accident.  I set out to make my mom some of my favorite lemon currant cookies for Mother's Day, only to discover that I'd forgotten to buy currants. After a slight meltdown I decided to see what other useable ingredients I had around the house.  I had some roasted coconut chips from Trader Joes (have you tried them?), but wasn't sure about pairing them with lemon.  Then I remembered we also had some key limes left over from Cinco De Mayo. Score. Lime and coconut always go hand in hand.  And kind of perfect for a summer party now that I think about it...

I followed the original recipe with my substitutions and somehow they were a smashing success. I think my mom described them best when she said "I would never think to call a cookie refreshing, but these totally are!". So there you go. When life hands you coconut in place of currants... go make some cookies. Profound wisdom for a Thursday.

photo + styling © cake. 2013

Coconut Key Lime Cookies

adapted from martha stewart

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, plus more for baking sheets
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup sour cream
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup toasted coconut flakes
1 tablespoon grated lime zest

1/4 cup lime juice

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter two baking sheets, or line them with parchment paper.
2. Combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl; beat until light and fluffy. Beat in sour cream and egg.
3. In a separate bowl; whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually beat the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until they are well combined.
4. Stir in coconut and lime zest/juice.
5. Drop heaping teaspoonfuls of dough about 1 1/2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheets. Bake until cookies are puffed and golden around the edges, about 20 minutes.
6. Let cool 5 minutes on baking sheets before transferring cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

These images are for personal use only. If sharing them on your site, please credit CAKE. events blog and link directly to this post.

Cornbread Cake with Honey Butter Frosting

You know those recipes that never fail... the ones that you know by heart because they're quick, easy and always get rave reviews? That's my honey cornbread.  For our latest backyard gathering, I had the crazy idea to step it up and turn the recipe into a layer cake. It's already so moist and dense that I figured it would hold up great when stacked (which it did), but I wasn't sure how to frost it without overpowering the cornbread's subtle honey sweetness.

 My husband actually solved my dilemma when he said skeptically... "A cake??  But I like your usual cornbread with honey butter on the side". Wait, what?  How did I forget about honey butter and why not turn it into a honey butter frosting?  It took a little fussing to work out the flavor, but in the end it was an experiment gone right. And so, I bring you the three layer cornbread cake. You should totally make this for your next party... your friends and skeptical spouses will think you're pretty swell. And they'd be right.

photos + styling © cake. 2013

Honey Cornbread Cake
adapted from a family recipe

1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup fine ground cornmeal
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup honey

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  **Grease two 6 inch cake pans.
2. Melt butter and pour into mixing bowl. Quickly mix in sugar. Add eggs and beat until well blended.
3. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture.
4. Stir in cornmeal, honey and flour until well blended and batter is smooth.
5. Pour batter into prepared pans.
6. Bake for about 30-40 minutes (until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean).
***Note: For a three layer cake you'll want to double this recipe.

--
Honey Butter Frosting

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup honey
1.5 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup full-fat sour cream

Directions
1. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy- at least 5 minutes.
Mix in powdered sugar a little bit at a time until fully combined.
Mix in honey and sour cream until combined (this could take another 5-10 minutes on high speed. if it looks lumpy at first... have faith.)
Tip: If frosting is too runny, add more powdered sugar to bulk it up, just a little at a time.
Spread with a spatula onto fully cooled cakes.

These images are for personal use only. If sharing them on your site, please credit CAKE. events blog and link directly to this post.