My Easter Lemon Coconut Cake

I was asked to bring the Gluten Free dessert to my family Easter dinner and I was looking through my copy of Debi Field's Great American Desserts. No, it's not remotely a GF cookbook, which is precisely why I use it! She has great recipes that are probably a nutritionist's nightmare, but they taste SO GOOD. Anyway, I created a GF adaptation/melding of her Coconut Cake and her Lemon-Cream Coconut Cake. My version of the Lemon Coconut Cake got rave reviews from both gluten free and regular people alike.

Equipment needed:

* Two 9 inch cake pans, greased and floured (I used white rice flour)

* Electric mixer (this is a must, unless you have really strong arm muscles)

* Pastry bag with large star tip

* Oven, preheated to 350 degrees F

Cake ingredients:

12 tbsp unsalted butter, softened (room temperature is best)

2 cups sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp pure lemon extract

finely grated rind from 1/2 a lemon (save the other half for the filling)

2 3/4 c gluten free flour (I use a ratio of 2 parts white rice flour or finely ground brown rice flour, 1 part potato starch and 1 part tapioca starch)

1 rounded tsp xanthan gum or guar gum

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 c water

4 large egg whites at room temperature (separate whites from yolks when the eggs are cold. Save the yolks for the filling)

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

1/3 c evaporated milk

3 tbsp sweetened condensed milk

Lemon filling:

1 1/3 c sugar
1/2 c water

4 tbsp cornstarch

2 tbsp lemon juice

4 egg yolks at room temperature

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1 c sweetened shredded coconut

finely grated rind from 1/2 a lemon

Frosting:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 lb powdered sugar
1/2 c sweetened shredded coconut (optional)

Garnish (optional):

1/4 c flaked coconut, lightly toasted (on a light cookie sheet in a 325 degree oven for about 10 minutes, stirring half way through. Watch closely so it doesn't over-brown!)

Make the cake layers:

1. Mix butter and sugar in electric mixer on medium speed until until creamy, about 2 minutes. (Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for another minute).

2. Add lemon rind, vanilla and lemon extracts to butter mixture until well combined.

3. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture in thirds, alternating with water. Mix well after each edition. Begin and end with dry ingredients.

4. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until frothy, then add cream of tartar and beat until stiff peaks form.

5. Gently but thoroughly fold beaten egg whites into batter. Divide batter between the two prepared cake pans. Smooth batter.

6. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

7. Let the cakes cool in their pans for 10 minutes on wire racks before turning cakes out onto the racks until the cakes reach room temperature.

Make the lemon filling:
This can be done while the cakes are baking in the oven.
1. In a heavy saucepan, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. Over Medium high heat, stir in the 1/2 cup of water and lemon juice until the mixture is very smooth and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. The mixture should start to thicken and be less opaque.
2. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook an additional 2-3 minutes until the mixture turns thick and glossy (DON'T be tempted to skip this step, it helps to fully develop the starches so you won't end up with a soupy mess!)
3. "Temper" the egg yolk so they don't curdle by stirring a large spoonful of the lemon mixture into the egg yolks. Repeat.
4. Add the tempered egg yolks into the lemon mixture, stirring constantly over low heat. As soon as the mixture begins to steam, remove from heat and stir in butter, coconut and grated lemon rind.
5. Let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

Make the frosting:
1. Put cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl and beat until smooth with an electric mixer on medium speed.
2. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula, then beat in powdered sugar in small amounts until creamy and smooth.
3. Scrape the bowl and mix a final time to ensure a smooth, even frosting.

Assemble the cake:
1. Carefully cut the "dome" off the top of both cake layers to give them a level surface. Use unflavored dental floss or a long, serrated knife to split each cake layer in half, creating four layers total.
2. Place one layer on a serving plate or cake stand, then spread half of the lemon filling over it. Carefully place the next layer on top of the lemon filling.
3. Spread a layer of cream cheese frosting as the middle filling for the cake, then place the third layer over it.
4. Pour the remaining lemon filling on top of the third cake layer, and spread to the edges, then top with remaining cake layer.
5. Carefully, using a long metal spatula, spread cream cheese frosting over the top of the cake, being careful not to let it drip over the sides.
6. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip with cream cheese frosting. Create border of large stars around the top rim of the cake and around the bottom edge of the cake.
7. Press lightly toasted coconut flakes over the top of the cake, being careful not to upset the star border.
8. Cool in the refrigerator at least one hour before serving.

Gluten Free Product Reviews and Favorites

PRODUCT TESTING:
Have you ever stood in front of a shelf full of gluten free products and didn’t know which brands to try? Which flavors?

Here are the gluten free products I’ve tried so, for example, you don’t have to buy six different kinds of linguine noodles before discovering that Tinkyada is the best. I'll keep adding to the list as time goes on.

FAVORITES:
Best GF bread: Udi's (in the bakery freezer section.) It actually holds together. You can actually make a sandwich. You don't need to toast it, and it actually tastes good!

Best pancake mix: Pamela's. These are very good. I make up a big batch and keep some in the freezer or refridgerator so I have breakfast for a few days.

Best Snickerdoodle: Enjoy Life. They have absolutely no allergens in their products. I have no idea how these cookies taste so good, but they do.

Best overall noodle brand: Tinkyada. Their noodles are made of rice and they have a really great taste and texture. They make all shapes and sizes of noodles. DeBoles comes in second.

Best Lemon Wafer Cookies: Glutino. These taste like the real deal!

Best Frozen Macaroni and Cheese: Amy’s Kitchen. I swear you won’t be able to tell it’s GF!

Best French Bread Mix: Gluten Free Pantry. This mix works best if you use a French bread pan or baguette pan lined with parchment paper. This way you can get two long, skinny loaves.

Best Cake-Like Brownie Mix: Pamela’s. These are my brother’s favorite.

Best Chewy Brownie Mix: Namaste. These are my favorite.

Best Chocolate Cake Mix: Bob's Red Mill. This cake is SO good, and it stays moist for a week!

Best Frozen Meals to Grab When You’re in a Hurry: Pretty much any Gluten Free item made by Amy’s Kitchen.

Best Donuts: Kinnikinnik (in the freezer section). These old-fashioned cake donuts are baked and are available in vanilla or chocolate glaze, or cinnamon sugar. After being defrosted in the microwave, they are amazing!

Best Frozen Pizza: Amy's Gluten Free Dairy Free with Spinach - this one tastes way better than their regular Gluten Free one. It's the spinach topping. It's really good!

Best Thick Pizza Crust: Kinnikinnik (in the freezer section). This company is amazing! These frozen, top-it-yourself personal sized pizza crusts come in a package of 4 and they taste SO good. My sister and I agree that these are the best things ever! (And even my gluten-eating husband likes them.)

Best Thin Pizza Crust: Udi's (in the bakery freezer section). Top your own thin-crust pizza. The flavor and texture is perfect.

Best Bagels: Udi's again. Plain, whole grain, or cinnamon raisin: all are amazingly like the real thing.

Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start...

About this blog:
Before I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease back in 2000, I loved to bake, as demonstrated in this photo of me and my sister-in-law, Jenny. I'm the short one. I especially like to bake deserts. It was a hobby. It was what I did when I was bored or inspired. So after “D” day, I naturally wanted to try baking gluten free desserts.

My mom bought Bette Hagman’s Gluten Free Gourmet and a cookbook from the Gluten Intolerance Group. Both turned out to be utter disappointments. My family stuck with me as I attempted pie crusts, cakes, cookies, cobblers and quick breads, but we noticed a trend with the recipes: they were dry, crumbly and a little too "healthy."

[Side note: Don’t get me wrong – I like to eat healthy. I rarely eat meat, I avoid “bad fats” and try to eat lots of local, organic, anti-oxidant-rich foods, but being on a gluten free diet takes away so many options, that when I feel like eating a treat, I want a real treat. Not a healthy version of a treat.]

So, I decided to take the principles of gluten free baking that I learned from those books (like using a variety of flours and adding a bit of xanthan gum as a binder) and I tried adapting the normal recipes that I had always liked. And guess what? In general, it worked!

The recipes I’ll feature in this blog are the result of some trial and error, but the good news is that you don’t have to do the trial and error yourself! And, if there is a dessert recipe that you’re dying to eat a gluten free version of that’s not in my repertoire, let me know and I’ll attempt the challenge.