a food journal
I don’t even know who I am anymore.
See all the whipped cream going on there? Yeah. So NOT me. It’s no secret that I do NOT like whipped cream. The only way I enjoy it is in beverages (as evidenced by my newest obsession I shared with you guys last week) and even then, I really have to be in the mood for it. I do not like it on my ice cream, or my brownies, or on my pies/tarts/desserts in general….
OMG.
I never start posts out that way, but this one is soooooo worthy of an opening “OMG.”…
Pound cake. Everyone loves pound cake. People just forget about it…with all the other incredible dessert options out there. Poor pound cake. It’s one of the best yet most underrated desserts out there.
Well, I’m here today to make sure that pound cake gets the credit it deserves. This particular pound cake is definitely not one to be overlooked. It’s chocolately. It’s coconuty. It’s moist (I hate that “moist” is the only word that captures what “moist” means. Hah. Hate that word). It’s dense yet light. It’s sweet. It’s the perfect accompaniment to coffee in the morning or as a snack or after-dinner treat.
The thing that’s awesome about this pound cake is that it has the flavor of coconut, but it’s not too overwhelming. Like, someone who doesn’t LOVE coconut (my hubs) will still like this pound cake because it’s all sorts of subtle. But not too subtle! Remember, it’s not to be overlooked.
I made this cake a few weeks ago and kept it on the counter under a glass cake dome. While I was well aware of how much I was eating (a few passing-by nibbles here and there…sometimes a full slice), the cake was disappearing way faster than I was eating it. Curious. Turns out, my anti-coconut hubs was totally into it. I caught him munching on it several times, all while proclaiming “but I don’t like coconut.” Hah.
If you are really NOT a coconut fan or are planning to serve this to an anti-coconut person, then simply omit the coconut butter from the cake and serve it without the toasted coconut and with regular whipped cream. The coconut milk in the cake batter really just gives it tons of moisture, but does not overwhelm on the coconut flavor. Promise. OR, just serve it to them the way it is. My husband is proof that the anti-coconut mantra really doesn’t matter here. Plus, isn’t toasted coconut like the prettiest thing ever?! I want to sprinkle it on everything. Pretty food for the win.
(Jeez. How many times can I type “coconut” in one paragraph?)
In my world, you can never have enough coconut. This pound cake, with all the coconut fixin’s, tastes like a Mounds bar, and I love that. L-O-V-E. It might be my favorite pound cake recipe to date.
And that’s something that definitely should not be overlooked.
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2¾ cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons instant espresso
5 eggs
1 (14-oz) can full-fat coconut milk, well shaken
1 (14-oz) can full-fat coconut milk, refrigerated overnight
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Powdered sugar, for dusting
Toasted flaked coconut, for garnish (optional)
Preheat the oven to 325°F and liberally grease a bundt pan with butter or cooking spray. Dust the coated pan with sugar, turning the pan to coat evenly. Discard any excess sugar.
Sift together the dry ingredients.
Cream the butter, coconut oil, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until well blended.
Add a third of the dry mixture, beat to just combine, and then add a third of the coconut milk. Continue with the remaining dry mixture and coconut milk two more times. Beat the batter until completely smooth.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Cool the cake completely, dust with powdered sugar and top with some of the flaked coconut. Slice and serve with the coconut whipped cream and additional flaked coconut.
Open the canned coconut milk and discard the liquid (save it for another use). Scoop the solidified cream into the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on high speed with a whisk attachment until peaks form. Add the sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla and whip again to incorporate. Serve with the pound cake.
Cake recipe adapted from here.
Coconut whipped cream adapted from here.
How do you feel about pudding?
Me? Not a huge fan. I never got the obsession so many of my peers had with those Jell-o pudding cups in their packed school lunches. Nope. Wasn’t for me. I’d much rather have a good cookie.
That was true…until I discovered plain ol’ pudding’s fancier varieties. Not to sound like a total snob, but I think the bland flavors of pre-made pudding were actually what turned me off. At first, I thought it was the texture, but it turned out to be the “just OK” flavors. It wasn’t until I tried fancified pudding at a restaurant or two that I really “got” it.
My growing fondness for pudding-like desserts grew once I discovered how easy they were to make at home. I mean, they are REALLY easy. For this version, I used a blender and whipped all the ingredients together, poured the mixture into glasses, and chilled them in the fridge until set. SO EASY.
This version of pudding, or pot de crème if you want to be fancy, is a take on one of my favorite combos: sweet, salty, chocolatey, and peanut buttery. The combo of the latter two is my husband’s dessert weakness (also outlined in detail here).
A few people have asked me how I’m still posting recipes with a newborn in the house, and the truth is, most of what I’ve shared these past few weeks was prepared/photographed before the little guy arrived. I was stockpiling stuff for weeks leading up to the big day. This recipe is one of the first I made post baby arrival. You see? I’m not lying when I say these are easy to make. I would NOT have attempted them otherwise.
These were a nice addition to our take out and freezer meals. It felt good to get back in the kitchen again…even if it was just for pudding.
Sea Salted Dark Chocolate Pot de Crème with Peanut Butter Whipped Cream (makes 6 servings)
For the Pot de Crème:
6 oz dark chocolate, chopped
3 oz milk chocolate, chopped
1½ cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
6 large egg yolks
5 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon sea salt, plus more for sprinkling on top
For the Peanut Butter Whipped Cream:
1 cup heavy cream, cold
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Tiny pinch of fine salt
For the Pot de Crème:
1. Place the chocolate in a blender. Whisk the milk, cream, egg yolks, sugar, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the spatula and almost boiling, about 5 minutes.
2. Immediately pour the milk mixture over the chocolate in the blender. Cover and hold the lid with a thick kitchen towel; blend until combined and smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender as needed. Divide the chocolate mixture among ramekins or small cups, sprinkle the tops with a little more sea salt, and refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.
For the Peanut Butter Whipped Cream:
Place the cream in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Add in the sugar, peanut butter, vanilla, and salt and then continue whipping until everything is incorporated and stiffer peaks form.
Serve each pot de crème topped with the peanut butter whipped cream.
Adapted from here.
