So Haute!

Snow White Double Layer Coconut Cake

Earlier in the summer I had my best friend and her husband over for a visit and I made them this very decadent, very yummy coconut cake. I garnished it with freshly shaven coconut and let me tell you, this cake was insanity! Here's the recipe:

Double Layer Coconut Cake

_{Adapted from Sweets: Soul Food Desserts & Menus by Betty Piner}

2 sticks (one cup) of unsalted butter, softened

2 cups sugar

4 eggs separated

3 cups sifted cake flower (I prefer Swan's Down)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup whole milk

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

3 cups confectioner's sugar

1 cup butter

1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream

Milk as needed

2 cups sweetened flaked coconut for garnish

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease the bottom and sides of 9-inch round cake pans with butter, then lightly dust with flower. Set aside. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In another large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Then alternate adding in the remaining dry ingredients and milk, a little at a time until well blended. Next stir in the coconut and vanilla. (I used store bought coconut for the cake batter, but fresh coconut for the garnish.) In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Then fold the beaten egg whites into the cake batter. Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans, place in the center of the oven and bake until a toothpick comes out clean, approx 30-40 minutes.

Remove cakes from oven and cool on wire racks for approx 15 minutes. Remove cakes from pan and place on wire racks, tops facing up, to cool completely. While the cake cools, start working on the frosting. Simply add your butter, confectioner's sugar, vanilla and cream to a large bowl and mix until blended. Add a few drops of milk as needed until you achieve your desired consistency. If your frosting ends up too thin, simple add more confectioner's sugar, a tablespoon at a time until perfect.

_{The crumb coat on my coconut cake}

Once your cake has cooled, you'll want to crumb coat your cake. This is an important step to achieving a smoothly iced cake. Before icing your cake, place strips of parchment paper onto your cake stand or platter to keep it clean while icing. Now start applying the frosting on the top of the bottom layer, about a quarter inch thick. Then place your second layer on top. Then apply a thin layer of frosting all around the top and sides  of the cake (it doesn't have to be perfect). This is your crumb coat. It acts sort of like a paint primer, sealing in all of the crumbs and imperfections, so that you can add a smooth and flawless coat of frosting on top. After you've finished your crumb coating, place the cake in the refrigerator for approx 20-30 minutes. This will allow the crumb coat to set. Then, add the final layer of frosting to your cake, garnish the top with flaked coconut. You flip when you taste the end result. It's that good.

Here's me cutting the first slice of cake for my bestie.

And the aftermath the following morning. For breakfast? You guessed it! More coconut cake! Mmmmm! If you'd like to know how to prepare and shave a fresh coconut, click "continue reading" for instructions.

Easy Spiced Pumpkin Loaf

Almost every weekend I bake something sweet and since today is Halloween I woke up with pumpkin on the brain! I decided to make a very simple spiced pumpkin loaf which I topped off with cinnamon whipped cream. It turned out delicious! Here's the recipe:

Spiced Pumpkin Loaf

3/4 cups sugar

3/4 cup golden brown sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 medium sized eggs

1 cup canned solid pack pumpkin

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Cinnamon Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Generously grease 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan with butter. In a large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients except sugar. In another bowl, whisk together sugar, pumpkin, oil and eggs. Beat in dry ingredients until just blended. Pour batter into greased pan and bake until toothpick comes out clean, approx 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes. Invert loaf onto wire rack to cooling further. To make whipped cream, combine ingredients into a small bowl and whisk using an electric mixer until cream is thickened. Serve bread slightly warm with a dollop of whipped cream on the side. Enjoy!

{Haute Dish} Classic French Madeleines

_{Photo: Austin Irving for So Haute}

Soft, buttery and full of lemon flavor, the classic French madeleine is one of my favorite sweet treats. When I was in college I was a hostess at an restaurant in Chicago called one sixtyblue. After the check was presented to a table there, each guest was served a single madeleine on a tiny white plate compliments of the pastry chef. The madeleines were plentiful so every single night I worked I would sneak off to the kitchen at least once to devour a few. And so began my love affair with this delicious, cake-like cookie. Madeleines are very simple to make. I've tried about a half dozen recipes over the years but this is the one that always results in perfection. I made a batch a couple of weeks ago and above is a picture of the final result. Thanks to Austin Irving for taking photos of my baked goods!

Classic French Madelines

_{Adapted from Martha Stewart Living}

Makes approx 2 dozen

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (3/4 cups), melted, plus additional for greasing your pan

1 1/2 cups cake flour, sifted

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

3 large eggs plus 2 additional egg yolks

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 heaping teaspoon of sour cream

2 1/2 tablespoons of freshly grated lemon zest

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (2 to 3 lemons total)

Before you begin: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease your madeleine pan using melted butter. Set aside.

Step 1: Grate your lemon zest. I like a lot of lemon flavor but you can adjust the amount of zest based on your preference. To grate my lemon I use a nifty citrus grater by Microplane that I picked up at Williams-Sonoma. Tip: You can do this step in advance. Just refrigerate your zest in an airtight storage container until you're ready to use. 

 

Step 2: Put your eggs, sugar, vanilla and lemon zest to a bowl and mix on high speed using an electric mixer for 4-5 minutes until thickened and smooth. If you are using a hand mixer, mix for about 6 minutes. Next, mix in the butter, about 1 minute.

Step 3: Fold in the flour using a spatula, then let the batter rest approximately 20 minutes.

_{Photo: Austin Irving for So Haute}

Step 4: Spoon batter into greased pan filling each mold approx 3/4 full. Bake for 7-10 minutes, rotating once halfway through baking. Cookies are done when tester inserted in center comes out clean and edges are golden. Invert madeleines onto wire rack and let cool.

_{Photo: Austin Irving for So Haute}

Step 5: Dust madeleines with confectioners sugar and enjoy!

Stylish Serving Tip: Small desserts like madeleines look great on a footed platter or a cake stand. I served mine on a vintage glass cake stand purchased on ebay which you can see in the photo above. Below are two great options for serving your madeleines and other desserts. On the left is a chic hand-blown glass cake stand with pewter bead edging and base by Arte Italica from Neiman Marcus, $208. On the right is a budget-friendly glass cake stand with dome lid from Martha Stewart Everyday for Kmart, $16.99.

 

Sweet Summer Strawberry Lemonade

This past weekend it was incredibly hot outside which had me craving a glass of cool, refreshing strawberry lemonade! I made a pitcher on Saturday and it was delicious. The ingredients are simple. All you need are lemons, strawberries, sugar and water. The recipe is super simple too.

 

Nicole's Sweet Summer Strawberry Lemonade

5-6 large lemons

1 lb strawberries

5 cups cold water (approx)

A concoction of simple syrup made from 1 1/2 cups sugar dissolved into 1 cup of warm water.

Note: The pitcher I use holds approx 80 oz so you can adjust the recipe based on the size of your pitcher. I also like my lemonade on the sweeter side so adjust the sugar based on your desired sweetness. 

Step 1: Slice up your lemons and strawberries. Mix your simple syrup and set aside.

Step 2: Place the strawberries in a food processor along with 2 tablespoons of the simple syrup and grind until a smooth puree forms. Set aside.

Step 3: Extract the juice from your lemons. I use this inexpensive citrus juicer by Proctor Silex which makes this step a breeze.

Step 4: Add the lemon juice, strawberry puree and the remainder of your simple syrup to a pitcher and stir. Next add the cold water. (Use more or less water depending on your desired level of sweetness and citrus strength.) Chill in the refrigerator for about a half hour, then serve over ice.

And Voila! You have yourself a pitcher of Sweet Summer Strawberry Lemonade. Enjoy!

Stylish Serving Tip: For a finished look, garnish your glass with a simple sliced strawberry. And your strawberry lemonade will look even yummier if served in a lovely pitcher and glassware. The classic pitcher and pint glasses below from Pottery Barn will do the trick nicely plus they're a really great value.

 
_{PB Basic Pitcher, $24 and PB Classic Pint Glass (on right), $24 for set of 6}