Well, it has been quite a while...

I need a new place online to post things. And I need a place to let out my creativity and log some of my successful cooking ventures. I don't know if this is that place, but I've had a lot of great things that I definitely need to write about...

First up is a coconut cake experiment. At work, we're having a halloween treat decorating contest. This would be, to date, only the second food-based contest I've ever entered. 

And I want to win.

Considering my work place, I want the treat to be haunting and creepy without going too overboard. It's a somewhat conservative working environment, and, at any rate, my personal aesthetic is somewhere along the lines of "less is more."

So here's my idea: Coconut cake. Personally, I like Ina Garten's, Barefoot Contessa's recipe because it's easy to make and incredibly delicious. However, I've never been fond of the cream cheese frosting accompanying it. In fact, Martha Stewarts fluffy egg-white frosting rolled in coconut is a perfect addition to Garten's cake. Neither of these will work here for decorating purposes. So let me break my idea down for you:

• Garten's 2-layer, 9" round cake, split into 4 thinner layers.

• Each layer is sandwiched with a stiffened coconut whipped cream filling.

• Traditional, American buttercream frosts the outside of the cake allowing for a clean slate in terms of decorations.

Ultimately, this will allow a smooth, clean, white surface for my decorations: simple dots of frosting around the base, scattered sugar pearls on top, and blood splattered glass candy stabbed gloriously into the cake (with a little extra blood splatter for good measure).

Overview of Project:

• First, bake the coconut cake.

• As the cake cools, make the glass shard decorations.

• Once the cake is completely cool, make the filling and stack the cake, keeping it refrigerated.

• Make the frosting and frost the top and sides of the cake.

• Decorate the cake using the shards and food coloring.

Coconut Cake

I'm pretty much using the Barefoot Contessa's cake and recipe, word for word. It's perfect.

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pans

2 cups sugar

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the cake pans

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

5 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 tsp almond extract

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup milk (use coconut milk if you like)

4 oz sweetened, shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper, then butter and flour the bottom and sides of the pans.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 3-5 minutes, until light yellow and fluffy. Crack the eggs into a small bowl. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well. 

With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk or coconut milk. Begin and end with the dry ingredients in 3 parts and the milk in 2 parts. Mix just until combined. Fold in the 4 oz of coconut.

Pour the batter evenly into the two pans and smooth the top. Bake in the center of the preheated oven for 45-55 minutes, until the tops are browned and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool on a baking rack for 30 minutes. Turn the cakes our onto a baking rack to finish cooling. 

Once cool, carefully slice each layer in half to have 4 layers of cake.

Coconut Whipped Cream Filling

3 tbsp cold water

1 3/4 tsp unflavored gelatin

2 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream, divided

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

Place water in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over. Let stand until the gelatin softens, about 10 minutes. Bring 1/2 cup cream just to a simmer (either on the stove or in the microwave). Pour hot cream over gelatin; stir until gelatin dissolves. Place in refrigerator until cool, but not set, stirring frequently, 5 - 8 minutes.

Beat remaining 1 3/4 cups cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla in medium bowl until peaks form. Gradually add cooled gelatin, beating until medium-firm peaks form. Be careful not to over beat or it will deflate. Fold in coconut.

American Buttercream Frosting

1 cup salted butter, softened
4 cups confectioner's sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
4-5 tbsp heavy cream

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Next, beat in the confectioner's sugar, one cup at a time, beating completely until all four cups are incorporated. Mix in the vanilla followed by the cream. Add in the cream one tablespoonful at a time until it reaches the consistency you're looking for. Personally, I mixed in four tablespoons.

Halloween Glass Shards

Originally posted at Sweet Explorations, a wonderful website filled with fun decorating tutorials.

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

Food coloring (either liquid or paste)

First, prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper. Then, in a microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup, combine the sugar and corn syrup to make a sugar quicksand of sorts. Microwave on high for 3 minutes. 

There are circles of Hell that are cooler than this mixture, so please be very careful as you remove it and stir to make sure all of the sugar is dissolved. Place back in the microwave and cook on high for 2-3 minutes more. 

Check the temperature using a candy thermometer after 2 minutes to be safe. The variation is based solely on the power of your microwave. My 1000 watt microwave hits the sweet spot of 178-ish degrees right at 2 minutes.

Pour the hot mixture onto the parchment paper, rocking the pan back and forth to spread out the faux glass. Let it cool completely. Shatter the resulting sugar glass into shards. When ready to use, dip the shards, upside down, into food coloring (or food coloring paste mixed with a little water), turn right side up and place into the cake. 

Assembly

Place one layer of the coconut cake on a cake board. Spread 1/3 of the coconut whipped cream on the cake. Repeat with remaining layers until you top with the final layer of cake. Chill until the filling is set, about 2 hours. 

Alternately, I've had good luck filling and chilling gradually as I build the cake, ensuring the filling doesn't squish out the sides and reducing the overall chilling time.

Frost the top and sides of the cake with the buttercream frosting.

Finally add the bloodied glass shards and extra faux blood for good measure. And, of course, enjoy your masterpiece! I wound up getting second place in favor of some skeleton cupcakes made with chocolate covered pretzels and marshmallows. However, the taste was amazing, and I will definitely be making this cake, sans bloody glass shards, many times for my coconut-loving friends.