30TH BIRTHDAY CAKE FOR HER RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (This recipe uses the reverse creaming method.)
• Grease and flour three 8 x 2 inch round pans
• In a separate bowl, combine eggs, strawberry puree, vanilla, strawberry extract, pink coloring (as desired). Blend together with a fork.
• In the bowl of your mixer, hand whisk the dry ingredients (cake flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt) for 30 seconds to combine. With your mixer on low to medium speed, add the pieces of butter, a few pieces at a time, also add the oil at this time. Mix until the dry ingredients form moist crumbs that look like coarse sand.
• Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Method is important when using Reverse Creaming, so with the mixer on LOW speed, SLOWLY add 1/2 of the egg mixture to the dry ingredients, increase the mixer to medium speed and beat for 1 1/2 minutes, the batter will be thick and fluffy.
• Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, then add the remaining egg mixture in 2 pourings, beating 20 seconds after each. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and pour into prepared pans.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pans 10 min. then turn out.
• Makes 7 1/2 cups batter IF USING FONDANT: If using fondant to cover the cake, our first choice is to cover the cake in ganache for a nice firm shell before laying on the fondant. You could also use all butter buttercream, that is well chilled to firm it up before the fondant.
• Cupcakes: This recipe will work for cupcakes, they will have only a slight dome**We frosted our cake with this Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe. (I piped spirals of frosting in varying sizes with my Wilton star tip 21.)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three 8 inch cake pans
• In a small bowl , combine eggs, coconut milk, oil, coconut extract and rum extract. Blend with a fork and set aside.
• Put the dry ingredients, cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into the bowl of your mixer and whisk for at least 30 seconds to blend the ingredients.
• With the mixer on low speed gradually increasing to medium speed gradually add the slices of butter to the dry ingredients a few pieces of butter at a time. Beat until the dry ingredients are crumbly and moistened. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, there should be no spots of dry flour in the bowl.
• SLOWLY add approximately 1/2 of the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and beat for 1 1/2 minutes. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl then add the remaining egg mixture in 2 pourings, scraping the bowl and beating for 20 seconds after each addition.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes
• Makes about 6 1/2 cups batter
• Works well for cupcakes - cupcakes bake up with very little doming
• Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and cook over medium heat.
• When the mixture begins to boil, stir constantly until it begins to thicken, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Keep in mind that it will thicken even more as it cools.
• Cool completely in refrigerator before using.
• Add the butter to the mixing bowl and beat until smooth.
• Add the cream cheese that has been cut into small to medium size pieces, beating with the butter until well blended and smooth.
• Add the rum and coconut extracts.
• Slowly add the powdered sugar, beating until smooth.
• Use the frosting while it is still chilled. If it becomes too soft, refrigerate until it firms up a bit or put in the freezer for 5 minutes or so to return to a good piping consistency.
• Spread 1 cup of coconut evenly on a baking sheet and bake for approximately 5 minutes. Stir after a couple of minutes. Remove from the oven when some of the coconut is slightly brown. If it is baked too long it will become dry and chewy. I press some of the browned coconut into the untoasted coconut that is covering the cake. It is an interesting look on the cake, but completely optional.
• Place a cake layer on a cake board or serving stand and spread with a thin layer of frosting. Pipe a dam of frosting around the edge of the cake layer (approx. 1/2 inch in). Spread a layer of pineapple filling over the thin layer of frosting and inside the dam. The dam will keep the pineapple filling in place as you begin to stack your layers. You can also sprinkle a bit of coconut over this if you like. Repeat with the next layer.
• Crumb coat the cake with a thin layer of cream cheese frosting and refrigerate for 1 hour or freeze for 15 minutes to firm everything up. Now you will be ready to spread on the final coat of frosting. Press in the coconut on the sides and top of the cake, adding a bit of the toasted coconut here and there.
• Optional: Using a 2D tip, decorate the top and place maraschino cherries and shown in the picture of the cake.