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Collette · Chanel

Favorite Dessert recipes?

hotcocoa · Kate Spade

do you have a cake carrier? here's the dessert i'm making for mother's day. it's just too beautiful. the "flowers" are actually thinly sliced dried pineapple that you can make in advance and arrange on top when you get to your destination. the cake is made with cinnamon, pineapple, bananna and coconut. if you're interested i'll type up the recipe :)

jacL · Coach

That cake looks beautiful and sounds even more delicious! I would try that, but if you decide not to, my favorite desserts to make are (1) creme brulee and (2) boxed angel food cake with homemade whipped cocoa frosting. If you are interested, I can dig up the recipes for you.

Collette · Chanel

hotcocoa wrote:

do you have a cake carrier? here's the dessert i'm making for mother's day. it's just too beautiful. the "flowers" are actually thinly sliced dried pineapple that you can make in advance and arrange on top when you get to your destination. the cake is made with cinnamon, pineapple, bananna and coconut. if you're interested i'll type up the recipe :)

This is beautiful, I'd love the recipe please!

hotcocoa · Kate Spade

Here's the cake recipe. I'll post the frosting recipe and pineapple flower how-to in a minute. Sorry it's taken me a few days. I've been SO sick :(

Hummingbird Cake
Makes 1 nine inch layer cake

Unsalted butter, room temperature, for pans and racks
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 large)
1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 cup desiccated coconut (unsweetened)

cream cheese frosting (recipe follows)
pineapple flowers (recipe follows)

1. Preheat oven to 350°, with rack in the center. Butter two 9 by 2 inch round cake pans. Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper. Butter paper, and dust the pans with flour, tapping out any excess. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat oil, vanilla, and sugar until combined, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, incorporating each before adding the next. Beat at medium speed until mixture is pale yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
4. In a medium bowl, mix together banana, pineapple, walnuts and coconut. Add to egg mixture, stir until well combined. Add flour mixture, blend well.
5. Divide batter between pans. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until golden brown and cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes.
6. Transfer pans to a greased wire rack. Let cool 15 minutes. Run knife around edges to loosen. Invert onto racks; re-invert, top side up. Cool completely. Assemble cake, or wrap each layer will and freeze (thaw before using).
7. With serrated knife, trim and discard rounded top off one layer. Place layer on serving platter. Using an offset spatula, spread top of layer with 1/4 inch of frosting. Top with untrimmed layer. Frost sides and top of cake with remaining frosting. Decorate with pineapple flowers, if desired. Serve at room temperature. Cake can be refrigerated up to 3 days.

hotcocoa · Kate Spade

and here's the frosting and pineapple flower recipes:

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 pound (16 oz) cream cheese, room temperature
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
2 pounds confectioners sugar, sifted

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and vanilla until light and creamy, about 2 minutes. With mixer on medium speed, gradually add butter, beating until incorporated.
2. Reduce mixer speed to low. Gradually add sugar, beating until incorporated. Use immediately, or cover and refrigerate up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before using.

Dried Pineapple flowers

2 large or 4 small pineapples

1. Preheat oven to 225°. Line two baking sheets with Silpats or parchment paper.
2. Peel pineapples. Using a small melon baller, remove and discard eyes. Slice pineapple very thinly; place slices on baking sheets. Cook until tops look dried, about 30 minutes. Flip slices; cook until completely dried, 25-30 minutes more. Cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days.

avalon21 · BCBG

That is beautiful! More Magazine has great recipes if you are looking for new ones! I love the stuff I have made from their recommendations! This month there is a Solstice Fresh Blueberry pie that looks AMAZING! I haven't tried it yet, but just by looking at the picture, I know I am going to love it!

Kelly · Hermes

Wow that cake looks awesome. Did you girls make it yet? Was it good? We're having a dessert competition at work next week. I was going to make a favorite standby, but I really want to try this now!

Collette · Chanel

ttara123 wrote:

Wow that cake looks awesome. Did you girls make it yet? Was it good? We're having a dessert competition at work next week. I was going to make a favorite standby, but I really want to try this now!

I did make it for mothers day and I'm kicking myself for not taking photos it looked so beautiful. It's hard but not terribly so, more time consuming. It was so good no one believed that I actually made it from scratch!

esquiress · Marc Jacobs

so wait how do you make the flowers on top? and what are the "eyes" exactly? the middles?

ETA: Do I need a special tool to thinly slice the pineapples?

-- Edited by esquiress at 14:12, 2008-07-30