HCB: Southern (Manhattan) Coconut Cake with Silk Meringue Buttercream

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I’m going to make this post short and sweet, because guys I’m exhausted.

I mean like really, really worn-out.

My new job, which I love, is really taking a lot out of me, not only mentally but physically as well.  I come home every day of the week and all I want to do is jump in the bed and put the world on hold until the next day when I have to do it all over again.

And I know that I been absent the last couple of rotations from the group, but this weekend this cake was not going to be passed by.

First coconut cake – HELLO is the Holy Grail at my house.  Besides my Tres Leches, this is the second “signature cake” that my family is always asking for.  I was intrigue in Rose’s take on it, so it was going to be made period. I started late on Saturday night after a full day of running errands all over town.  The game plan was to make the cake and then on Sunday finish off with the crème anglaise and the buttercream.

As some of you

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HCB: Karmel Cake

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As I write this, I’m having the last piece of this cake.

Yep, we finish this off already.  It’s that good.

I got to be honest, when I saw this recipe in the book; I was not “wowed” by it at all.  It just seem like any other plain cake – no big deal.

I should have knows that Rose does not do “no big deal” - every single cake is a big deal and this one is one of those.  Hidden in its simplicity your end results is a stand out cake, it does not even need frosting or cream or anything - Rose does recomend to serve it with some coffee cream, I recomend to eat it plain because sometimes plain is good for the soul - this is one of those times.

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Salted Butter Break-ups [my version]

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After cooking for more than thirty years, I’m still amazed how some of the most simple and unpretentious ingredients can come together and yield something amazing.

Case in point…

Tomatoes, Basil, Garlic plus Olive Oil = the best tomato sauce for a plate of pasta. Or replace cooking all of the above and add some burrata mozzarella and you got the best Caprese salad this side of Italy. Dough, tomatoes, basil, olive oil – Hello pizza!

I can go on and on…

So it was no surprise that this weeks choice for our French Fridays with Dorie was one of those recipes that with something as simple as combining butter, flour, water, sugar and salt you get one the most addictive cookie we have eaten in our house to date.

How addictive?

Well, the first time I made it was Monday.  Since then, I have made it a total of six times – SIX, in less than FOUR days.  If you do the math, it will tell you how popular that cookie was around these parts.

We cannot keep it around long enough to make it pass the day it was made!

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