Special Men

I don't know about you, but I have several special men in my life who have always been there for me and taken care of me in ways I can't take care of myself. Naturally, I think of the man I've known and loved the longest, my Dad, Mr. Superman. The guy can do anything and I mean anything.

Then there is the guy I've also known and loved for many years, 24 to be exact. My wonderful son, Steve. Of course I'll do just about anything for him.

And last, but certainly not at all the least, is my dear husband, aka Mr. Man, who, like my Dad can do just about anything that needs to be done around the house. Where my dad is the best at carpentry and showcasing his Master Carpenter skills via gorgeous furniture, Mr. Man will actually tackle plumbing and electricity jobs, although, thank God, not at the same time.

Above and beyone these special guys in my life are my two sons-in-law whom I love dearly and the grandsons, who, well...if you have to ask what they mean to me you just don't know where my heart is.

But then there are those "other" guys; the ones who have seen me through many ups and downs and who have kept me and my business 'in line' for over 15 years. At the top of the heap is my wonderful CPA, who keeps me on track and out of trouble with Uncle Sam.

Last week he requested my December paperwork, and along with those financial details he also requested a Coconut Cake. The man has good taste. Coconut is my absolute favorite and of course I complied with his request. Since I've been wanting to bake a coconut cake, but had yet to do so, I first turned to the Internet and Googled "coconut cake." Ina Garten's recipe popped up straight away and it was decided right then that hers would be the recipe I would follow.

Out of the oven the 9 in. cakes came, filling the house with the mouth-watering aroma of coconut and oh so much butter. What could be better?

After the cakes cooled it was time to top them with cream cheese frosting and 10 ounces of sweet coconut. That Ina..she doesn't scrimp on the butter, even in the frosting! Two sticks of butter to a pound of cream cheese! Yikes. Don't think I'll be taking this baby to the cardiologist.

I got a little excited and poured about 4 ounces of the coconut into the frosting before I realized that I wasn't supposed to do that...oops! That just means I would have to use more coconut on top to finish off the cake.

Thank goodness I could still spread the icing even with the coconut mixed in. Doesn't that look yummy?

Here we go. Maybe I'll make one of these for that Dad of mine. If anyone deserves a big slice of whatever kind of cake he likes best, it's my Pop.

The feedback from my wonderful CPA was all good - Enjoy!!

Coconut Cake

2006. Barefoot Contessa at Home. All rights Reserved

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pans
• 2 cups sugar
• 5 extra-large eggs, at room temp.
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pans
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup milk
• 4 ounces sweetened shredded coconut

For the Frosting:

• 1 pound cream cheese, at room temp
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks ) unsalted butter, at room temp
• 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 6 ounces sweetened shredded coconut

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Great 2 (9-inch) round cake pans, thenline them with parchment paper. Grease them again and dust lightly with four.

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 once during mixing. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well. The mixture might look curdled; don't be concerned.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda dn salt. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk to the batter in 3 parts, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Fold in the 4 ounces of coconut with a rubber spatula.

Pour the batter evenly into the 2 pans and smooth the top with a knife. Bake in the center of the 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, then turn the cakes out onto a baking rack to finish cooling.

For the frosting, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted wtih a paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and almond extract on low speed. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until just smooth (don't whip!)

To assemble, place 1 layer on a flat serving plate, top side down, and spread with frosting. Place the second layer on top, top side up, and frost the top and sides. To decorate the cake, sprinkle the top wiht coconut and lightly press more coconut onto the sides. Serve at room temperature.