Triple Coconut Layer Cake with 7-Minute Frosting

“Never discard anything without saying thank you and good-bye. …
Tidying is the act of confronting yourself. …
We can only transform our lives if we sincerely want to. …
Anxiety arises from not being able to see the whole picture. ..
Follow your intuition and all will be well. …
Tidying orders and relaxes the mind.” Marie Kondo

Long before Marie Kondo was a sensational tidying-up phenemonon, we have been steadily purging our home of the accumulating stuff of life.  Where she has been most helpful to us has been in the editing of books.  Books are one of my life’s greatest passions and I have a hard time giving them up.  Armed with Marie’s promise of sparking joy by keeping only meaningful tomes, I have been donating piles and piles of books to the library, Goodwill and friends.  I had however a secret cupboard of special cookbooks that didn’t get culled.  A rebellious hold-out of sorts.  I just couldn’t part with these books.  One of them was Martha Stewart’s classic “Entertaining” book which I’ve had since 1989!  Although I haven’t made anything from it in YEARS(Marie’s voice is nagging me!), it is the book from which I learned to cook.  Many legendary dinner parties were inspired from its pages.  It is what led many to dub me Martha Stewart back in the day.  So in order for Prince Charming not to KonMari my cookbook stash, I justified its existence by finding a dessert recipe for a potluck in its well-worn, stained pages. This old-fashioned coconut cake won me over.  I had never tried a boiled 7 minute frosting back in its popularity days.  It was a fluffly, delicious concoction in a marshmallow-fluff sort-of consistency.  The cake sparked joy to all who enjoyed it, including its baker and Prince Charming.  Step away from the book stash,  Marie. The cookbook is, for now, staying!

Doesn’t the cake look like a giant snowball on our January iced over patio table? The pretty branch is from our beloved witch hazel tree blooming in the winter garden.

Sweet Paris Send-Off: Coconut Layer Cake

 

Background art by French artist Laurence Pardoux

When a friend was celebrating a birthday right before leaving on a trip to Paris, I couldn’t resist surprising her with a dessert send-off soirée imbued with joie de vivre.  My soul sister Ann loves coconut (moi aussi!) so I decided to attempt my first coconut layer cake for the occasion.  You can find the recipe for this classic triple layer confection here:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Coconut-Layer-Cake-102696

The coconut-covered cake was decorated with clematis “Etoile violette” flowers and showcased on a fluted crystal pedestal cake stand to give it a little je ne sais quoi.  To create a Parisian ambiance, an  Eiffel tower replica, a gift from Ann, was given center stage placement on the table with some passion flowers woven through it.  The gold-edged botanical dessert plates were placed on a purple velvet throw next to gold damask serviettes for some added French flair.   An antique metal tray holding the wine glasses was accented with a gold fleur-de-lis.   A French bronze candelabra was set on a stack of French books, a nod to the Old-World charm of Paris.  A bouquet of fresh hydrangeas from the garden completed this little dessert table vignette.   Elegant, French, et  très délicieux!  Bon voyage!

“Paris is always a good idea.”  Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina