Avocado Lime Cake With A Toasted Coco Macadamia Nut Icing Food

AVOCADO LIME CAKE WITH A TOASTED COCO-MACADAMIA NUT ICING

Steps:

• CAKE:.
• HEAT oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray two (8-inch) round cake pans with no stick baking spray; set aside.
• SIFT flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.
• BEAT avocados, sugar, lime juice and zest in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium high speed for 4 minutes or until mixture is fairly smooth and fluffy. Add water and then add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• REDUCE mixer speed to low and add flour mixture. Mix until flour is incorporated into avocado mixture. Divide batter equally between the two prepared pans and spread evenly.
• BAKE on the middle rack of oven for 32 to 35 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center of each cake layer comes out clean. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
• ICING:.
• BEAT cream cheese, lime juice and zest in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium high speed for 3 minutes, or until smooth. Add confectioners sugar and salt, beating until smooth.
• SPREAD icing between layers and on top and sides of cake. Garnish each layer and on top and sides with half the toasted coconut and macadamia nuts.

CHILLED LIME-COCONUT PIE WITH MACADAMIA-COCONUT CRUST

Steps:

• Make crust:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Finely grind cookies and nuts in processor. Transfer to medium bowl. Mix in coconut. Add butter and stir until blended. Press crumb mixture onto bottom and up sides of 9-inch-diameter metal or glass pie dish. Cover and freeze 30 minutes. (Can be prepared 1 week ahead. Keep frozen.) Bake until crust is golden, about 20 minutes. Cool completely.
• Make filling:
• Whisk first 4 ingredients in 4-cup measuring cup or large bowl to blend.
• Pour 3 tablespoons cold water into small metal bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over. Let stand until gelatin softens, about 10 minutes. Set bowl in small saucepan of barely simmering water; whisk until gelatin dissolves, about 1 minute. Whisk into coconut mixture. Pour into crust (filling will reach top of crust). Chill until set, about 4 hours. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.)
• Beat cream and 2 tablespoons powdered sugar in medium bowl until stiff peaks form. Transfer to pastry bag fitted with large star tip. Pipe around edge of pie. Dip lime rounds into additional powdered sugar. Garnish pie with lime.

MACADAMIA COCONUT CAKE

Steps:

• Make cake:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line bottom of a buttered 9-by-2 inch round cake or springform pan with a round of wax paper and butter paper. Dust pan with flour, knocking out excess.
• In a bowl with an electric mixer cream butter with 2/3 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Onto a sheet of wax paper sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir flour into butter mixture alternately with milk in batches, beginning and ending with flour. Stir in vanilla and blend batter until just combined well.
• In another bowl with clean beaters beat egg whites until they hold soft peaks. Beat in remaining 1/3 cup sugar gradually and beat meringue until it holds stiff peaks. Stir one fourth meringue into batter to lighten and fold in remaining meringue gently but thoroughly.
• Spread batter evenly in prepared pan and bake in middle of oven 30 to 35 minutes, or until cake begins to pull away from side of pan and a tester comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a rack 10 minutes. Invert cake onto rack and cool completely. Cake may be made 1 day ahead and kept at room temperature, tightly wrapped.
• Make filling:
• In a dry heavy skillet cook 1/3 cup sugar over moderate heat, undisturbed, until it begins to melt. Cook, stirring with a fork, until melted completely and a light caramel. Add macadamia nuts and cook, stirring, until nuts are coated well and caramel is deep golden. Pour praline onto a sheet of foil and cool completely. Break praline into pieces and in a food processor grind fine. (Do not purée to a paste.)
• In a small saucepan whisk together remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, egg yolks, milk, and cornstarch. Bring pastry cream to a boil over moderate heat, whisking, and cook over low heat, whisking constantly, 2 minutes. Whisk in vanilla. Transfer pastry cream to a bowl and chill until cold, its surface covered with plastic wrap. (Pastry cream will be very stiff.)
• In a bowl beat heavy cream until it just holds stiff peaks. Whisk pastry cream to loosen and whisk in praline. Fold in whipped cream and chill while making frosting.
• Make frosting:
• In a metal bowl set over a pan of simmering water whisk together frosting ingredients until mixture is warm and sugar is dissolved. With a portable electric mixer on high beat frosting 6 to 7 minutes, or until thick and fluffy. Remove bowl from heat and beat frosting until cooled slightly.
• Assemble cake:
• With a long serrated knife cut cake horizontally into 3 layers. Spread filling between layers on a cake plate and spread cake with frosting. Coat cake with coconut. Cake may be made 6 hours ahead and chilled, covered loosely. Garnish cake with macadamia nuts.

TOASTED COCONUT MACADAMIA POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Make pound cake:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. and butter and flour a 10-inch (3 quart) bundt pan.
• Spread coconut in a shallow baking pan and toast in middle of oven, stirring occasionally and watching carefully to avoid burning, until golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer coconut to a bowl and cool. Spread nuts in pan and toast in middle of oven until pale golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool nuts and chop coarse.
• In a bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy and beat in cream cheese. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, and beat in vanilla. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into bowl and beat just until combined well. Stir in coconut and chopped nuts.
• Spread batter evenly in pan and bake in middle of oven 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until tester comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a rack 5 minutes and invert onto rack.
• Make glaze:
• In a small heavy saucepan bring water with sugar to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Stir in rum.
• Brush hot glaze evenly over outside of warm cake until absorbed. Cool cake completely.

BUTTERSCOTCH ICING

Steps:

• Combine brown sugar, margarine, milk and salt in a saucepan.
• Boil 3 minutes and add confectioners sugar.
• Mix until smooth.
• Drizzle on top of Rocky Road Nut Cake.

AVOCADO CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, sugar, cinnamon, and allspice in a large bowl.
• Blend eggs, avocado, and milk smooth.
• Pour into dry ingredients. Stir until combined.
• Fold in lemon zest.
• Pour batter into a 9 x 13 baking pan or 2 round pans properly prepared.
• Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Cool to room temperature.
• Dust with powdered sugar or frost with a complimentary frosting.