Triple Citrus Chicken

This was pretty easy to throw together and grill. Light, refreshing, and versatile - we've also used it for chicken fajitas with grilled red onion/zucchini and some slice avocado (if you go that route - reserve a bit of the marinade before pouring it over the chicken... just before assembling fajitas, toss all your fajita mix ins with the marinade).

Just grilled....
Or in fajitas!


Triple Citrus Chicken
Enough for 3 boneless/skinless chicken breasts

~1/4 cup lemon juice
~1/4 cup lime juice
~1/2 cup orange juice (I did fresh squeezed)
~1 Tbsp worchestershire sauce
~handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
~2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
~1 jalapeno, seeded (if you don't like the heat) and minced
~few dashes of salt and pepper
~1 tsp chipolte granules

Combine all ingredients, pour over chicken. Marinate for 30-60 min. Grill chicken until cooked through. (Due to my LACK of grill skills, I do not have spectacular grill marks to show off) :-(

TWD: Traditional Madelines

I had always secretly wondered what the story was with these "madeleines." Why the special pan? What are they, really? What do they taste like? I finally got my answer... wonderful, yummy, little pillows of lemony spongey cakey joy! (I still don't know what's up with the funky pan, though). There really isn't much else to be said!

I forgot to take a picture of these lovelies before packing them up for work, so all I have is a picture of them cooling (note the delinquents in back who spent a little too much time in the "sun").

Traditional Madelines
Source: Baking: From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan
Chosen by Tara of Smells Like Home

Check out the other TWD bakers here.

(hopefully a recipe is forthcoming!)

Tasty Tools: Strawberry Mango Frozen Yogurt

This round of Joelen's Tasty Tools has us utilizing the mighty blender. Channeling some Platinum Chef inspiration, I decided I wanted to make some Strawberry Mango Frozen Yogurt. I had not yet crossed the frozen yogurt bridge with my Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker, so I figured now was the time! I started with a recipe from David Lebowitz for Strawberry Frozen Yogurt and doctored it up (read: added some mango) :-)

This has a wonderful flavor to it... not overly strawberry and not overly mango - a perfect blend! I did have the typical homemade frozen yogurt issue of it basically solidifying in the freezer instead of ripening to a nice creamy dessert, and I may play around with greek yogurt for the next batch, or drain the regular yogurt for a while before using it. Either way, it is a cool yummy treat perfect for the... almost summer days!

Strawberry Mango Frozen Yogurt
Adapted from: David Lebowitz
Makes about 1 quart (1 liter)

~1 pound (450 g) strawberries, rinsed and hulled
~2/3 cup (130 g) sugar
~optional: 2 teaspoons vodka or kirsch
~1 cup (240 g) plain, whole milk yogurt
~fruit from 2 mangos

1. Slice the strawberries into small pieces. Toss in a bowl with the sugar and vodka or kirsch (if using) until the sugar begins to dissolve. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours, stirring every so often.
2. Transfer the strawberries and their juice to a blender or food processor. Add the yogurt and mango. Pulse the machine until the mixture is almost smooth. If you wish, press mixture through a mesh strainer to remove any seeds.
3. Chill for 1 hour, then freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Beautiful Bones: Island Shrimp and Tofu Pizza

I was quite inspired by the latest round of Platinum Chef Challenge (#7) and had a few recipes in mind to try out. The first recipe (Crab cakes) turned out great, but I still wanted to try my back up recipe (shrimp pizza) because I'd really taken the time to plan it out and it sounded so good in my head. I was chatting about my dinner plans with the ladies from What's Cookin, and Elly asked if my pizza was for the Beautiful Bones blogging event. I had never even heard of it, but as I looked into it, I realized this recipe is perfect!

I made a 9 inch pizza (roughly) and got about six slices. Each slice packs 23% of the RDA for calcium and is broken down as follows:
~1/2 mango ............................... 10 mg
~8 large shrimp ......................... 30 mg
~ground flaxseed (1/4 cup) ..... 40mg
~yogurt (2 tbsp) ....................... 50 mg
~1 small bok choy ..................... 70 mg
~3 oz tofu ..................................150 mg
~3 oz goat cheese..................... 450 mg
~3/4 cup mozzarella cheese .. 600 mg
TOTAL ................................... 1400 mg / 6 slices = 230 mg per slice

Island Shrimp and Tofu Pizza
~ 9 inch pizza dough of your choice (I used a whole wheat that included some ground flaxseed in place of some flour to get a little more calcium) :-)
~extra virgin olive oil for spraying

For the mango sauce:
~1/2 of a mango, seed and skin discarded
~juice from 1/2 of a lime (I had exceptionally large limes, so if yours are small, feel free to use the whole lime)
~2 tbsp plain yogurt
~few dashes of hot sauce, such as Frank's

For the toppings:
~3-4 oz extra firm tofu
~1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
~juice from 1/2 of a large lime
~ 1 clove of garlic, minced, grated or pressed
~1/3 cup soy sauce
~about 8 raw shrimp, peeled and cleaned
~roughly 1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), enough to coat shrimp
~1 baby bok choy, leaves separated and rinsed
~3 oz goat cheese, sliced
~3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
1. Combine tofu, ginger, lime juice, garlic and soy sauce in a small bowl. Refrigerate to marinate for 30 min to 1 hour. Meanwhile, combine ingredients for mango sauce in a blender and puree. Divide sauce, about 1/3 in a small bowl for coating shrimp, the remainder reserved for topping on the dough
2. Spray pizza dough with extra-virgin olive oil and place on the grill. As the dough cooks, it will firm up. Flip when it is firm enough. Meanwhile, place the panko in a shallow bowl or plate. Dip shrimp in mango sauce, then coat with panko. Grill shrimp, 2 to 3 min on each side.
3. When dough is ready and shrimp are done, remove dough for addition of toppings (or, if you are more talented than I, do so right on the grill!) Add the reserved mango sauce, about 1/2 the mozzarella cheese, then top with the tofu, bok choy, shrimp, goat cheese, then finish with remaining mozzarella cheese. Heat unil dough is finished and mozzarella cheese is melted. Slice and enjoy!

TWD: Peanut Butter Torte

Holy heavens! This is one rich dessert! I made the mistake (blessing?) of calculating the nutritional information, and decided to skip the ganache topping since it would just be hubby and I eating it (he can handle the calories, I can't!). I left him 1/4 of this in the fridge, as I'll be away for business for a few days - I really hope it's gone when I come back! The rest is sliced and in the freezer... and will definitely be a once-slice-per(overthe)-week treat. Definitely rich and definitely decadent!

Problems (because I always have them): Definitely my first time working with this type of crust. I read some comments indicating it may take more than 24 oreos, so I added a few extra but didn't increase the butter (oops). I had a little difficulty getting it to stay up. I also try to get it unmolded without blow drying it... and some of it stuck to the pan. A lot of it crumbled off the sides when I tried to cut it, as well. I'm not really complaining because it cut a *few* calories off, but certainly something to make note of if I ever wanted to serve this to guests.

Peanut Butter Torte
Source: Baking: From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan
Chosen by Elizabeth of Ugg Smell Food

~1 ¼ c. finely chopped salted peanuts (for the filling, crunch and topping)
~2 teaspoons sugar
~½ teaspoon instant espresso powder (or finely ground instant coffee)(I omitted)
~¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
~Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
~½ c. mini chocolate chips (or finely chopped semi sweet chocolate)

~24 Oreo cookies, finely crumbed or ground in a food processor or blender
~½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
~Small pinch of salt
~2 ½ c. heavy cream
~1 ¼ c confectioners’ sugar, sifted
~12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
~1 ½ c salted peanut butter – crunchy or smooth (not natural; I use Skippy)
2 tablespoons whole milk
~4 ounces bittersweet chocolate finely chopped

Getting ready: center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch Springform pan and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.

Toss ½ cup of the chopped peanuts, the sugar, espresso powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and chocolate chops together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Put the Oreo crumbs, melted butter and salt in another small bowl and stir with a fork just until crumbs are moistened. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the spring form pan (they should go up about 2 inches on the sides). Freeze the crust for 10 minutes. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a rack and let it cool completely before filling.

Working with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, whip 2 cups of the cream until it holds medium peaks. Beat in ¼ cup of the confectioners’ sugar and whip until the cream holds medium-firm peaks. Crape the cream into a bowl and refrigerate until needed.

Wipe out (do not wash) the bowl, fit the stand mixer with the paddle attachment if you have one, or continue with the hand mixer, and beat the cream cheese with the remaining 1 cup confectioners’ sugar on medium speed until the cream cheese is satiny smooth. Beat in the peanut butter, ¼ cup of the chopped peanuts and the milk.

Using a large rubber spatula, gently stir in about one quarter of the whipped cream, just to lighten the mousse. Still working with the spatula, stir in the crunchy peanut mixture, then gingerly fold in the remaining whipped cream. Scrape the mouse into the crust, mounding and smoothing the top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight; cover with plastic wrap as soon as the mousse firms.

To Finish The Torte: put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Leave the bowl over the water just until the chocolate softens and starts to melt, about 3 minutes; remove the bowl from the saucepan. Bring the remaining ½ cup cream to a full boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and , working with a a rubber spatula, very gently stir together until the ganache is completely blended and glossy.
Pour the ganache over the torte, smoothing it with a metal icing spatula. Scatter the remaining ½ cup peanuts over the top and chill to set the topping, about 20 minutes.

When the ganache is firm, remove the sides of the Springform pan; it’s easiest to warm the pan with a hairdryer, and then remove the sides, but you can also wrap a kitchen towel damped with hot water around the pan and leave it there for 10 seconds. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

TWD: Fluted Polenta and Ricotta Cake

I guess I was more adventurous than others this week, and actually gave the really weird sounding recipe a try. With advice for other TWD Bakers, I reduced the amount of sugar, and it was definitely still sweet enough. It was very similar to a cornbread, and very, very yummy. I personally don't care for the way the butter looked on top after baking, and I'd omit the butter altogether if I make this again. Overall, another winner! (and I am tired, so letting the pictures do the talkin'!)

Fluted Polenta and Ricotta Cake
Source: Baking: From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan
Chosen by Caitlin of Engineer Baker

About 16 moist, plump dried Mission or Kadota figs, stemmed (I used dates)
1 c. medium-grain polenta or yellow cornmeal
½ c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 c. ricotta
1/3 c. tepid water
¾ c. sugar
¾ c. honey (if you’re a real honey lover, use a full-flavored honey such as chestnut, pine, or buckwheat)
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs

Getting Ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 10 ½-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom and put it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat. (I used a 9" springform pan and made a mini tester tart in a 4 inch tart pan)

Check that the figs are, indeed, moist and plump. If they are the least bit hard, toss them into a small pan of boiling water and steep for a minute, then drain and pat dry. If the figs are large (bigger than a bite), snip them in half.

Whisk the polenta, flour, baking powder, and salt together.

Working with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the ricotta and water together on low speed until very smooth. With the mixer at medium speed, add the sugar, honey, and lemon zest and beat until light. Beat in the melted butter, then add the eggs one at a time, beating until the mixture is smooth. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are fully incorporated. You’ll have a sleek, smooth, pourable batter.

Pour about one third of the batter into the pan and scatter over the figs. Pour in the rest of the batter, smooth the top with a rubber spatula, if necessary, and dot the batter evenly with the chilled bits of butter.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. The cake should be honey brown and pulling away just a little from the sides of the panm, and the butter will have left light-colored circles in the top. Transfer the cake to a rack and remove the sides of the pan after about 5 minutes. Cool to warm, or cool completely.

Tasty Tools: Peanut Butter and Banana Nutella Muffins

My husband loves bananas. But for the past few months, I've brought them home green (because he likes them way before the first appearance of a brown spot) and they have hung on our lovely banana holder until they are almost covered in brown spots. As a result, I have about 8 bananas in the freezer right now. This morning I had SEVEN dark brown bananas, and refused to put all of them in the freezer.

So I went off in search of a recipe that could use the most bananas at one time. My google reader had a number of offerings, but they only used 2 bananas, as most, and I wouldn't have enough of the other ingredients to double the recipe. I came across a recipe from Giada for Banana Muffins that used 4 bananas for 18 muffins, and decided to run with it. I knew I wanted to add a few things, switch a few things, and subtract a few things... so off I went. Then came a stroke of genius... as I went to the pantry to grab the peanut butter, I saw....


the jar of nutella! Screw the mini chocolate chips that I had in mind - these muffins were getting a heart of nutella! With this addition, I think these muffins really push that fine line between a muffin and a cupcake. Maybe they are mupcakes?

As I got going, I also realized these would be perfect for April's Tasty Tools Event, which highlights scoops of all kinds. I used a mini ice cream scoop (no idea what the technical term is) to deliver two heaping scoops of batter per muffin, surrounding a heart of nutella. These come together so easily, which is an added bonus!
These were sooooo delicious, but a teensy bit drier than I'd like. That probably has to do with the extra 1/2 cup of dry ingredients I added. Below I have tweaked the recipe to use less flour so it won't be quite as dry. But seriously - YUM - what a nice treat!

Peanut Butter and Banana Nutella Muffins
Yield: 23.5 muffins (had I not been lazy, I'd have picked a bit from the others to make it a whole 24)

~1.5 cups all-purpose flour
~1 cup whole wheat flour
~1 teaspoon baking soda
~1 teaspoon salt
~1/2 teaspoon baking powder
~1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
~1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
~1/4 cup wheat germ
~1/4 cup ground flax seed
~3/4 cup sugar
~1/2 cup sour cream
~1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
~1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
~3 large eggs
~1 tablespoon vanilla extract
~4 ripe bananas, peeled and coarsely mashed
~Nutella, about 6 Tbsp, enough for 3/4 tsp per muffin

1. Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners, or spray with baking spray such as Baker's Joy. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, wheat germ and ground flax seed in a medium bowl to blend. Beat the sugar, applesauce, sour cream, eggs, vanilla, and peanut butter in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the banana. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until blended.

3. Fill the bottom of each muffin cup with one heaping scoop of batter and spread with the back of the scoop to cover the bottom. Drop about 3/4 tsp of nutella onto the center of each cup. Follow with another heaping scoop of batter, making sure to surround the heart of nutella with batter. Bake the muffins on the middle rack until the tops are golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out with no crumbs attached (but maybe a little streak of nutella!), about 20-25 minutes. Transfer the muffins to a rack and cool slightly. The muffins are great warm, but if they are saved for later, a few seconds in the microwave should bring back the the warm gooey heart.

Nutritional Information (...ready?): Calories - 176; Total Fat - 6.1 g; Sat. Fat - 1.7 g; Cholesterol - 30 mg; Sodium - 158 mg; Carbohydrates -27g; Fiber - 2g; Sugar - 10 g; Protein - 4.6 g.

First... a layer of batter

Second... a heart of nutella

Then... a second layer of batter

Fresh out of the oven, with nicely risen tops

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

Product Review: Bamboo Handled Kabob Grill Basket

I picked up these grill baskets from Bed, Bath & Beyond because I hate dealing with skewers (especially for vegetables). I saw these back when I was registering for our wedding, and finally got around to purchasing them ($9.99 for a set of 4, but always use your coupons for 20% off!). We have used them twice this weekend and LOVE them! I have found that they fit the equivalent of about one boneless/skinless chicken breast each. They are so easy... just open the cage, plop in your meat or vegetables, lock the cage and toss on the grill. I keep the bamboo handle outside of the grill, so when it's time to flip, the handle is cool and makes it very easy. When the cooking is done, just unlock the cage and empty onto a plate. E-A-S-Y! Clean up is... not as easy, but they are for the grill, so I'm just letting them... "season"

Caramel Brownies - Revisited

So a while ago I featured Caramel Butterscotch Brownies - which have turned out to be my hubby's favorite dessert. I tried once to use a homemade brownie recipe, but it didn't really pan out so I went back to the cake mix. Last week I received my very own copy of Baking Illustrated and came across their Chewy, Fudgy Triple-Chocolate Brownies. I instantly knew I'd have a winner with this recipe! These are TO DIE FOR! It's the perfect brownie recipe for this!

Chewy, Fudgy Triple-Chocolate Brownies
Source: Adapted from Baking Illustrated, from the Editors of Cook's Illustrated
Yield: 16-25 brownies, depending on how you cut them!

~5 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
~2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped (recommended: Hershey's. I couldn't find that, but did find Nestle "Choco-Bake" pre-melted unsweetened chocolate and that worked fine!)
~8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick) cut into quarters
~3 tablespoons cocoa powder
~3 large eggs
~1 1/4 cups (8 3/4 ounces) sugar
~2 teaspoons vanilla extract
~1/2 teaspoon salt
~1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour
~1/3 cup evaporated milk
~35 (10-oz. pkg.) caramels, unwrapped (or those mini caramel balls - they make life so much easier!)
~2 cups (11-oz. pkg.) butterscotch morsels

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick vegetable cooking spray. Fold two 12-inch pieces of foil lengthwise so that they measure 7 inches wide. Fit one sheet in bottom of greased pan, pushing it into corners and up sides of pan; overhang will help in removal of baked brownies. Fit second sheet in pan in same manner, perpendicular to first sheet. Spray foil with nonstick cooking spray. (Because we are dealing with caramel here, I think parchment paper works best... my foil started tearing when I was taking it off and NOTHING is worse than foil in your brownies!!)

2. In medium heatproof bowl set over a pan of almost-simmering water, melt chocolates and butter, stirring occasionally until mixture is smooth. Whisk in cocoa until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

3. Whisk together eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt in medium bowl until combined, about 15 seconds. Whisk warm chocolate mixture into egg mixture; then stir in flour with wooden spoon until just combined. Spread half of batter baking pan, spread into corners, and level surface with rubber spatula; bake about 15 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, heat caramels and evaporated milk in small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until caramels are melted. Sprinkle morsels over brownie; drizzle with caramel mixture. Drop remaining batter by heaping teaspoon over caramel mixture. Spread as gingerly as possible to connect as much of the top layer of brownie as you can. It will cook up a little and heal itself if you get it most of the way there. (Don't worry about picking up a little of the caramel. It's aaaaaaaaall goooooood.) Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with a small amount of sticky crumbs (or caramel!) clinging to it. Cool in pan on wire rack to room temperature. Cut into 16-25 squares, depending on how big you want'em!




*sigh* Now I want BROWNIES!

TWD: Bill's Big Carrot Cake

I love carrot cake. LOVE it. I remember my mom used to make it for my birthday (unless I requested ice cream cake). She must have make it from a box all those years, because finally, one year she made it from scratch and OH did I hear about it! She would NEVER grate that many carrots AGAIN.

I decided I wasn't up for grating carrots either, so I chopped them up a bit and threw them in this reeeaaaally mini food processor attachment that came with my immersion blender. I had 'grated' carrot in seconds.

I debated leaving out the raisins in this, because I don't really think they have a place in carrot cake, but ultimately I decided that I should give the whole recipe a chance, at least once! I used golden raisins (that I still had leftover from the apple-pie cake) so my cake didn't have random dark specs in it. Also, frosting it didn't go quite as planned. Dorie's fabulous photo shows a bare-sided cake, with a thick, luscious heap of frosting between each layer of cake. I was afraid of not having enough frosting (and apparently too lazy to measure) so when the second layer was plopped down, I realized I'd skimped to much. By the time I was done, I had enough left to frost the sides, so I did, but it wasn't quite thick enough.. blah blah blah, I stuck some coconut on there and called it a day.

Overall, this is one FABULOUS carrot cake - incredibly moist and SO tasty. Next time I probably will omit those raisins, and maybe give the pecans a try. I used walnuts this time and would love to see what pecans bring to the table.

Oh, and check out my review of Wilton's Bake Even Strips... I used them on these layers and they came out perfect!



Bill's Big Carrot Cake
Baking: From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan
Chosen by Amanda of slow like honey
See more TWD bakers here!

Yields 10 servings

Ingredients:

For the cake:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon salt
3 cups grated carrots (about 9 carrots, you can grate them in food processor fitted w/ a shredding a blade or use a box grater)
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
1 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
½ cup moist, plump raisins (dark or golden) or dried cranberries
2 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
4 large eggs

For the frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick ( 8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 pound or 3 and ¾ cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or ½ teaspoon pure lemon extract
½ cup shredded coconut (optional)
Finely chopped toasted nuts and/or toasted shredded coconut (optional)

Getting ready:
Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter three 9-x-2-inch round cake pans, flour the insides, and tap out the excess. Put the two pans on one baking sheet and one on another.

To make the cake:
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, stir together the carrots, chopped nuts, coconut, and raisins.
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the sugar and oil together on a medium speed until smooth. Add the eggs one by one and continue to beat until the batter is even smoother. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture, mixing only until the dry ingredients disappear. Gently mix the chunky ingredients. Divide the batter among the baking pans.
Bake for 40-50 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point, until a thin knife inserted into the centers comes out clean. The cakes will have just started to come away from the sides of the pans. Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes and unmold them. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up.
The cakes can be wrapped airtight and kept at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to 2 months.

To make the frosting:
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until the frosting is velvety smooth. Beat in the lemon juice or extract.
If you'd like coconut in the filling, scoop about half of the frosting and stir the coconut into this position.

To assemble the cake:
Put one layer top side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper. If you added the coconut to the frosting, use half of the coconut frosting to generously cover the first layer (or generously cover with plain frosting). Use an offset spatula or a spoon to smooth the frosting all the way to the edges of the layer. Top with the second layer, this time placing the cake stop side down, and frost with the remainder of the coconut frosting or plain frosting. Top with the last layer, right side up, and frost the top- and the sides- of the cake. Finish the top with swirls of frosting. If you want to top the cake with toasted nuts or coconut, sprinkle them on now while the frosting is soft.
Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes, just to set the frosting before serving.

Serving:
This cake can be served as soon as the frosting is set. It can also wait, at room temperature and covered with a cake keeper overnight. The cake is best served in thick slices at room temperature and while it's good plain, it's even better with vanilla ice cream or some lemon curd.

Storing:
The cake will keep at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. It can also be frozen. Freeze it uncovered, then when it's firm, wrap airtight and freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost, still wrapped, overnight in the refrigerator.