Hi my name is Vanessa, I am 36 years old and I am a cake addict. Yes, that’s right - addicted to CAKE..all kinds, carrot, lemon, coconut, apple, corn, chocolate…you name it and I love it. While I am not picky when it comes to cake I do have a preference - moist over dry and most certainly fluffy. And when you add coconut into the mix - no pun intended - I am in heaven.

Being from a coastal town in Brazil, coconut is a part of our every day lives. We drink coconut water at the beach, enjoy coconut ice cream during the summer - and it is almost always summer, eat cocada (a delicious sweet treat made from coconuts) at the feira and of course we indulge in coconut cake. My favorite recipe to date is one that has been passed down from my grandmother to my mother and now to me. And really, isn’t that the case for most great recipes? 

So, the cake in question is called Bandeja de Coco, and it’s typically served cold - which means it needs to be refrigerated. Now I understand this might be a new concept to many but trust me it is DELICIOUS - especially in the summer and especially if you love coconut!

 Ok, so if you are still with me here are the deets….it is super easy to make and soooo easy to eat!

Ingredients:

Batter

3 eggs

2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons margarine

1 1/2 cups milk

1 cup shredded coconut ( I use Baker’s sweetened)

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

Frosting

1 cup milk

1/2 cup sugar (since I use sweetened coconut I typically use only 1/2 cup of sugar - but feel free to adjust this to your taste level)

1 cup shredded coconut (again, I like super coconutty - if you don’t then skip this altogether or use 1/2 cup)

Preparation:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour (I just use Pam for baking and it works beautifully)
2. In a blender, blend the eggs, the sugar, the margarine and the milk. In a separate bowl combine the coconut, flour, and the baking powder. Mix the contents of the blender with the dry contents of the bowl and stir well.
3. Bake in pre-heated oven for 30-35 minutes or until a small knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. 
4. Combine the ingredients for the frosting in a bowl and pour over the cake while it is still hot. Let cake cool and cut it into small squares, place on a large plate or plastic container and put in the fridge. Serve it very cold and enjoy! 

Just as a side note, if you are not gung ho on the whole cold cake deal halve the ingredients for the topping and drench it over the hot cake and voilá…deliciousness awaits!

Tchau!

(Source: superchiny.com)