Coconut Snow Clouds Recipes

COCONUT CLOUDS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. Cream butter, shortening and sugars until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes; beat in eggs and extracts. Stir in sour cream. In another bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking soda; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Stir in coconut., Drop dough by tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto lightly greased baking sheets. Bake until set, 8-10 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely., For the frosting, in a small heavy saucepan, heat butter over medium heat until golden brown, 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly. Transfer to a small bowl; gradually beat in confectioners' sugar, milk and extracts. Spread over cookies. Dip in coconut; let stand until set. Store in an airtight container.

COCONUT SNOW CLOUDS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a rimless baking sheet. Draw four 5-inch circles in pencil on the sheet. This will be your guide for forming the meringues.
• Place the egg whites in a large bowl and whisk on high speed with a handheld electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the sugar, scrape down sides of the bowl, and beat until thickened and the sugar has dissolved, 8 minutes.
• Place the cornstarch, vinegar and salt in a small bowl and mix to combine. Add the cornstarch mixture to the meringue and continue beating for 2 minutes. Fold in the coconut. The mixture should be very stiff. Spoon the meringue into each of the circles on the parchment paper, about 2 inches high, and smooth the tops as flat as you can get them.
• Bake the circles until the tops are dry to the touch and barely golden brown at the edges, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before assembling, about 20 minutes.
• For the rum coconut cream: Beat the cream in a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and continue beating until it holds stiff peaks.
• Open the can of chilled coconut and scoop the white solid coconut fat out into a separate large bowl, leaving the clear coconut water in the can; set the coconut water aside. Add the rum and vanilla scrapings to the bowl with the coconut fat and whip until smooth and stiff. Add coconut water 1 tablespoon at a time until you get a smooth texture.
• Fold the whipped cream and coconut cream together with a rubber spatula. Whip the two again for 1 minute if it needs to be stiffer.
• No more than an hour before serving, assemble the cakes: Place 2 meringue circle on a cake stand, platter or 2 plates. Spoon 1/3 cup of the coconut cream over each the meringue. Sprinkle with toasted coconut flakes. Top each with the remaining meringue circles and coconut cream, spreading the coconut cream over the sides of the cakes. Sprinkle all over with toasted coconut flakes. Serve immediately or keep well chilled for up to an hour.

COCONUT CLOUD CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
• Place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, 4 to 5 minutes. Gently remove the egg whites from the mixer to a medium bowl and set aside.
• Combine the sugar and butter in the bowl of the mixer and cream together, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally, until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and whip an additional 30 seconds to incorporate.
• In another medium bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder and fine salt. With the mixer on low speed, pour half the coconut milk into the butter and sugar mixture. Turn the mixer off and add half the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are just incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Repeat this process with the remaining coconut milk and dry ingredients.
• Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the whipped egg whites into the batter. Pour the batter into the greased baking dish. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Allow the cake to cool completely.
• For the coconut syrup: Place the coconut water and honey in a microwave-safe container. Microwave until the honey is dissolved, about 1 minute. Poke the surface of the cake with the tines of a fork. Brush the cake with the warm syrup. Sprinkle the flaked coconut evenly over the cake.
• For the frosting: Place the sugar and coconut water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Let boil for 2 minutes before you add it to the egg whites (see below).
• Meanwhile, place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the vanilla extract. Reduce the speed to the lowest setting and slowly pour the hot sugar syrup into the egg whites. Continue to drizzle until all the syrup has been added. Then, turn the mixer up to high speed and whip until the frosting becomes thick, glossy and holds stiff peaks, about 3 minutes more. The frosting should be used to decorate the cake immediately.
• Scrape the frosting onto the center of the cake in a large mound. Push outward with an offset spatula, spreading the frosting over the surface of the cake and making cloudlike swirls to cover completely.