Tuesday, December 14, 2010

TWD: Apple-Coconut Family Cake

On paper, this Apple-Coconut Family Cake had a lot going for it.


For one thing, I like apple, and I love coconut. Love. Try to use it as often as possible. Named a whole month after it. Want to call my first child Coconut LaBau. (Actually, I want to call my first child Angela-Merkel LaBau*, like the German Chancellor, but someone in the house thinks it's inappropriate. He'll be sorry when we end up with Baby Coconut.)

For another, I actually had family visiting when I made it! My parents, these distinguished individuals, were in town and begging for dessert:



And finally, it looked pretty sexy going into the oven, with the overlapping apple slices and dusting of sugar:



Well, the positive news is that it retained its good looks upon baking. This is a distinguished cake, much like Chancellor Angela Merkel. Just sayin'.



Unfortunately, the taste and texture of this one just didn't measure up for me.



There's a passage in Steve Almond's book Candyfreak--which should be required reading in high school English classes, it is a true work of art--in which he compares eating coconut to chewing on cuticles. I never really agreed with that analogy, until I tried this cake.

It's like this: I take a bite, the cake is nice. Tender chunks of apple, a strong vanilla scent, all is going well...until most of the cake is chewed and swallowed, and I'm left with stringy bits between the teeth, refusing to break down, resembling nothing so much as stubborn cuticles in the mouth. Gross.

I will say, however, that the rest of the family quite liked it, so obviously I have my own cuticle-and-coconut issues to work out. What did everyone else think?

* My obsession with her has everything to do with the way her name flows off the tongue and nothing to do with her politics. Just to be clear.

8 comments:

  1. What a gorgeous cake! Those apple slices are fabulous. Guess a coconut texture isn't for everyone, but I'm sure it tasted just fine.

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  2. it does look wonderful! and you are so cute, lol. i love your blogging.

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  3. Hee..hee....it is an Angela Merkel cake! Smart, distinguished, and understated.

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  4. It's too bad you didn't like it because it's SO pretty! At least you got a great photo out of it!

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  5. That cake looks gorgeous. I'm so disappointed it didn't work, I was so ready to bake that beauty :(

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  6. The cake looks beautiful! Apples are always nice when you used them in cakes.

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  7. Liz!! This beautiful. So sorry it wasn't for you. Love the presentation.

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  8. I just love how you write. Reading your blog for me is like sitting down and having a conversation with you. You always make me smile and you have a way with words.
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