TWD: Coconut Tea Cake

Here I am again...doing my Tuesdays With Dorie "assignments" out of sequence. This beautiful cake was supposed to be last week's post, but I wanted to make it for the Klingenfus Easter dinner.

Lots of people have an aversion to coconut, and I guess I do too...in some ways. I wouldn't touch an Almond Joy or Mounds candy bar with a 10-foot pole. I'd rather have a Butterfinger Crisp or Snickers. But I like lots of other coconut-flavored things (pina coladas? yes.), and I don't mind sweetened dried coconut, either. I can add this to a yummy coconut dessert that's very well received by groups, too! I had never used coconut milk before, and when I opened the can, it reminded me a lot of wallpaper paste. I'm glad Dorie's recipe said to stir up the coconut milk, because I wouldn't have thought of that. I wish I had kept the tiny bit that was left...it would have made a much better glaze than the one I threw together at the last minute. Even with the coconut milk and the sweetened dried coconut, the coconut flavor wasn't overwhelming. I also added some lemon juice (although most TWDers used lime, I think), and it was a nice addition. There was rum in there too, but I couldn't taste it at all.

When I made last week's Mocha Walnut Marbled Bundt Cake, my pan stuck and ripped away chunks of the cake. As I turned this cake out of the pan, I prayed over and over, "Please don't stick. Please don't stick. Please don't stick." And look at it. Honestly, it's the most beautiful bundt I've ever made. I love how it's lightly browned at the top and gets darker toward the bottom. I couldn't get over how pretty it was!

This week's pretty Coconut Tea Cake was chosen by Carmen, of Carmen Cooks. If you're in the mood for a tasty coconut cake, visit her blog for the recipe.