TWD: Coconut Tea Cake

What?! Heather's actually posting? I know...it seems a little strange.  I took a two weekish mini break from posting/baking/cooking due to my younger sister (the older one) staying with me for a week and then deciding to spend the next week recuperating from all of the eating out we did (Alaskan King Crab at Pappadeaux anyone?).  It was nice to spend time with my sister and equally nice to eat out at places I don't get to go on my budget very often (my budget usually being the .99 menu it seems).  Of course, once she left, I took a look at my bank account and wondered if I should go on a beans and cornbread diet for a while.

First up for Tuesdays with Dorie was Coconut Tea Cake that Carmen of Carmen Cooks chose for us.  I love coconut but I know it's not a favorite of many people.  I'm always hesitant to bring baked goods to work that include coconut because I don't want to end up bringing home what's left simply because some don't like coconut.  I know those that do and I usually bring in a few slices for those people to nosh on while the coconut haters remain ignorant of the coconutty goodness.  I can sympathize with their dislike because I certainly feel the same way about cilantro.  Blech.  Nasty soap tasting ickiness.

I have to agree with the man Dorie mentions in the recipe introduction. He likes his cakes 'dry'.  Not dry as in not moist. Rather, he prefers his cake without icing.  Some cakes I like icing but on others, I like it plain and dry.  If there is enough moisture in the cake itself, I have no need for icing on top. Though I probably wouldn't refuse the cake if it did.

When I went to the grocery store this weekend, naturally I forgot to pick up an essential ingredient...coconut milk.  Since it was later in the day when I was planning to make the cake and I didn't want to go back to the store, I went ahead and made next week's recipe, the Mocha-Walnut (pecan in my case) Marbled Bundt, since I had everything for that already.  However, the next day I had to make a run to another store so I also went over to the grocery store to get the coconut milk.

I'm glad I went back to the store to get it because I really enjoyed this cake.  It was moist on the inside and a little crunchy on the outside.  The cake wasn't overly sweet which I liked.  I had used the sweetened coconut so I was worried it might be too sweet since I didn't cut down on the rest of the sugar.  I went with the rum and orange options and while I could just barely taste the rum, the orange wasn't noticeable at all beyond a few flecks of orange zest.

This would be a nice cake for those who like the flavor of coconut but not the texture if you left out the shredded coconut.  I like the random bites you would get of the shredded coconut but it would still be a delicious cake if you left it out.  The cake makes either a tasty dessert or a slightly decadent breakfast.

Thanks to Carmen for a lovely pick this week!  You can find the recipe at her blog or on pages 194-195 in Baking.  To see more coconut tea cake or the mocha-walnut marbled bundt (we could do either since Easter is next weekend), check out the TWD blogroll.