Easy Coconut Cake or Bars

For the hectic holiday season, instead of making coconut bars, my husband's favorite Cleveland confection, I made coconut cake. I saved much time by making the cake instead of cutting the cake into smaller pieces and turning each into a coconut bar.

I made a white cake using Pillsbury low sugar white cake mix and followed the directions using three eggs. I hand-mixed the cake batter as was watching my 92 year young Mom in her bedroom and did not want to work in the kitchen with the electric hand mixer. The cake itself was as light as a feather. I poked some holes in the cake, an option that adds a nice touch per the final product. You will understand why as you read the next section.

I placed about 1/3 cup of Hershey's chocolate syrup in a microwavable glass measuring cup, added a few drops of water, and heated the syrup mixture until warm. I use my two cup pyrex measuring cup for this as do not wish to spill the warm syrup.

I poured the syrup over the cake, making sure some goes into the the areas where I poked the cake. I spread the syrup over the top of a one layer cake. Next, I put coconut on the cake to cover up the chocolate syrup. The cake looks beautifully decorated and tastes delicious. The coconut sticks to the chocolate syrup on the cake.

I have made coconut bars using a frozen pound cake. It is easy to cut a pound cake while still frozen into bars. Dipping each cake bar into the syrup and coconut can be messy and unless you prefer bars, an unnecessary step. I have made a two layer cake with one cake mix, placing the syrup and coconut between the layers and repeating the syrup, coconut layer on top of the cake.

This cake is an easy and beautiful cake in spring, can be a no-bake cake in summer and everyone in my family loves it during the holidays when it reminds us of snow. Using a frozen pound cake, one need turn on the oven during our hot Cleveland summers.

I told my 17 year old nephew about this cake should he wish to impress a girlfriend with a simple, easy, beautiful cake. The cake can be any flavor. We like the contrast of the chocolate between the white cake and the white coconut.

Another version of the cake, using chocolate syrup over a chocolate cake topped with white coconut, is wonderful for chocolate lovers.

If one prefers to make coconut bars, the trick is not to get the coconut brown as one does not want the look of "dirty snow". Use one hand to roll each frozen cake bar into the syrup and the other hand to roll the syrupy bar in the white coconut.

I do not poke holes into the bars but poke holes when I make the cake version.

In the cake the holes become filled with a bit of chocolate syrup, making this an easy marble cake!

If your family prefers all white, yellow or chocolate cake, do not poke holes in the cake.

The easy technique makes an incredible German chocolate cake.

For a big party, bake several white, chocolate, and yellow cakes and after cooling, freeze them. While frozen, cut them into single serving bars before dipping each in the warm syrup and coconut. Place each small coconut bar in a colorful cupcake baking cup and pile high on a decorative plate for a colorful, edible centerpiece!

Let me know if you like this easy recipe for Cleveland style coconut bars by emailing me via my web site at http://www.raskinfo.com

Thanksgiving

This was an easy Thanksgiving dinner to prepare and best of all, my 92 year young Mom was able to chew everything.

We are so blessed that she asked to live with us one year ago. Mom came for Thanksgiving dinner last year and stayed!

I tried a turkey breast tenderloin that was easy for my Mom to chew and swallow. I told my situation to the salesperson in the grocery store who assured me, my mother would be able to chew and swallow this meat.

It was wonderful that I could make one meat that we all could enjoy on Thanksgiving.

Although a bit pricey, the marinated tenderloin was superb. I added 1/2 apple to my homemade dressing recipe to insure it would remain soft enough for Mom to swallow. Baked sweet potatoes are easy for Mom to consume as is the jellied version of cranberry sauce.

I made a tender peach pie and will make the homemade apple and pumpkin pies on another day.

Happy Thanksgiving to all who read this.

Apples in October

I picked 37 pounds of assorted apples last week and seven pounds of concord grapes at Eddy's Fruit Farm in Chesterland, Ohio.

My husband benefited from my pickings as I made two apple pies including JonaMac, Cortland, and Muen (spelling?), and Gala's that I had from a local grocery store.

I love to use the largest apples I can find and picked enormous apples this year. The larger the apple, the less time I need to peel and core for the apple pies that my husband loves.

Since my mother recently became diabetic, I use as little sugar as possible and load up on cinnamon.

Because my husband is on a very low fat diet, I modified the American Heart Association pie crust recipe and lowered the fat content without compromising the flaky crust.

What is the secret to a low fat, flaky pie crust?


Email me for the answer at rosaraskin@hotmail.com and mention my blog.

Early Signs of Fall

I purchased my first 1/2 bushel of apples from Patterson's Fruit Farm in Chesterland, Ohio, today.

The apples are JerseyMac, wonderful for eating, baking, and sauce. The apple has a wonderful taste and aroma. This early fall apple appeals to my 92 year young Mom, husband, and me.

The flesh is fragrant, white, crisp, but not too crisp for my 92 year young Mom to enjoy. The apples vary in size from small to medium with an appealing pattern of red to light green coloration on each apple's peel.

I traveled to Patterson's Fruit Farm two times this week, both Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday I took Mom for her favorite lunch of bratwurst and beer, at the Snack Shop adjacent to the Orchard Hills Center. Later that evening when she prepared for bed, Mom noticed that she had lost one of her hearing aids. We searched the house, car, and hoped that a phone call to Patterson's in the morning might help.

To my surprise, when I called about Mom's hearing aid this morning, the kind person answering the phone at Patterson's Fruit Farm was involved in the previous night's wedding and told me that someone at the country wedding on Saturday night found my Mom's hearing aid.

Announcements were made during the wedding at the Orchard Hills Center that a hearing aid had been found. We had gone to the Snack Shop for lunch and were not part of the wedding. We had enjoyed watching some of the wedding preparations as we ate our most enjoyable lunch. We are lucky that a wedding guest found Mom's hearing aid that evening in the parking lot.

Thank you, whoever you are, that found the hearing aid for my 92 year young Mom. Mom can not hear without her hearing aids. You have my mother's blessings.

Best wishes and congratulations to the young couple getting married at Orchard Hills Center in Geauga County, Ohio, on Saturday night!

I gave some of the JerseyMacs to my sister, Maria, who commented on the enticing aroma of the apples in my kitchen. We enjoyed the tasty and aromatic strawberry-rubarb pie that was freshly baked at Patterson's earlier in the day and are looking forward to Patterson's blueberry pie for our celebration on finding Mom's hearing aid.

We saw a few leaves on Maple trees begin to turn a bit reddish on our drive in the country to Patterson's. The scents and signs of fall are here as many children and college students return to school.

My husband is looking forward to a home-baked apple pie and loves the taste and aroma of Patterson's apple cider. I think I will get a glass for myself as I write this blog entry.

Tonight my mother gave me the biggest hug that one can imagine for finding her hearing aid. I am most blessed that she came for Thanksgiving dinner and chose (asked) to stay with us.

I look forward to baking my first apple pies of the 2009 season that will fill our house with the wonderful smell of cinnamon sugar and freshly picked early apples.

Thanks again to all those working and enjoying wonderful life events at Orchard Hills/ and Patterson's Fruit Farm in Chesterland, Ohio. The staff at Patterson's Fruit Farm made this day one I shall long remember and enter into my album of wonderful family memories at Patterson's !

The wonderful personnel, fruits, and vegetables at Patterson's Fruit Farm continue to inspire me to cook and bake.

Diabetic Recipes

My Mom found out she is diabetic at age 92 years. Mom is a cookie lover. I can not find any cookies in the stores that she likes. I am in the process of developing my own recipe for a cinnamon-raisen cookie that is low fat, without the use of sugar.

Mom does not need to lose weight, however, I would like to create a cookie that my husband may also enjoy.

I am lowering the fat content, removing the sugar, yet hope to create the best diabetic cookie in the world for my family to enjoy.

My recipe to date includes whole grains, a bit of oil, eggs, and a sugar substitute that diabetics may have in unlimited amounts. The recipe I am creating is not for children but for aging parents who love cookies and have been found in old age to have diabetes.

Does anyone out there have a recipe they love or any suggestions? I have created a wonderful cookie but would like additional recipes for low fat, no sugar cookies.

Carolyn's Incredible Pudding

I have an addition to Carolyn's wonderful homemade hot pudding topped with cold whipped cream.

I decided to put a banana between the pudding and the whipped topping to get Mom to eat an extra piece of fruit. On other occasions I place slices of banana under the pudding.

Today I also added some of my husbands chocolate, pumpkin brownies (no fat) to Mom's tapioca pudding for a banana split type dessert. I include freshly grated nutmeg or cinnamon depending upon the flavor Mom suggests for the day. I always include pure vanilla, eggs, whole milk, and tapioca in the basic pudding recipe.

Mom says this pudding is yummy. I estimate that it contains a serving of calcium per the milk, a serving of fruit (banana), a bit of chocolate, protein (egg), and a bit of vegetable per the pumpkin brownie sliced in the smallest pieces under the whipped cream.

Mom tells me when the whipped topping disappears and needs to be refreshed.

I will try variations of the pudding by including cherry topping, peaches, blueberries, fruit cocktail, or cooked apples to keep Mom interested in this wonderful, quick, and simple dessert.

Colorful toppings might appeal to those with low vision.

Carolyn's incredible pudding is truly a winner for those that need the extra calories and a time saver for caregivers!

Add Pizazz to Incredibly Delicious Pudding

My friend Carolyn has added a wonderful ingredient to her incredible hot pudding recipe. Carolyn tops each serving of hot pudding with real whipped cream.

It is exciting to see the whipped cream melt into the pudding at the edges, adding richness, cooling the pudding, and increasing the calories for those that deserve this most special treat.

Mom is eating the whipped cream topped hot pudding as I write this. Mom is skimming the edges of the pudding as she always does but now enjoys an additional treat, the whipped cream melting into the pudding. She is thoroughly enjoying herself. She loves this pudding so much that I will have to come up with a version for my husband who is sitting with her in the kitchen.

While reading Carolyn's email about her new pudding creation, I envisioned use for the cans of whipped cream I often pass in the dairy case at Costco.

For my husband, I will try to top his pudding based on almond or rice milk with fat-free Cool Whip topping.

My mother asked me to taste her delicious dessert. I was able to decline today, as I have gained a tremendous amount of weight just licking the pots of the meals I prepare for her. If I had her metabolism I would love this warm dessert that appears to be as beautiful as it tastes.

As I watch the whipped cream melt into the pudding, I remember a vacation at Cape Cod years ago where on a very cool day, we sat in a waterfront restaurant eating a very hot blueberry cobbler topped with cold whipped cream!

Thanks to Carolyn, my warm homemade pies and cobblers will include cool whipped cream for my Mom who will be 92 years young this March.

The warm pudding, now topped with whipped cream, turns an ordinary glass bowl into a piece of art. The topping adds more than pizazz to one of our most cherished comfort foods.

My adviser at The Ohio State University always said the kitchen is the science laboratory and
adds a creative side to my research activities in the materials sciences (see http://www.raskinfo.com)

Thanks once again to my dear friend Carolyn, who lives in Columbus, Ohio, for sharing her special pudding creation.