In the Key Lime Light

While I really love Gourmet magazine (the photography! the descriptions! the Sterns!) I find it intimidating. So in making my first Gourmet recipe, I decided to try something familiar, like a cake.

Key Lime Coconut Cake was the bee's knees. Sure, you've got to juice about 30,000 teeny, tiny limes -- but they're so cute! And they are yummy in cake, which tastes like summer. And also coconut.


Key Lime Coconut Cake (from Gourmet magazine)

• 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
  
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
  
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
  
• 1 tablespoon grated Key lime zest
  
• 2 large eggs
  
• 1 3/4 cups self-rising flour
  
• 3/4 cup whole milk
  
• 1/4 cup fresh Key lime juice, divided
  
• 1 cup confectioners sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Generously butter a 9- by 2-inch round cake pan (I've also made this using an 8- by 8-inch pan) and line bottom with a round of parchment paper. Toast coconut in a small baking pan in oven, stirring once or twice, until golden, 8 to 12 minutes. Cool. Leave oven on.

Beat together butter, granulated sugar, and zest with an electric mixer until fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Stir together flour and 1/2 cup coconut (reserve remainder for topping). Stir together milk and 2 Tbsp lime juice. At low speed, mix flour and milk mixtures into egg mixture alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour. Spoon batter into pan and smooth top.

Bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool to warm, then turn out of pan and discard parchment.

Whisk together confectioners sugar and remaining 2 Tbsp lime juice (I used 3+ Tbsp the second time I made the cake) and pour over cake. Sprinkle with remaining coconut.


The food: Key Lime Coconut Cake
The verdict: Sublime (get it?)