...cake fit for a Snow Queen

On Saturday, My freind Katie came to Dundee to visit and stay over. Katie is the friend with whom I go for tea and cake most frequently, and with whom I share my love of baking, so it is only right that I made a cake for her coming to visit!

Last time Katie came to visit, she brought us some very yummy chocolate cake and I promised I would make her my best one in return. I have done, and will post the recipe for it after this one. So yes, I was all set on making the chocolate cake and THEN last night, I saw the lovely Grace's post about Coconut-Crusted Sour Cream Pound Cake and I had to make it! It looks like Christmas! Off to the supermarket we went to get the ingredients I didn't have, and at 9.30 on saturday morning, I was busy a-baking!

The thing about this cake is, it tastes AMAZING! It's got a fresh, slightly tart, but still a bit sweet taste. The creamy icing and the sweetness of the coconut adds a depth of flavour and lovely texture. Also, we went out of Saturday night, and were not in the best shape on Sunday morning, and I have to say it's good hangover food. We have taken to having it for breakfast because it is perfect with a cup of tea, but it could just as easily be a dessert after dinner.

I asked Grace if it would be ok for me to blog this recipe, as it took me a wee while to convert the measurments from American cups to UK cups and then grams, and she very sweetly said I could! Thanks Grace!

Coconut Crusted Sour Cream Pound Cake

(Recipe by Paula Deen, stolen from A Southern Grace )

For Cake

190g Butter

310g sugar

18oml soured cream

300g cups self-raising flour

6 eggs

(The original recipe calls for 1tso vanilla essence, I omitted it, but feel free to include it!)

For Icing

85g butter

200g soft cheese

300g icing sugar

(again the recipe says to use vanilla, which I didn't)

75g coconut(recipe asks for 100g)

• preheat oven to 325f/190c
• Grease and flour 10 inch cake tin (if not non-stick, also I used a slicone ring mould)
• Cream together butter and sugar
• add in sour cream, and stir till combined
• add flour a bit at a time, alternating with and egg each time (bit of flour - egg - bit of flour) beating well each time
• bake for about 1 hour 20 mins(our oven is fan assisted, so it took an hour)
• remove and leave to cool

• Whilst cake is cooling, blend all butter, icing sugar and soft cheese in a bowl, leave half an hour to firm up
• when cake is cooled, spread on (I did it messy and swirly)
• sprinkle( coat!) with coconut(difficult on the sides, you kind of have to tilt the plate, but its worth it!