This Easter may not be like all the others — services will be streamed rather than sunrise, egg decorating parties will be virtual and egg hunts limited to your own backyard — but the foods we eat hold the same, if not more, importance than ever.
Desserts are often as much a star of the menu as the ham. For many after a Lenten fast from sweets, dessert is the star of the menu.
The following cakes — coconut with buttercream and banana with salted caramel glaze — are freezer-friendly and work well in a variety of pan sizes, making them ideal for a small gathering now or a large gathering later.
Coconut Cake With Coconut Buttercream
Cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup cream of coconut such as Coco Lopez
5 tablespoons milk
½ cup shortening
½ cup butter, softened
1 ½ cups granulated sugar, divided use
1 egg PLUS 4 egg whites, divided use
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract, optional
½ teaspoon coconut extract
½ cup unsweetened flaked coconut
Buttercream:
2 cups butter, cut into chunks and softened
¼ cup cream of coconut such as Coco Lopez
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ½ teaspoons coconut extract
Generous pinch fine salt
4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
Flaked coconut, for decorating
Jellybeans or colored candies, optional for decorating
Heat oven to 325 degrees.