pastel pastel...como me encanta...how I love cake...

There is a single cake slide left from the cake I made last Sunday. Cakes have an especial place in my heart. At home with Mom and Dad we always have had cake to celebrate birthdays... ALWAYS... Cakes for me are an token for Happiness. I remember one winter, it was just around Christmas that we as a family gave (as present, we bought the cake, it was a 3 milks cake) a cake to our piano teacher. She was going through some hard situationss at the time, and when she saw us with a pink cake (I suppose it was pink, I do not exactly remember) we smiled, she told us that that day she wanted to eat cake but could not find some time to make one, we al felt happier that evening. So cakes makes life bright, because a cake was given hearts were touched. This is one of my favorite memories also.

Ok the recipe of the cake I made last Sunday is here, from the same book Seasons of my Heart by Susana Trilling. It's delicious!! This time I followed the recipe completly, however I made little mistake which I realized too late...the cake was fine though... my mistake was that I used baking powder instead of baking soda... I wonder what makes those two different...and I did not use rum, for obvious reasons.

PASTEL DE COCO
Coconut Pecan Cake
MAKES 10 TO 12 SERVINGS

For the cake
5 eggs at room temperature for at least 1 hour
1 cup (2 sticks) plus 1 tablespoon butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sunflower  or vegetable oil
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup milk mixed with 1/2 tablespoon lime juice
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup grated fresh coconut, toasted
1/2 cup pecans, chopped and toasted
For the frosting
1cup (2sticks) plus 1 tablespoon buttle, at room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 cups confetioner's sugar
1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped and toasted
Rum to taste

FOR THE CAKE
Preheat the oven to 325⁰F. Oil a Bunt pan or two 8-inch square pans.
Separate the egg yolks and the whites into bowls.
In a large bowl, mix the butter, oil, and sugar until creamy. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating after each addition.
Mix the baking soda and milk.
Add the flour to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk. Add the vainilla, coconut, and nuts. Mix well. Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks, then fold into the batter.
pour the batter into the greased cake pans and bake for 45 minutes or until the cake separates from the edge of the pan. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes, then remove from pans. Cool on a rack.

FOR THE FROSTING
Cream the butter and cream cheese with a hand or electric mixer. Add the vanilla, confectioner's sugar, nuts and rum. Mix well.
Brush off the excess crumbs. If using a Bundt pan, frost the cake on all sides and around the center hole. Decorate with fresh flowers. If using the square pans, invert  a layer onto a plate and cover the top pf the cake with frosting. Place the second layer (inverted) on top of the first and frost the sides of the cake. Finally, frost the top and decorate with fresh flowers.