Coconut cream pie chocolate hazelnut graham bars (CCPCHGB?)

... quite the mouthful.

This weekend I made a coconut cream pie, and it turned out delicious (no proof cause I ate it all). However, there was too much pie filling for the pie shell.... so instead of wasting it, (or sitting down and eating it with a spoon....who me?...) I invented something new.

This was my thought process:

I could make some type of bar with this as a layer. That could probably work.
Graham cracker crumbs would probably go well with it...
Chocolate would also go pretty well with it...
I have a couple IKEA chocolate+hazelnut bars in the cupboard, could probably just melt those?
Yea, coconut cream chocolate hazelnut graham bars. That works.

Here are approximant measurements (I just made this up, remember?)

Coconut cream layer
1 1/2 cups milk
1/3 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
2 tbsp corn starch
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp coconut extract
1 tsp butter

Instructions
1. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring milk to almost boiling. Meanwhile, beat sugar and yolks in a large bowl until frothy and pale yellow. Whisky in corn starch until smooth.
2. Whisk in hot milk, bit by bit (if you do this too fast, the eggs will cook and look like scrambled eggs... gross). Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and whisk until it gets thick and bubbly.
3. Remove from heat and add in coconut, vanilla, coconut extract and butter. Set aside.

Graham cracker layer
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup butter

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Melt butter in a 7x11 inch non-stick pan.
2. Mix together graham crumbs, sugar and coconut. Pour into pan with melted butter and mix around until the crumbs are moist. Press firmly down into the bottom of the pan using a spoon. Bake for 10 minutes. Set aside.


Chocolate later
2 large chocolate bars OR ~10-12 squares of bakers chocolate (dark chocolate? milk? white?... mix it up.)

Instructions
1. In a double boiler, melt chocolate.
2. Pour on top of the prepared graham crust and smooth out the layer, making sure the whole area of the pan is covered. Place pan in the freezer for about 30 minutes so that chocolate hardens.
3. Remove from freezer and pour coconut pie filling on top of chocolate layer. Smooth over & refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
4. Top with toasted coconut or whipped cream (or both...) if desired.

voila.

Vanilla coconut birthday cake

In honour of new years, and my friend Tara's birthday, I decided to make a cake! After researching a zillion different cake recipes, I came across one that didnt seem too simple nor too complex (the ridiculously simple ones scare me a bit, there has to be a catch...like it tastes like shit but looks great....i opted for quality & appearance)

In the end though it wasn't all that complicated, except between the cake and frosting i used 10...TEN egg whites. and i'm not about to eat all those leftover yolks, so you can see how cake making can be a bit pricey and sometimes pushing absurd (i came across some recipes that asked for 10 egg whites just for the cake alone...forget the frosting). On that note I also stumbled across one that had a full 5 cups of butter in it between the cake and frosting....needles to say I avoided that one.


But I am happy with my choice of recipe and with the icing! Which is the first time I've mean swiss meringue buttercream. I like that it looks so glossy, and tastes pretty great too. The link to the recipe I used for the cake is here, however I used a Martha Stewart frosting recipe, which is for you below:


**In the layer between the cakes I added shredded coconut in with the frosting.


Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar + 2 tbsp
• 5 large egg whites
• 2 cups unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

**I added a tsp of coconut extract as well, however in retrospect I probably would have done with 1/2 tsp. Too much extract and it tastes like sunscreen.

Directions

1. Place sugar and egg whites in the heat-proof bowl of an electric mixer. Set bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, and whisk until sugar has dissolved and egg whites are hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. Test by rubbing the mixture between your fingers; it should feel completely smooth.
2. Beat on high speed until mixture has cooled completely and formed stiff and glossy peaks, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the butter, one piece at a time, and beat until incorporated after each addition. Don't worry if the buttercream appears curdled after all the butter has been added; it will become smooth again with continued beating. Add vanilla, and beat just until combined. 
4. Beat on the lowest speed to eliminate any air pockets, about 5 minutes. If using buttercream within several hours, cover bowl with plastic wrap, and set aside at room temperature in a cool environment. Or transfer to an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator, up to 3 days. Before using, bring buttercream to room temperature, and beat on the lowest speed with the paddle attachment until smooth, about 5 minutes.

For the roses on the cake, it's a lot easier than it looks. You just use a 1M tip and pipe swirls starting in the middle and working your way out. After you've piped the roses, fill in the gaps in between with swipes of frosting using the same tip.