Eight Layer Coconut Lemon Cake with Raspberries and Toasted Coconut

This eight layer coconut lemon cake with raspberries and toasted coconut is a birthday cake to end all birthday cakes. A behemoth of a cake that took nearly all day to make but was the birthday present in itself.  My sister-in-law loves coconut cake. Last year for her birthday I made a chocolate cake with orange marmalade filling and a coconut frosting. It wasn't one of my best. This year, I decided to make the biggest, bestest, tastiest, moistest, most coconutty cake possible. Behold! The Eight Layer Coconut Lemon Cake!

Several days before Andrea's birthday I sent her about three emails with various options for coconut cake pairings. I wasn't able to procure passion fruit, which was our combined first choice; I couldn't get coconut-chai out of my head so I made this Chai Almond Cake with Toasted Coconut Buttercream for a dinner at my mother's house the day before Andrea's birthday. Seriously. Baking cakes for days and days. And I'm surprised there's too much buttercream around my middle layer? Oouf. Or should I say oeuf? Heehee... just a little French baking humor.

Right. Back to the cakes. Mmm... cake. Andrea's close second choice was a coconut lemon cake and so this is what happened... 

Pastalove Bloghop - Meyer Lemon and Ramp Pasta with Arugula

A creamy combination of Meyer lemons and ramps, sprinkled with fresh arugula and tossed in fettucine make for a fresh, yet satisfyingly decadent, pasta dish. While both ramps and Meyer lemons may sound exotic or unusual depending on where you live, they can generally be found along the East coast in the spring at farmer's markets or specialty produce stores.

Berrylove ~ Flower Berry Angel Food Baskets

I found this darling shortcake basket pan on sale recently at a local shop and I couldn't pass it up. First off, I absolutely love Nordic Ware designs (I use this petit fours pan for bridal showers); second, I absolutely love that their products are made in the USA when so many industries have moved overseas and I will always buy as local as possible; and third, as soon as I saw it the idea for this recipe sprang into my head. I had to have it!

If you don't have an adorable basket weave mini cake pan you can use mini angel food molds or you can double the recipe and make a full size angel food cake.

Deviled Eggs Three Ways

Deviled eggs are not safe around my husband. He pops 'em like candy and can easily eat an entire plate of the soft, creamy, flavorful treats by himself. Our good friend Ann is the Queen of Deviled Eggs (we should get her a crown) and has been commissioned to prepare them for all parties and events until the end of the world. Thom loves Ann's deviled eggs so much that she can't even set the tray down on the coffee table before he's eaten at least two. Ann, however, has decided to go be with her family in Pittsburgh for Easter so it is up to me to prepare the deviled eggs for Easter.

I have big shoes to fill... I better make three different versions so Thom can choose his favorite...let's see... why don't we try chipotle bacon, a classic version, and a fresh lemon-chive deviled egg. Yeah... those sound good!