Red, White and Blue Cake

Here's a fun idea if you have a checkerboard cake pan. While the decorative coconut is pretty, the fun starts when you cut it-folks really get a kick out of the cake colors!

The coconut is colored by adding coconut and food coloring drops to a sandwich baggie and
kneading it until you reach the desired color. 

I made the star by laying a cookie cutter on the icing and filling it with coconut, pushing down lightly.
I would chop the coconut finer for a detailed decoration like this the next time.

Star on top, stripes in the middle.

I'm very happy with both the cake and icing recipes, they are keepers!

Earl says... 

I don't know who she thinks is washing all these dishes, 

but I'm only here to lick the beater!

Simple 9" White Cake adapted from Allrecipes
1 C sugar
1/2 C butter
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 C A/P flour
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 C milk

1. Beat sugar and butter well.
2. Add eggs and beat until fluffy.
3. Sift the flour and baking powder and add it and milk to wet, mix well.
4. Pour into a greased and floured 9" cake pan.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until golden and toothpick comes out clean.
6. Cool for a while in the pan, then turn out onto cake dish and cool completely.

Notes for tri-colored cake:
1/3 C of batter for center color
1 C of batter for middle ring
1 1/3 C of batter for outer ring.
This recipe makes more than these measurements, I tried to divvy up the leftover proportionally between the three. Or you could just make a cupcake with the extra (that was Earl's suggestion:@)

White Icing adapted from Allrecipes
2 C powdered sugar
1/2 C shortening-sub any amount of butter you'd like, I used 2 Tblsp butter
1 Tblsp water-you might need to add a little more, I used 1 1/2 Tblsp
1/2 tsp vanilla

1. Slowly mix everything until sugar is incorporated.
2. Scrape down the sides and let 'er rip for about 5 minutes.

Have a happy day:@)

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