How to make Soy and Sesame Kale Chips

Soy and Sesame Kale Chips

The secret to getting these crisp is to avoid crowding the leaves on the baking sheets. Also, keep an eye on them - they can scorch quickly

Ingredients

• 7 to 8 oz (1 small bunch) Lacinato kale (often sold as "dinosaur kale" or "Tuscan kale")
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce.
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Rinse kale and thoroughly blot dry with a kitchen towel. Tear leaves from ribs; discard ribs. Tear leaves into 4-in pieces. Pour oil and soy sauce into a large bowl, add kale, and toss to coat  evenly.
2. Arrange leaves in a single layer on 2 rimmed baking sheets. Bake, switching pan positions after 13 minutes. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake until leaves are crips but not browned, 5 to 7 minutes more.

*You can use larger bunches, but you'll need more oil and seasonings and maybe a third pan.

Note:
Make ahead: Up to 1 week, stored airtight

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How to make Apple Berry Fruit Leather

Apple Berry Fruit Leather

Ingredients:

• 3 cups apples, cored and chopped
• 1 cup raspberries
• 2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Instruction

1. Preheat oven to 140º F
2. Using a blender, blend 1 cup of apples, the raspberries and the orange juice concentrate until smooth. Add remaining apples and blend until smooth. Pour apple mixture in a medium sized bowl then stir in the honey, cinnamon and lemon juice
3. Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap and tape to edges. Do not use wax paper or aluminum foil since it's difficult to remove the fruit from these items
4. Pour apple mixture on the plastic lined baking sheet and spread with a rubber spatula until it's 1/8 inch thick. Leave about 1/2 inch of space open from edge of pan to allow fruit to expand while drying
5. Bake in oven for 4-6 hours. Fruit leather is done when it is no longer sticky to the touch. When done, roll the fruit with the plastic wrap the long way. Cut into 2-inch pieces. Store pieces in an airtight container

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How to make Matcha White Chocolate Cookies

Matcha White Chocolate Cookies

Matcha, a finely ground green-tea powder from Japan, gives all kinds of baked goods and desserts interesting flavor and brilliant color. It is a good match (sorry!) with white chocolate; the slightly sharp herbal edge of the tea cuts the sweetness of the chocolate. Pine nuts lend more Asian flavor, and crystallized ginger gives the cookies some heat.

Ingredients

• 2¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup matcha powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 8 ounces white chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup pine nuts
• ¼ cup finely chopped crystallized ginger

Instructions

1. Position rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Sift together the flour, matcha, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
3. Combine butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat until blended. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth. Stir in the flour mixture until incorporated. Stir in the white chocolate, pine nuts and ginger.
4. Drop the dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets, leaving about 3 inches between each cookie. Bake until cookies are golden around the edges, but still a little moist on top, 9 to 11 minutes. Let them stand on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then remove them with a metal spatula to a wire rack to cool completely. Matcha-White Chocolate Chunk Cookies will keep at room temperature in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days.

Tips

Don’t over-brown these cookies or you’ll lose the pure green color of the matcha. They should be just set around the edges and barely dry in the centers. As they cool they’ll continue to dry out.

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How to make Tunnel of Fudge Cake

Tunnel of Fudge Cake

This is a cake with history. The recipe here is possibly the one most closely associated with the Pillsbury Bake-Off, which is curious, since it didn’t even win! Ella Helfrich’s Tunnel of Fudge Cake took second place in 1966, but it is the recipe that caught the attention of the public and also spurred an interest in the Bundt pan itself. This is a very dense, sweet cake and it will not develop its fudgy tunnel if it is over baked, so pay close attention to the directions.

With a nod to Pillsbury, we used their Best All-Purpose Flour for this cake.

Ingredients

• 2¼ cups all purpose flour
• ¾ cup sifted natural cocoa
• 1¾ cups (3½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces
• 1¾ cups sugar
• 6 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
• 2 cups toasted chopped walnuts
• ¾ cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
• ¼ cup sifted natural cocoa
• 1 to 2 tablespoons milk

Instructions

1. For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Thoroughly coat a 10-inch Bundt pan with butter or shortening, making sure to cover all of the nooks and crannies, including the core. Dust thoroughly with flour, tapping out any excess.
2. Re-sift the flour and cocoa together into a bowl; set aside.
3. Beat the butter in a stand mixer on medium-high speed with the flat beater attachment until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add sugar and continue to beat until light and creamy, about 3 minutes more.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula once or twice.
5. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar on a low speed, blending well.
6. Remove the bowl from the mixer and add about 1 cup of the flour/cocoa mixture, gently stirring in by hand. Add the rest of the flour/cocoa and the nuts and gently stir just until combined.
7. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan; spreading evenly with a small offset spatula.
8. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until top is set and edges are beginning to pull away from side of pan. If you test with a bamboo skewer, the center will still be gooey. Do not over bake.
9. Cool pan on a wire rack until just slightly warm, about 1½ to 2 hours. Invert onto a serving plate and cool completely – about 2 to 3 hours more. These unmolding and cooling times are necessary for the tunnel to form properly
10. For the glaze: Re-sift the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa into a mixing bowl. Whisk in 1 tablespoon of the milk and assess texture; only add more milk if necessary. You want a thick, pourable glaze. Spoon the glaze over the top of the cake, allowing it to run down the sides. Cake may be stored in a covered cake dome for up to 2 days at room temperature.

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How to make German Chocolate Cake Balls

German Chocolate Cake Balls

All the classic flavors and textures of German chocolate cake in a cake ball: coconut, chocolate and pecans. The traditional frosting for the cake is cooked on top of the stove and is uniquely sticky, chewy and sweet; here it is folded into chocolate cake to make these cake balls. Dipped in a dark chocolate shell, the balls are then further embellished with a generous shower of more coconut and pecans.

Ingredients

• Scant 1 cup evaporated milk
• Scant 1 cup sugar
• 3 large egg yolks
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups sweetened flaked coconut
• Scant 1 cup toasted pecan halves, chopped
• 1 recipe Easy Chocolate Cake, baked, cooled and crumbled
• 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut or large coconut flakes (as seen in image)
• 1 cup toasted pecan halves, finely chopped
• 2 pounds semisweet chocolate, such Callebaut or Ghirardelli, finely chopped
• 64 miniature fluted paper cups (optional)

Instructions

1. To make the frosting: Place the evaporated milk and sugar in a large saucepan and whisk to combine. Whisk in the egg yolks and butter pieces. Gently cook over medium heat until the mixture reaches a simmer, and then cook for about 6 to 7 minutes, whisking frequently until it thickens and slightly darkens. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla, coconut and pecans. Cool, stirring occasionally to release heat, until just warm to the touch and thickened. Cool completely at room temperature.
2. Combine the cake and about 2 cups of the frosting. Test by compressing and tasting and only add more frosting if needed for flavor and moisture. Roll into ping-pong–size cake balls. Refrigerate until firm. This can be done 1 day ahead; store in an airtight container once they are firm.
3. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil; set aside. Toss together the coconut and pecans in a small bowl; set aside. Melt the chocolate in the microwave or a double boiler. Dip the balls one at a time in the chocolate, encouraging any excess chocolate to drip back into the container. Place, evenly spaced, on the prepared pans. Sprinkle a generous amount of the coconut/pecan mixture on top of each cake ball while the chocolate is still wet. Refrigerate briefly until the chocolate is set. Trim bottoms, if needed. Place each cake ball in a paper cup, if using. Place in a single layer in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

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How to make Espresso-Fig Muffins

Espresso-Fig Muffins

Add some sophistication to your morning menu with these muffins made with espresso powder, hazelnuts and figs.

Ingredients

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• ⅔ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk
• ½ cup skinned and chopped hazelnuts
• 1 cup dried figs, stemmed and finely chopped

Instructions

1. Position rack in center of oven. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the cooled melted butter, brown sugar, espresso powder, eggs and vanilla until smooth. Slowly whisk in milk in a large bowl. With a wooden spoon, stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Stir in the hazelnuts and figs.
4. Fill each muffin cup about three-quarters full. Bake the muffins until they are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes, invert them onto a wire rack and then turn them right side up to cool completely.
5. Espresso-Fig Muffins will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Or wrap individually in plastic wrap and keep in a zipper-lock bag in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Tips

• Espresso powder can clump up in the pantry once it has been opened. That’s why it’s best to add it to batter with the wet ingredients, whisking well until it is fully dissolved.

•  Check out our recommendations for peeling hazelnuts.

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How to make Potato Focaccia with Green Olives

Potato Focaccia with Green Olives

A mashed potato (traditional in Puglia and other parts of Italy) adds moisture and tenderness to this focaccia dough.

Ingredients

• One 8-ounce Russet potato
• 1 cup lukewarm water
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup pitted green olives, halved
• Sea salt for sprinkling

Instructions

1. Prick the potato all over with the tines of a fork. Place it on a microwave-safe dish and microwave on full power for 5 minutes. Turn and microwave for another 4 minutes. Pierce with a sharp paring knife. If it is still hard in the center, microwave for 1-minute intervals until cooked through. Scoop the cooked potato flesh into a bowl and set aside to cool.
2. Combine water, yeast and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large mixing bowl and stir to dissolve yeast. Add the flour, salt and cooled potato and stir with a spatula until a rough dough forms. Knead the dough in an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook on medium speed until it is smooth and elastic, 5 to 7 minutes. Or knead by hand on a lightly floured countertop until smooth and elastic, 10 to 12 minutes.
3. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise until the dough is doubled in volume, 3 to 4 hours.
4. Spray a 15½-inch-by-10½-inch rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Turn the dough into the pan and press it to the edges. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand until puffy and almost doubled in volume, 1½ to 2 hours.
5. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Dimple the dough at 2-inch intervals with a fingertip. Push an olive half into each of the dimples. Drizzle the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil over the dough, letting it collect around the olives. Sprinkle with sea salt. Bake until golden and risen, 20 to 25 minutes.
6. Use a large spatula to lift the focaccia from the pan and onto a wire rack. Let it cool for 10 minutes and serve warm. Wrap leftover focaccia in plastic and keep at room temperature for up to 2 days. Reheat in a 350°F oven for 5 minutes before serving.

Tips

• As with all yeast doughs, the longer and slower the rise, the more flavorful the result, so use lukewarm (not very warm) water and just a teaspoon of yeast to slow down fermentation. And be patient before proceeding. If you’re not sure that your dough has risen sufficiently, give it a little more time.

• After it rises in the bowl, the dough can be deflated, covered and refrigerated for a day or two before baking. Refrigeration overnight will make it even more flavorful. Let it come to room temperature in the bowl for an hour or two before pressing it into the pan.

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How to make Dark Muscovado Sugar Pound Cake

Dark Muscovado Sugar Pound Cake

Pound cake is a classic dessert and there is something comforting about its buttery, sweet simplicity. This recipe yields a dense, soft crumb and features the deep, rich flavor of dark muscovado sugar. The molasses-rich sugar lends color and flavor to an otherwise simple cake. Enjoy on its own, or perhaps with fruit compote on the side.

India Tree is a brand of muscovado that you will find in Whole Foods and well-stocked grocery stores. Combined with the large amount of sweet butter, it creates a pretty brown-sugar-colored cake that is filled with the sugar’s unique flavors.

Ingredients

• 2¼ cups sifted cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut in small pieces
• 1¾ cups firmly packed dark Muscovado sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 8 large eggs, at room temperature
• Confectioners’ sugar, optional

Instruction

1. Position rack in middle of oven. Preheat oven to 325°F. Thoroughly butter a 9-cup decorative ring pan, taking care to coat the center tube as well, then lightly coat with flour, tapping out any excess.
2. Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl to aerate and combine; set aside.
3. Beat butter on medium-high speed with flat paddle until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add sugar gradually, beating until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl once or twice. Beat in vanilla. Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping down after each addition, allowing each egg to be absorbed before continuing. Add the flour mixture in four additions beating until smooth on low-medium speed after each addition. Scrape batter into prepared pan.
4. Bake for about 40 to 50 minutes or until a bamboo skewer inserted in center shows a few moist crumbs.
5. Cool pan on rack until barely warm, then unmold onto cooling rack to cool completely. Dust cooled cake with confectioners’ sugar, if desired, before serving. Store at room temperature in airtight container for up to 3 days. May also be wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in zippered top bag and frozen for up to 1 month.

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How to Make Yellow Cupcakes

Yello Cupcakes

This is a classic, moist yellow cake in mini form. These yellow cupcakes work wonderfully with many different frostings of your choice – vanilla, chocolate, espresso, raspberry – you name it.

Ingredients

• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into small pieces
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup milk

Instruction

1. Position rack in middle of oven. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line one 12-cup cupcake tin with paper liners.
2. Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl to aerate and combine; set aside.
3. In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add sugar gradually, beating until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl once or twice; beat in vanilla. Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping down after each addition, allowing each egg to be absorbed before continuing. Add the flour mixture in four additions, alternately with the milk. Begin and end with the flour mixture and beat briefly until smooth on low-medium speed after each addition.
4. Divide batter evenly in pans. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center shows a few moist crumbs. The center should also spring back when lightly pressed. They might color a bit around the edges but they will not brown.
5. Cool pan on rack for 5 minutes then remove cupcakes to a cooling rack to cool completely. Cupcakes are ready to frost (and fill, if desired). Store for up to 2 days at room temperature in airtight container; 1 week frozen in airtight container.

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Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes

Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes

Just like the famous dessert these are named for, Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes are comprised of yellow cake, pastry cream filling and dark chocolate glaze.

There are a few theories about how Boston cream pies got their name. It is known that the Parker House Hotel in Boston was serving them as early as 1856. Also during that time, homemakers usually had pie tins around, but not necessarily cake tins, so they might have first been baked in pie tins yielding a pie-like shape. The Boston Cream Pie is also the State Dessert of Massachusetts as of 1996 – beating out Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Ingredient

Pasty Cream

• 1⅓ cups whole milk
• 1 vanilla bean
• 4 large egg yolks
• ⅓ cup sugar
• Pinch salt
• Generous 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 24 paper liners
• 2 batches Yellow Cupcakes
• Pastry bag and coupler
• Ateco or Wilton Tip #12 (or any plain round tip with approximately ¼-inch opening)
• 1 batch Chocolate Ganache 

Instruction

1. Place milk in a medium-sized, non-reactive pot. Split vanilla bean down center and scrape all of the tiny seeds from the inside of the bean into the milk (a teaspoon or butter knife is great for this). Add the vanilla bean to the milk as well. Bring to a boil over medium heat; remove from heat, but keep warm. Let bean steep for 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, whisk together the yolks and sugar until creamy. Whisk in salt and flour until smooth.
3. Remove the vanilla bean from the milk. Reheat milk until it just comes to a simmer. Pour about ¼ of the warm milk over the egg yolk mixture, whisking gently. Add remaining milk and whisk to combine. Immediately pour mixture back into the pot and cook over a low-medium heat. Whisk continuously until thickened, about 8 minutes, but do not let it boil. The pastry should be thick enough to mound when dropped from a spoon.
4. Allow pastry cream to cool; stir frequently to release heat. When almost at room temperature, scrape into airtight container and refrigerate at least 4 hours or until thoroughly chilled. Pastry cream may be made up to 3 days ahead.
5. Bake Yellow Cupcakes according to directions. Cool. Place pastry cream in pastry bag fitted with tip. Insert tip right down in the center of each cupcake. Squeeze to fill with pastry cream. As soon as the top of the cupcake begins to expand and crack, ease up on pressure – the cupcake has taken on as much filling as it can. (You are aiming for about 1 tablespoon filling per cupcake.) If any pastry cream is oozing out of the top, simply wipe away before glazing.
6. Have Ganache in a fluid state but not hot and too runny. It should flow. Use a small offset spatula or a teaspoon to apply about 1 tablespoon of ganache to the top of each cupcake; cover the top smoothly with ganache. Cupcakes are now ready to serve. Cupcakes may be baked two days ahead; glazed cupcakes are best served the same day. Store in airtight container.

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How to Make the Crunchiest, Creamiest Cannoli

How to Make the Crunchiest, Creamiest Cannoli

• Always keep the dough covered when you are not working with it to keep it moist and pliable, the secret to blistered, crispy shells.

• For the nicest-looking ends to show off the filling, look for the traditional Italian diamond-shape cannoli dough cutter. Or cut the dough with a round cookie cutter, then roll it with a pin to elongate the dough round into an oval approximately 4 inches by 5 inches.

• When using cannoli forms to make the shells, make sure the dough is loose rather than tightly rolled around the form. This creates a large enough opening to allow for plenty of filling, and it makes it easier to remove the form from the shell.

• The fried shells can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 month.
• The quality of the ricotta is key to great cannoli; I recommend making your own, or purchasing sheep’s milk ricotta if you can find it.

• Be sure the ricotta is very well drained. I drain mine overnight in the refrigerator, in a cheesecloth-lined strainer set over a bowl and covered.

• For a filling with the finest texture, use a firm but flexible plastic bowl scraper or the back of a spoon to press the ricotta through the finest strainer or screen you can find. I use a splatter screen. Whipping the ricotta or processing it in a food processor will not make it sufficiently smooth.

• Make the filling the day before you will fill and eat the cannoli.

• To prevent the chocolate from bleeding, wait to gently stir the chips into the ricotta until you are ready to fill the cannoli.

• To keep the shells crisp, fill the cannoli just before you serve them. In Palermo, the best shops fill them espresso, right in front of you, so that the filling remains creamy and the shell breaks crisply under your teeth. Once filled, the cannoli are best eaten within a couple of hours.

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How To Make Coconut Pineapple Cake

Instruction to make Coconut Pineapple Cake

INTRODUCE

If you want a pretty, feed-a-crowd, moist, impressive coconut pineapple cake, look no further. You will, however, have to look for unsweetened coconut milk for the cake batter. This is not the same as cream of coconut, which is that extremely sweet ingredient in many Piña Colada recipes. Read the label. You want either 100% coconut milk or nearly so with maybe a small amount of preservative. No sweeteners, no thickeners. By using this instead of whole milk, your cake will be packed with extra coconut flavor. Look for it in the Asian aisle of your supermarket or at specialty stores.

INGREDIENTS

1 batch Italian Meringue Buttercream, vanilla variation, ready to use.

FILLING

• ½ cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1, 20-ounce can crushed pineapple in juice
• 2 tablespoon unsalted butter

CAKE

• 2¾ cups sifted cake flour
• 1 tablespoon plus ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 5 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1¼ cups 100% unsweetened coconut milk (not sweetened cream of coconut)
• 13 tablespoons (1 stick plus 5 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces
• 1¼ cups sugar
• 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• Italian meringue buttercream, vanilla variation
• 3 cups sweetened long-shred coconut

INSTRUCTION

1. For the Filling: Place sugar, cornstarch and salt in a saucepan and whisk to combine. Drizzle a little bit of the juice from the pineapple over the dry mixture and whisk until smooth. Add remaining pineapple and juice. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook for a couple of minutes, whisking occasionally until thickened and translucent. Whisk in the butter and cool completely. Refrigerate until chilled and firmed or in an airtight container for up to 3 days, if desired.
2. For the Cake: Preheat oven to 350˚ F. Coat the insides of two 8-inch by 2-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray, line bottoms with parchment rounds, then spray parchment.
3. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl to combine and aerate; set aside. Whisk together the egg whites and milk in a small bowl; set aside.
4. In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar gradually and beat until very light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl once or twice. Beat in vanilla.
5. Add the flour mixture in four additions, alternating with the egg white/milk mixture. Begin and end with the flour mixture and beat briefly until smooth. Divide batter evenly in pans and smooth tops with offset spatula.
6. Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick shows a few moist crumbs. The cake will be tinged with light golden brown around the edges and the top and will have begun to come away from the sides of the pan.
7. Cool pans on racks for about 10 minutes. Unmold, peel off parchment, and place directly on racks to cool completely. Layers are ready to fill and frost. Alternatively, place on layers on cardboards and double wrap in plastic wrap; store at room temperature if assembling within 24 hours.
8. For the Assembly: Make sure buttercream is ready to go. It should be very soft – almost like mayonnaise. Place bottom layer on an 8-inch cardboard round (it will make covering it with coconut that much easier later on). Fill the cake with the pineapple filling (you might not need all of it, extra is great over ice cream). Frost the cake’s top and sides with the buttercream. Don’t worry if your application job isn’t perfect – you will be covering the whole cake with coconut! See how imperfect it looks when you are still in the midst of it all?
9. Make sure you have a nice thick layer of buttercream all over (you might still have some leftover, which can be frozen).
10. Place coconut in a large bowl. Pick up cake (this is where that cardboard round comes in) and hold over bowl. Scoop up coconut with other hand and press generously all over top and sides of cake. Cake is ready to serve. May be refrigerated up to 2 days covered with a cake dome. Make sure to serve at room temperature.

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