Cake Ladies by Jodi Rhoden & Coconut Lime Cake with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

After reading the book Cake Ladies I know I am one of them. I'm a Cake Lady. I'm the maker of cakes for my husband's work. I'm the one who sends in special treats with him for no reason other than to sweeten up their days. I know I'm a good cook. But my passion is baking. 

My mind is always filled with ideas and concoctions that will no only please the eye but the pallet as well.  I love what I do. I talk about food. I write about food. I dream about food. I'm obsessed with it from how its produced or grown to the plate and into the belly. Nothing makes me happier to see someones eyes close with bliss. Nothing brings more satisfaction then a homemade cake made for no reason at all. Just because. I never really knew where I fit in life. My love for food was often criticized growing up and even into adulthood. But it never stopped me.

The food memory that haunts me to this day was the cake I had at my 6th grade graduation in Florida. It was a red velvet sheet cake made by one of the lunch ladies. Never had I tasted such a cake and never again would I taste it until I made it myself. I never knew her name but she was an old southern lady who would make the cakes for such events. It wasn't industrial. It was homemade. Ever since that little square of cake I have been obsessed. I rate all cakes by that one. Does it make me feel like that cake did? It doesn't even have to be the same flavor. I'm looking for a feeling...to grasp a memory from my childhood and capture it in cake. I want that feeling of specialness in every bite.

I received this book without even knowing it was coming. I love unexpected treats like that. I not only liked the book I LOVED it. It's not just a cookbook is a telling of stories about these amazing Cake Ladies from the south. It reads like a blog. Maybe that's because the author, Jodi Rhoden,  is a blogger. Most times when food bloggers blog about food we aren't just slapping recipes on a screen. No we create them. We have lives that influence our cooking. That's what makes food blogging great. At least in my opinion it is. I totally recommend this book if you love cake and good stories and ridiculously good recipes. 

Now for one of my own recipes. This is a little thing I came up with on the fly just to use up some limes before they went bad. My husband had three pieces. It was that good. 

Coconut Lime Cake with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting 

by Momma Cupcake

For Cake:

• 1 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1/2 cup angel flake coconut
• 1 cup vanilla sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 can of coconut milk
• 2 limes juiced and zest removed
• 2 eggs, room temp
• 1/2 cup oil

For Frosting

• 12 oz of White Chocolate (plus 6 oz for decorating)
• 24 oz of Cream Cheese
• 1 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease then dust your pans with flour and set aside.
   
2. In your stand mixer add all wet ingredients including zest and beat it on medium speed with your paddle
3. blade until its a nice even mixture. 
4. Sift dry ingredients together in a small bowl except the coconut. 
5. Add dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients a little at a time with your stand mixer speed on low. 
6. Stir until just incorporated. 
7. Add coconut and give it a quick spin until incorporated into the mixture. 
8. Pour cake batter into pan in even amounts. 
9. Bake for 30 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. 
10. For frosting melt white chocolate in double boiler. 
11. Place cream cheese in your stand mixer. There isn't any need to bring it to room temp because the warm white chocolate will do that. Add melted white chocolate to cream cheese and beat until nice and fluffy.  Place in fridge for half hour. 
12. You can frost the cake with the frosting just as it is but if you want an even smoother frosting then use the heavy whipping cream in it once the frosting is cold. 
13. Whip it until really fluffy. 
14. Ice your cake with the frosting then chop up about 6 oz of white chocolate to help decorate the cake.