Chocolate Coconut Cake Martini Recipe- Lulu B. Fabulous Cocktails

I love all kinds of chocolate martinis!  Have you noticed that yet?  I'm not huge on actually eating chocolate, but drinking it is another matter.  This one only has 3, that's right three, ingredients!

Right before Halloween I was scrambling to find a rebate hang tag for UV Vodka.  I swear I checked every single liquor section at every store we went to.  I finally found a single one late in the afternoon on Halloween, the very last day it was valid.  It was a great rebate as it was good for $10 off one bottle of chocolate cake, cake or whipped cream flavored UV Vodka.  I bought the cake flavor as I thought it would pair perfectly with Lulu B.'s Chocolate Martini.  I can gladly tell you that it does!

Chocolate Coconut Cake Martini
1 ounce Lulu B Chocolate Martini
1 ounce UV Cake Vodka
1/2 ounce cream of coconut

Add all three ingredients to a cocktail shaker, plus 5-6 ice cubes.  Put the lid on and shake for approximately 30 seconds.  Strain and pour into martini glass.  Serves 1.

Someone else wanted to name this drink the ghost martini as we made it on Halloween and due to its ghostly appearance.  What do you think?

Susie Savors: This tastes just like a slice of cake.  It's sweet and sultry with that touch of coconut to make it better.  The chocolate melds with the cake and you have a dessert that you can drink!

Wholesome Wednesday: Carrots with a Twist Recipe

Thought y'all might like last week's Carrots with a Twist recipe from my Cool Whip Frosting post.  The recipe actually comes from a Cake Mix doctor newsletter I saw years ago.  It's incredibly easy to throw together and your family will love it.

Carrots with a Twist

1 package (18.25 oz.) plain yellow cake mix
1 package (3.4 oz.) instant vanilla pudding mix
2/3 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups (about 5 medium) grated carrots
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease 2 round cake pans.  I use nine inch pans.

Put cake mix, pudding mix, orange juice, oil, eggs and cinnamon in a mixing bowl.  Beat for 2 minutes on medium speed.  Batter should be thick.  Fold in carrots, raisins and nuts.  Divide batter between pans.

Bake till golden brown and cake springs back when pressed with a finger, about 30-35 minutes.  Cool in pans for 10 minutes.  Remove and allow to cool on wire racks for 30 minutes before frosting.

Didn't I tell you it was easy?  The cake turns out amazingly dense and moist.  It's been our fave carrot cake for years now.

Carrots With a Twist #CoolWhipFrosting

We LOVE Carrot Cake!  #CoolWhipFrosting

Alison:  If you've visited our blog before, you know that we never need a reason to have a special treat.  We pretty much have them all the time.  We're probably having more treats than you think because we don't share all of them here.

Susie: I know not of which you speak.  Shhhhhhh.  They are listening...

Alison:  Oh geez, what is wrong with you?

Susie: There's still cake left...shhh.  They might come find us and our cake.  Have you no love of cake?  Protect the cake!

Alison:  Back to what I was saying, I had to go to Walmart without you to look for #CoolWhipFrosting.  Due to the fact that you were sleeping, again.

Vanilla #CoolWhipFrosting

Susie: Shopping is detestable. Besides you take for-ever when you go to the store.

Alison:  Well someone has to buy things like groceries and clothes.  We're getting off topic again.  Did you even know Cool Whip made frosting?  Apparently its a new product.  I had to call several stores before I found one in the area that carried it.  The Walmart I went to didn't even carry all three flavors.  They had chocolate and vanilla but no cream cheese.  Which kinda sucked cause I was hoping to put cream cheese frosting on my carrot cake.  But we went with vanilla instead.

Susie:  You should have gotten chocolate.  There was no choice.  Only chocolate.  You fail.

Alison:  Chocolate frosting on carrot cake?  I'm not too sure about that.

Susie:   Madness.  Chocolate + Anything = Yummy

Alison: Sounds a little too strange for me.  Besides chocolate with carrots, raisins, walnuts and orange?  That sounds icky.  I'll make something chocolate the next time I make a treat.  Besides everyone loves this carrot cake.

Carrot Cake Ingredients #CoolWhipFrosting

Look at all the yummy things that go in the carrot cake.  I know vanilla isn't your favorite, but you love carrots, walnuts and raisins.  The batter is so thick.

Carrot Cake Batter ready for the oven.  #CoolWhipFrosting

Susie:  Hmmm, you may continue.  But I expect chocolate in my future.

Alison:  Uh-huh, ignoring that; this cake always turns out perfectly.  I never need to flatten out the layers before I frost it.  Talking about frosting, its a good thing I bought two Cool Whip frostings.  Even though the package said it was enough to frost a two layer nine inch cake, one container only frosted the bottom layer and most of the sides.  It took almost another half of a container to completely frost the cake.

Full Frosted Carrot Cake #CoolWhipFrosting

Susie:  It did take a lot of frosting to fully frost the cake.  Those walnuts do make it look more appealing.  So when are you going to cut it?

Alison:  You'll have to have yours later.  You'll be sleeping by the time we cut it.  Mom will probably get to have a piece before you.

Great afternoon for a special treat with #CoolWhipFrosting!

Susie:  Figures.  I even helped frost it.  I put the walnuts on top too.  Seven and I will have a big piece when I get up.  Carrot cake is breakfast food.  Healthy and all.

Alison:  See you'll get to have it for breakfast.  That's even better than right before bed.  A better way to start the day!

Susie:  You're just saying that cause I can't have any right now.

Alison:  That's not true.  You know cake for breakfast is better than anything else you could have.

Susie:  I guess so, but I still feel like you're tricking me.

Alison: *sigh*  I'm not tricking you.  It just isn't ready right now.  You can also find recipe ideas at Kraft Recipes.  There is also going to be a #CoolWhipFrosting twitter party on Wednesday October 24th at 1 pm EST.

Slice of Carrot Cake #CoolWhipFrosting

I quite like this frosting.  The taste is a mix of Cool Whip and butter cream frosting.  It's light and fluffy but has a very rich taste.  A definite change from any frosting out there on the market.

There is a whole photo album of our shopping trip here on Google+.

I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This content has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Kraft Cool Whip.  #CoolWhipFrosting #CBias #SocialFabric All opinions are my own.

Wholesome Wednesday: Coconut Pound Cake Recipe

I've always loved pound cake.  Growing up, we frequently had Sara Lee frozen pound cake.  Actually we always had a lot of Sara Lee things because both my parents grew up in Chicago and were used to having it.  Typically we had it with strawberries and Cool Whip both of which were also frozen.  So it was a dessert that you could always have on hand.

I also love all things coconut.  I actually wish that Baker's Coconut would make bigger bags.  :(  I go through them pretty quickly.  Coconut is good for you too.  Although I'm not sure its as good for you when you have it in oatmeal with caramel and chocolate.  But it tastes soo good and you're eating oatmeal!  LOL

Anyway, why not combine the two in a super yummy pound cake?  That's exactly what this recipe has done.  A cobbled together pound cake recipe with some added coconut.  A major yum!  I also see having grilled slices topped with fruit and whipped cream.  Below, you'll see it paired with diced fresh peaches and peach whipped cream.  YUM!

Coconut Pound Cake

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk
2 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup shredded coconut

Cream butter and sugar, until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time mixing till incorporated.  Add vanilla, mix.  Mix flour and baking powder in separate bowl.  Alternate adding flour and milk, starting and ending with flour.  Mix well.  Add coconut, mix.

Bake in a greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pan at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake 20-25 minutes more.  Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes.  Then remove from pan and cool completely before serving.  (I used a 8 x 4 inch glass baking pan, because none of my other pans are exactly 9 x 5 inches.)

*Edit*  Even seasoned bakers sometimes have flubs.  My pound cake looked gorgeous out of the oven, but after cooling it would not come out of the pan.  :(  So it ended up like this.

It looks awful, but tastes amazing.  :)

Susie Savors: This pound cake is a slight remix on the traditional recipe.  The minor changes meant that it is still rich and thick, yet there is a freshness added with the added coconut.  The new flavor adds a twist that is not too strong of a change an old favorite.  Besides, as I've mentioned before coconut is a great addition to any meal.  The nutritional benefits stand even in a dessert; there's a reason a third of the world relies upon this wonder nut.  It may just make you feel better inside and out!

Marbled Bundt Cake

I absolutely love bundt cake.  Pretty much any flavor with or without frosting.  They're all my favorites.  I'd easily pick them over another dessert.  This is my go to recipe.  It's incredibly simple.  It uses ingredients that are found in most American kitchens and it always turns out fabulous.

You can also serve this to guests and they'll never guess that its just a doctored cake mix.  I know, I know, I'm huge on baking and cooking things from scratch.  But I've been using this recipe for forever.  We're talking at least middle school.  I've seriously been baking and cooking that long.

Marbled Bundt Cake

1 yellow cake mix
1 small box instant vanilla pudding
1 1/4 cups water
1/3 cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease 12 cup bundt pan.  If you use a pan with lots of fluting, make sure to flour also.

Place all ingredients in mixing bowl.  Beat on low for 30 seconds, scraping bowl as needed.  Beat on high for 2 minutes.

Remove 1 1/2 cups batter to a small bowl.  Add to that 3/4 cup powdered sugar and 1/4 cup baking cocoa.  Mix well. 

Pour rest of batter into pan evenly.  Drop chocolate mixture by the spoonful on to batter already in the pan.  Using a knife swirl through chocolate to marble batter. 

Bake 40-46 minutes until a test toothpick comes out clean.  Cool for 15 minutes in the pan before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.

I have to brag about my beautiful rose metal cake dome.  I absolutely love it.  I found it at a garage sale for fifty cents!!  Can you believe it?  Its incredibly nifty.  It has locking tabs on the bottom of the platter which keeps the cover on whilst traveling or just sitting on the counter.  I can't imagine using anything else to serve a cake with.  I used to have a Mikasa Crystal cake stand which was pretty, but the base cracked off when it was being washed.  And that was the end of that.  I'm sure you'll be seeing more of it in recipes to come.

Just a quick note

I had hoped to get more done today, but last night I made the Chicken & Gnocchi soup with the Meijer's Organic chicken broth.  I'd never used it before, but it made everyone in my family sick.  :( 

I'm going to be posting a simple recipe for a marbled bundt cake with a cake mix.  It's a wonderful recipe and you'd never guess that it came from a cake mix.  :)