Whales

One thing this cake reminds me of when I look at it is the story of Moby Dick. I love books and one book that I haven't even thought about reading is Moby Dick. Not sure why I've never read it because I love reading classic books. I guess it's something that I'll just have to put onto my to-do list.

This cake was a challenge for me. I originally wanted to do something a little more creative with the flavors, but it didn't pan out. I already had the cake made but nothing to really pull it together until I finally realized I had frozen blueberries. Why not make it coconut and blueberry? Makes sense with the whale and sailboat right?

For me, this cake isn't all my best work. It was just something that was spur of the moment and didn't really have much to go for with it. The blueberry frosting just reminded me of the ocean or water, so why not just throw a boat and a whale on it and call it a day. And that's what I did.

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Coconut Cake (via Ina Garten & Food Network)
3 sticks unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
5 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup milk
4 ounces sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 4 6-inch round cake pans, then line them parchment  
paper. Grease them again and dust lightly with flour.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light yellow and fluffy. Crack the eggs into a small bowl. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl once during mixing. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well. The mixture might look curdled; don't be concerned.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk to the batter in 3 parts, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Fold in the 4 ounces of coconut with a rubber spatula.

Pour the batter evenly into the 2 pans and smooth the top with a knife. Bake in the center of the oven for 45 to 55 minutes, until the tops are browned and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool on a baking rack for 30 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto a baking rack to finish cooling.

Blueberry Frosting
1/2-1 cup blueberries
4 cups powdered sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter
pinch of salt

Give the blueberries a rough chop in a food processor. In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the butter and powdered sugar and salt and mix on low speed to prevent a powdered sugar mess. Once fully combined gradually add in the blueberry mixture until you are satisfied with flavor, color, and the overall look.

NOTE: I used frozen blueberries and I gave them a quick zap in the microwave to thaw them out. After that I put them in the food processor and gave them a quick chop. The blueberries were steaming a bit so I put them into the fridge to cool them down otherwise adding hot blueberries to the butter/sugar mixture wouldn't be good.