Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Hawaiian Luau Cake from @DarylWoodGerber



From Daryl aka Avery:

Just took a vacation to Hawaii. It was so wonderful. I have been writing nonstop for about a year and then dealing with some personal family issues, so I was really ready for "nothing."  I mean nothing. I wanted to lie in a chaise lounge and read a book and not think about anything. Very little Internet. Very little social media. I did some; I cannot lie. But no writing. No characters swimming in my head. No PR to sell my latest book. It was wonderful!!

Anyway, while I was there, I thought of a fan, Robin Coxon, who responded to a question I asked a few months ago: what recipe would you like to see on this site? And she wanted a Hawaiian Luau cake that her mother made, but never wrote a recipe for.

I felt challenged when I came back. I could do this. I looked online and found a number of Hawaiian-type cakes, but nothing seemed quite like Robin described it, with the fruit and coconut and, well, everything.

So, with a little imagination, I mixed up a couple of recipes and came up with this. It's pretty much a dump cake until the sauce portion. Everything goes into the bowl and stir. it's really moist. It's really sweet. It's perfect for a book club meeting.

Robin, I hope you'll test the recipe and tell me if I came even "close"!!!  :)




Hawaiian Luau Cake

Cake:
2 cups flour
1 cup white sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
1 16-ounce can of fruit salad, with liquid

Topping:
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup flaked coconut

Sauce:
         1 more cup white sugar
         1 cup milk
         1 stick butter (8 tablespoons)
          1 cup flaked coconut


Directions:
Sift together flour, 1 cup of sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.

Beat 2 eggs and pour over dry mixture. Add fruit salad, WITH liquid. *Note: most cans of fruit salad are 14.5 ounces. I added about 2 tablespoons of chopped pineapple to enhance.




Stir together until well incorporated.

Grease and flour 9 x 13 dish. Pour in mixture.  Smooth out.



Mix brown sugar and coconut and sprinkle over the top.





Bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes, until brown and toothpick comes out clean.  It will be a “low” cake.


Over medium heat, cook together sugar, milk, butter and coconut. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and boil for 5 minutes, until thickened. Pour over cake while still hot.

Serve warm.



GLUTEN-FREE VERSION

*If making this gluten-free, substitute 2 cups gluten-free flour (white in color) for the regular flour and add 1 teaspoon xanthan gum. Make sure you sift as directed with the sugar, baking soda and baking powder.



Savor the mystery!

Daryl Wood Gerber aka Avery Aames
Tasty ~ Zesty ~ Dangerous!


Friend Daryl on Facebook
Friend Avery on Facebook
Follow Daryl on Twitter
Follow Avery on Twitter
Follow both of us on Pinterest
Check out our website.


FUDGING THE BOOKS, the 4th Cookbook Nook Mystery, is HERE!  Click to order.




New in February
FOR CHEDDAR OR WORSE
Click to order.



If you haven't done so, sign up for the mailing list 
so you can learn about upcoming events, releases, and contests! 

6 comments:

  1. Yum! This cakes sounds similar to one my grandmother used to make but I never found her recipe. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are welcome. I hope Robin Coxon checks the blog today. I'll definitely "tweet" her. ;)

      Daryl

      Delete
  2. Another great recipe, Daryl! I have a similar recipe, too, but it uses canned pineapple instead of fruit salad - I'll definitely try this. I do like the fact that there's no butter/oil. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I think I had a cake like this a few times growing up. It was very good!

    ReplyDelete
  4. This cake sounds like something Marc's family used to love, and they made it with the kind of fruit salad that only had one cherry. He and his brother competed for who would find the red orb first. Marc never knew how his Mom made this. Now, with your recipe in hand we'll have one, pronto. (I'm a sucker for coconut, so I'm all in, too) Thanks, Daryl.

    ~ Cleo

    ReplyDelete
  5. Well done.
    One question--what size is the can of fruit?

    ReplyDelete