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You Asked For It

Bake a pina colada, and other tricks

By ELLEN FOLKMAN
Published June 22, 2005

Get out your baking pans - this week's recipes are all about baked goods.

Deborah Lemmon gave away her copy of The Cake Mix Doctor by Anne Byrn before she copied one of her favorite recipes: pina colada cake. Judging from the number of responses to Deborah's request, this cookbook is a favorite of many readers.

Pam Peterson was also looking for a lost recipe, blueberry lemon bread from Southern Living magazine.

Betty Arrington, Gayle Hackbarth and Bertha Hartlage, among many others, found the recipe in the 1985 Southern Living Annual Recipes.

Shirley Voth also shares a recipe for blueberry lemon muffins from the 1979 Southern Living collection.

For: Deborah Lemmon of Dunedin

From: Marilyn Gilbert of New Port Richey, Doris Neff of Tampa, Darlene Klinger of Ocala, Dee Marczewski of Hudson, L.G. DuPont of Ocala and many others

Recipe: Pina Colada Cake from The Cake Mix Doctor

Cake and syrup:

Vegetable spray for misting pan

Flour for dusting pan

1 15-ounce can cream of coconut

1 package plain yellow cake mix

1 package 3.4-ounce vanilla instant pudding mix

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons light rum

1/3 cup vegetable oil

4 large eggs

1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple in juice, drained

1 cup frozen unsweetened grated coconut, thawed

Coconut whipped cream:

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 8.5-ounce can cream of coconut

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly mist a 12-cup Bundt pan with vegetable oil spray, then dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour. Set the pan aside.

Stir the cream of coconut, then pour 1/2 cup into a liquid measuring cup and reserving the remaining 1 cup for the syrup.

Place the cake mix, pudding mix, 1/2 cup cream of coconut, 1/2 cup rum, oil and eggs in large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed. The batter should look thick and smooth. Fold in the crushed pineapple until it is well distributed throughout the batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it out with the rubber spatula. Place the pan in the oven.

Bake the cake until it springs back with lightly pressed with your finger and just starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, 50 to 55 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes. Place the coconut in an aluminum pie pan and toast in the oven until lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes.

Remove the pan and set aside. Run a long sharp knife around the edge of the can and invert it onto a serving platter.

Prepare the rum syrup. Place the reserved 1 cup cream of coconut and the remaining 2 tablespoons rum in a small mixing bowl. Stir until well combined.

While the cake is still warm, poke holes in the top with a long wooden skewer or toothpick. Spoon the rum syrup over the top, allowing it to seep into the holes and drizzle down the sides and into the center of the cake.

Let the cake cool completely, 30 minutes.

For the coconut whipped cream, place the heavy cream and cream of coconut in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes.

Slice and serve the cake topped with coconut whipped cream and garnished with toasted coconut.

Store cake under glass cake dome at room temperature for up to 4 days or in the refrigerator up to 1 week. Or freeze it, wrapped in aluminum foil, for up to 2 months. Thaw in refrigerator overnight.

Prepare the coconut whipped cream and toasted coconut just before serving.

Serves: 16.

For: Pam Peterson of Tampa

From: Betty Arrington of Bayonet Point, Gayle Hackbarth of Summerfield, Anne Whitlock of Spring Hill, Wilma George of St. Petersburg, Bertha Hartlage of Spring Hill and many others

Recipe: Blueberry Lemon Bread from 1985 Southern Living Annual Recipes

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup milk

2 teaspoons grated lemon rind

1 cup fresh blueberries

2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

3 tablespoons lemon juice

Cream butter; gradually add 1 cup sugar, beating at medium speed of an electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Combine 11/2 cups flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in grated lemon rind. Dredge blueberries in 2 teaspoons flour; fold into batter.

Pour batter into greased 8- by 4-inch loaf pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Combine 1/3 cup sugar and lemon juice in small saucepan; heat until sugar dissolves. Puncture top of bread in several places with a wooden toothpick; pour lemon juice mixture over warm bread, allowing mixture to soak into bread.

Cool bread in the pan 30 minutes, then remove carefully.

Makes 1 loaf.

For: Pam Peterson of Tampa

From: Shirley Voth of Ocala

Recipe: Blueberry Lemon Muffins from 1979 Southern Living Annual Recipes

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 egg, beaten

1 cup blueberries

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

Melted butter, optional

Sugar, optional

Combine flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder and salt in large mixing bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Combine milk, oil and egg; add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.

Toss blueberries with 2 tablespoons sugar and lemon rind; gently fold into batter. Spoon into greased muffin tins, filling 2/3 full. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until muffins are golden brown.

While muffins are still warm, dip tops in melted butter and then in sugar, if desired.

Makes 1 dozen.

Doris Neff is looking for a yeast roll recipe that produces the wonderful bread rolls like those served at the Golden Corral restaurants.

Jim Widell is looking for a recipe printed a few years ago in the St. Petersburg Times for baklava that incorporated zwieback cookies. He says it's the best baklava he has ever had.

If you have this recipe, please share it.

You Asked for It is a reader mail column. Send recipe requests to You Asked for It, the Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731 or e-mail them to youaskedforit@knology.net Please put "Recipe request" in the subject line. Recipes will be received by mail only. Be sure to include your full name, city and phone number. Letters without this information will be discarded. Requests cannot be answered by phone or mail.

[Last modified June 21, 2005, 09:25:58]