Sweet Potato Cake with Coconut Frosting

An excellent substitute  or addition to your Holiday Table

Sweet Potato Cake with Coconut Frosting

Recipe courtesy Sandra Lee

Prep Time:

40 min

Inactive Prep Time:

0 min

Cook Time:

55 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

10 servings

Ingredients

• Butter flavored cooking spray (recommended: Mazola Pure)
• 1 (18.25-ounce) box spice cake mix
• 2 cups leftover mashed candied sweet potatoes or yams
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract
• 1 1/4 cups evaporated milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 (12-ounce) cans whipped cream cheese frosting
• 1 1/2 teaspoons rum extract
• 3/4 cup leftover cranberry sauce, drained if necessary
• 2 1/2 cups shredded coconut

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray 2 (8 or 9-inch) round cake pans with butter flavored cooking spray; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, mashed sweet potatoes, eggs, coconut extract, evaporated milk, and oil. Use an electric mixer to beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl and beat for 2 minutes on medium speed.
Divide batter between prepared cake pans. Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in middle of cakes comes out clean. Let cakes cool in pan for 10 minutes. Invert onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine frosting and rum extract; set aside.
Place 1 of the cooled cake layers on serving plate. Cut a triangle from the bottom corner of a small zip-top bag. Spoon 1/4 cup of frosting into bag and secure top with 1 hand. Use other hand to guide bag and squeeze a thick border of frosting around the edge of the cake layer. Spoon cranberry sauce in the center of frosting border.
Carefully place the other cake layer on top. Frost cake with remaining frosting. Sprinkle with coconut and gently pat to adhere to frosting. Slice and serve.

Thai Chicken Rollups

 

If you plan on staying outside for longer than two hours, store a blue chill pack along with these roll-ups to keep the filling at a safe temperature.

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons  lime juice
• 2  tablespoons  light mayonnaise
• 1  tablespoon  reduced-fat peanut butter
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground ginger
• 1/8  teaspoon  ground red pepper
• 1  garlic clove, crushed
• 4  (10-inch) flour tortillas
• 1/2  cup  chopped fresh basil
• 4  large napa (Chinese) cabbage leaves
• 6  ounces  thinly sliced deli-roasted chicken or turkey breast
• 1  cup  red bell pepper strips

Preparation

Combine first 6 ingredients in a bowl; stir well with a whisk.
Spread each tortilla with 1 tablespoon mayonnaise mixture. Top each tortilla with 2 tablespoons basil, 1 cabbage leaf, one-fourth of chicken, and 1/4 cup bell pepper, and roll up. Wrap in plastic wrap; chill.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

319 (29% from fat)

Fat:

10.3g (sat 1.8g,mono 3.9g,poly 4g)

Protein:

15.9g

Carbohydrate:

39.8g

Fiber:

2.4g

Cholesterol:

2mg

Iron:

2.8mg

Sodium:

763mg

Calcium:

98mg

Cooking Light, OCTOBER 1998

Ruby Linzer Bars

Makes: about 36

Prep: 25 min.
Bake: 30 min.
Cool: 5 min.

 

Ingredients

• 1  cup butter-flavor shortening
• 1  cup sugar
• 1  teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4  teaspoon salt
• 1  egg
• 1  teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2  teaspoon almond extract
• 2-1/4  cups all-purpose flour
• 1  cup chopped toasted almonds*
• 1/2  cup strawberry or raspberry preserves or apricot jam
•   Almond Glaze

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300F. Beat shortening in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg, vanilla, and almond extract until combined. Beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour.
2. Divide dough into three equal portions. Roll each portion into a 10-inch log. Roll logs in nuts. Place logs 3 to 4 inches apart on an ungreased large cookie sheet. Flatten each log to 1-inch thick. Make a 1/2-inch-deep, 1-inch-wide indentation down the center of each log, using fingers or the back of a spoon.
3. Bake in preheated oven about 30 minutes or until edges are firm and lightly brown. Cool on cookie sheet on a wire rack for 5 minutes. If necessary, reform indentations by pressing with a spoon. Transfer cookies to wire racks and cool completely.
4. Spoon some of the preserves evenly down center of each log. Drizzle each log with glaze. Let stand until set. Cut each log diagonally into 1-inch-wide slices. Makes about 36 bars.
5. Note: To toast nuts, spread them in a single layer in a shallow baking pan. Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 5 to 10 minutes or until nuts are slightly golden brown, stirring once or twice. Cool completely. Finely chop nuts and set aside.

6. To store: Bake cookie logs as directed; cool completely. Do not fill indentations with jam; do not drizzle with glaze. Place cookie logs in a single layer in an airtight container; cover. Or place logs in resealable freezer bags; seal to close. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw cookie logs about 15 minutes. Fill logs with preserves, drizzle with glaze, and cut into slices as directed.
7. Almond Glaze: Stir together 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon milk, and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract in a small bowl. Stir in enough additional milk, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, to make glaze of drizzling consistency. Makes 1/4 cup.

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