Tuesday, December 14, 2010

TWD: Apple(Pineapple)-Coconut Family Cake


I think I’ve managed to refrain from complaining about this on the blog, but a couple months ago, I developed a condition called Plantar Fasciitis in my left heel and have not been able to run very much recently. Since I like to stay active (and go a little crazy without running), I have been trying a lot of other forms of exercise, one of which is power yoga. During the beginning of class on Sunday morning, the instructor asked us to focus on humility and challenged us to think of anything in our lives we could be less prideful and more humble about – little things to let go of. Naturally, I couldn’t think of anything at the time. Several hours later, when I took this week’s Tuesdays With Dorie selection, Apple (or in my case pineapple) Coconut Family Cake, out of the oven, my first thought was that it looked absolutely terrible – can you say overflow? – and that I needed to remake it, since it wasn’t “perfect” and I needed to photograph it for my blog.



But then I thought about what was said in class that morning and realized I didn’t want to spend precious end-of-the-weekend minutes remaking a quarter of a cake that I wasn’t that excited about to begin with. I mean, the baking group is about having fun and sharing our experiences – not having amazingly photogenic baked goods (though that is always a plus). So, I did not remake the cake and I’m glad I did not, because I actually did not like it very much. I kind of suspect I did something wrong. I made the double-nut version and used unsweetened coconut. I did enjoy the crunchy edges, but something about the flavor and the texture of the inside was a bit off for me. Josh doesn’t like coconut and didn’t think the cake looked very appealing (I am sparing y’all photos of the inside) and didn’t even bother trying it.

This recipe rated a 3 for Deliciousness and a 2.5 for Effort, for an EDR of 1.2. Thank you to Amber of Cobbler du Monde for hosting this week. You can find the recipe here on Amber’s site and visit the TWD site to see how this turned out for the rest of the group.

6 comments:

Kayte said...

You are right, it's about the learning and the sharing, and sometimes things needed to be shared for what we learn! I didn't make it this week...we are just going through a dessert-ed out period around here, so I will make it sometime, just not now. Your foot problem sounds horrible, a friend of mine has it and it is no fun at all for her! Hope it resolves itself for you.

Hanaâ said...

Sorry to hear about your heel. I hope it's something that can be resolved. Too bad the cake didn't turn out for you, but at least you gave it a try.

One quick Q: did you have a chance to make the Rugelach for ABC? If you're on the fence on it, let me tell you that it was really good! :o)

Unknown said...

i have plantar fasciitis in both my feet--it is horrible!! I occasionally get cortisone injections in my heels--it hurts so bad that you can't walk for a few days, but then are almost pain-free for a few months (at least that's my experience). Hoping your feet feel better soon! (also stretching your feet before & after going to bed and ALWAYS wearing supportive shoes helps some!)

and good for you for showing a "fail"! I haven't had time to bake along recently but hope to catch up soon!

Anonymous said...

I like seeing the not-so-perfect results, since we all have them.

I hope you find some relief for your foot soon!

margot said...

@Hanaa: Yes, I did make the rugelach, but didn't get around to posting it. It was amazingly good.

@Sarah: I'm sorry to hear you also suffer from plantar fasciitis - it's no fun. I can't imagine how painful it is to have it in both your feet. I can always at least hobble.

spike. said...

thanks for posting this. I'm often disappointed that I don't spend more time photographing and working on making things look good (would help is I ever photographed in daylight)- but it really is okay to let those things go. Hope you are back to running soon. I took a month off after my last race and my mind and waistline need me back at it!