Coconut Poundcake

Be warned, this is a strange recipe. We were happy with the results, and it is somewhat lighter tasting (certainly not in calories) than my usual poundcake, but it does require a bit of work. I bake with what I have, as I live too far from town for a "quick run to the store." This has led to some creativity over the years, with varying degrees of success.I'm offering this recipe as more of a way to, "use up what you have" than something I would deliberately set out to make. I served it with a blueberry sauce made of frozen berries, lemon juice, and sugar. I didn't measure. If you stick to equal parts berries and sugar with a splash of lemon juice, you'll probably be fine-just don't overcook it or you will have jam.

Unlike most pound cakes, you'll need to preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.


For The Cake:

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup margarine
8 ounces cream cheese
2 cups sugar
6 large eggs at room temperature
3 cups plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups shredded, sweetened coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Grease and flour a tube pan.

Cream the butter, margarine, and cream cheese together thoroughly. This is important, as you don't want hunks of cream cheese unblended in the batter. Take your time, and make sure they are well mixed. The same holds as you add the sugar-slowly, no more than 1/4 cup at a time. You want a fluffy mixture. Beat slowly so you don't overwork it, but make sure the sugar gets absorbed. Now, beat in your eggs, one at a time incorporating them completely before adding the next. Stir in the extract.

Combine flour and baking powder, and add to creamed mixture. Stir in the coconut. pour into prepared tube pan and bake about 1 1/2 hours, but start checking at an hour twenty. You don't want to overbake it, but it should start pulling away from the sides of the pan. The toothpick test is reliable here, but you'll need a skewer given the height of the cake.

Let cake cool about 15 minutes in pan before removing to cool on a rack.

Serve with fruit, custard sauce, or a light sprinkling of icing sugar. Store well-wrapped in wax paper and cling film in the fridge. Cut slices and bring to room temperature before serving.