Happy Belated Birthday to Me...

I am officially 22!

And did I celebrate? No, not really.

I have been extremely busy with school and life in general. I feel like so many things are happening all at once.

Exciting thing number one: I participated in a pole dance/pole fitness competition. For the last few months, I have spent all my free time training and preparing for my first pole competition. And the culmination of all this hard work was the day before my birthday.

I am proud to say that I won first place in my level and division. Even now, I get giddy just thinking about it. Really. Bringing home a first place medal was a pretty fabulous birthday gift to myself.

Exciting thing number two: I’m graduating Valedictorian of Cal State Fullerton’s Communications department. On the day after my birthday, I received an email from a professor who is serving as chair of the Commencement Committee. Not only did he inform me of my superior GPA (his words, not mine—but I do agree with them), but he also asked if I would give a speech!

My first thought? You may regret having asked me, but I would LOVE to give a speech! Life goal achieved! And then I was so happy that I began to laugh hysterically.

Exciting thing number three: I started my internship with the OC Register. I met with the writers overseeing my internship on the same day I heard that I’ll be graduating Valedictorian. Over the next few months, I’ll have the opportunity to gain some journalistic experience whilst dabbling in the Entertainment, Features, and Food sections. I have a press pass and everything! I’m sure I’ll have plenty of adventures in the coming months.

With all this excitement, I haven’t really had any time for myself. But this past Saturday was the first free day I’ve had in a while, so I spent it baking and watching the animated BBC adaptation of Beatrix Potter’s children’s stories. The weather was warm and spring-like and glorious, the house smelled of cake, and anthropomorphic animals in bonnets and jackets spoke in English accents on my TV. It was probably the best day ever.

When creating this cake (which I like to think of as my belated birthday cake), I knew I wanted to flambé it. I had a conversation with my mentor, Dr. April Bullock, after the holidays about the entertainment value of purposefully setting dessert on fire. I had baked mini rum cakes for Christmas and she had sent me the New York Times’ Flaming Baba au Rhum recipe, and I began to think…why use candles on a birthday cake when you can douse the whole thing in rum and set it on fire? So after further research, that’s just what I did.

Enjoy! (And please be safe!)

Flaming Coconut-Lime Birthday Cake (Yield: 1-8” cake)

Cake Ingredients:

1-1/2 c. flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. sugar

Grated zest of 1 large lime

1/2 c. butter, at room temperature

2 eggs

1/2 c. plain yogurt

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. almond extract

1 c. sweetened, shredded coconut

1. Preheat the oven to 350º F. Grease and flour an 8” round cake pan.*
2. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Place the sugar in a large bowl, then zest the lime over the sugar. Rub the zest and sugar together with your fingertips until the sugar becomes slightly damp and fragrant.
4. Cream the butter and sugar together with a fork until it becomes light and fluffy. Then add the eggs to the mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Combine the yogurt and extracts in a measuring cup.
6. Switching to a rubber spatula, fold half of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Pour in all of the wet ingredients, and mix it well. Pour in the rest of the dry ingredients, and fold just until the flour mixes into the batter. Mix in the coconut.
7. Pour the batter into the cake pan, and rap it on the counter a couple of times to level the top and release any air bubbles. Bake 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out cleanly. Cool completely.

*Save the butter wrapper from the stick used in this recipe and rub the greasy side into the cake pan. Then proceed to dust it with a spoonful of flour. Waste not, want not! :)

Meringue Ingredients:

2 egg whites

1/8 tsp. cream of tartar

1/4 c. sugar

2 tsp. lime juice

1. Place the egg whites and the cream of tarter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and beat until it becomes foamy.
2. Gradually add the sugar to the egg whites, increasing the speed of the mixer, and whisk until the whites become stiff and glossy.
3. Pour in the lime juice and mix until combined.

Assembly:

1/4 c. rum

1. Take the cake out of its tin and place it on an overturned 9” cake pan. Place the cake and its faux stand onto a large baking sheet. This will serve as a safety zone when you flambé your cake.
2. Pile all of the meringue into the center of the cake with a rubber spatula or large spoon. With an offset spatula, push and smooth the meringue out toward the edges of the cake. You can frost the sides of the cake, but I like to see the contrast between the golden cake and the glossy white meringue. Then take the edge of the offset spatula and press and lift it all over the meringue with swift, gentle movements. This will create little spikes and peaks all over the top of the cake.
3. Place the cake (still on the baking sheet) under the broiler for a few minutes, until the meringue browns. Don’t leave the kitchen! It doesn’t take long for the meringue to become golden and it burns easily, so watch it closely.
4. When you’re ready to serve the cake, place 1/4 c. rum in a glass measuring cup and warm it in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Gently pour the rum over the top of the meringue. Some will drip over the side of the cake—this is what the baking sheet is for.
5. Using a long-handled match, light the rum and enjoy the show! Be sure to let the alcohol burn out on its own—it doesn’t take more than 20-30 seconds. Just don’t blow the flame out!