Recipe(tried): Sunday Pot Roast Dinner, Coconut Layer Cake with Homemade Vanilla Pudding

Good Morning!

My Mama loved Sunday as the best day in the week simply because it meant getting the family together around the table. This pot roast is delicious and tender and yields a fair amount of gravy to serve alongside noodles or rice. She liked to also add a bowl of applesauce on the table along with fresh hot rolls. What a meal!!!!

The delicious coconut cake is incredibly moist and dense. The frosting is the best part! This cake is sooo delicious!

Happy Sunday! Gina

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MAMA'S SUNDAY POT ROAST DINNER
Makes 6-8 servings

1/4 cup olive oil
2 1-pound beef roasts (or one 2-pound roast cut in half)
3 carrots, peeled and cut into large pieces
3 celery ribs, cut into large pieces
1 large yellow onion, cut into large pieces
2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into large pieces
1/4 cup chopped garlic
2 large tomatoes, chopped
2-3 cups low-sodium beef broth
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, de-stemmed and chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large braising pan on medium-high heat, add oil. Add the beef roasts and brown on all sides. Remove the roasts from the pan and set aside.

Add carrots, celery, onion, potatoes and garlic to the pan and saute until lightly brown, then remove the vegetables from the pan and set aside.

Return the beef roasts to the pan, add tomatoes, beef stock and thyme, cover and cook on low heat for one hour.

Add reserved vegetables and cook an additional 30 minutes (add a little more broth if needed). Remove from heat and let rest, covered, for 20 minutes. Season to taste and serve.

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COCONUT LAYER CAKE
Source: OK Cafe, Atlanta, Georgia
Makes 10-12 servings

1/2 cup plus 6 tablespoons (1 3/4sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 3/4 cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 egg yolks
2 whole eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup homemade vanilla pudding (recipe follows)
1/2 cup heavy (whipping) cream, whipped into soft peaks
Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)
1 (6-ounce) package fresh frozen coconut, thawed

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter two (9-inch) cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper and butter again. Set aside.

With an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until pale yellow. Slowly add the vegetable oil and beat until well-combined. Beat in the yolks and the whole eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in the buttermilk and vanilla.

In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Beat into the butter mixture in thirds, scraping down sides of bowl after each addition. Fold in the pudding and whipping cream. Divide the batter between the cake pans.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cake begins to pull from sides and springs back when lightly touched in the center. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto wire racks and cool completely.

To assemble the cake:
Place 1 layer upright on a serving platter. Spread about 1 cup frosting evenly over the top. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup coconut. Top with second layer; cover top and sides with remaining frosting. Press remaining coconut onto the top and sides, covering completely.

HOMEMADE VANILLA PUDDING

1 cup minus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 egg yolks
1 1/4 cups milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a saucepan, stir together the sugar, flour and salt until well-combined. In a bowl, whisk the yolks until smooth, then slowly whisk in the milk. Slowly whisk the milk mixture into the dry ingredients until no lumps remain. Add the cold butter and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly to prevent scorching, until the pudding thickens and begins to boil. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Cool to room temperature.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
12 ounces (one and a half 8-ounce packages) cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 pound (about 2 cups) confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

With an electric mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese until well-combined. Add the confectioners' sugar and beat until creamy. Beat in the vanilla and lemon juice.

Notes:
For the coconut cake connoisseur, this recipe will become a favorite labor of love. You can make the pudding a day ahead of the cake; just bring it to room temperature before adding it to the batter. The pudding recipe makes 2 cups, twice as much as you'll need for the cake. It'll make about 4 servings as its own dessert.