Lazy Daisy Cake

Last night I continued our tradition of trying out new recipes on guests--always a risky proposition. But this time it worked out well!

A couple of weeks back, my parents returned from a weekend at my aunt's house. My mom was raving about a cake that my aunt had baked. Apparently, she picked up a cookbook from an estate sale dating back to the early 20th century.

"Lazy Daisy Cake" got it's title from the fact that you pour hot milk over your batter just before baking--and you're so lazy that you don't even stir it into the batter. But, that's really the only thing "lazy" about the cake. It involves a simple batter, the hot milk, and then a caramel coconut topping reminiscent of the german chocolate cake topping sans frosting.

The recipe called for "a cake pan" so I had to assume that meant something like my 9 inch round caked pan. Everything seemed to fit fine. However, I didn't take into account the leavening power of the four eggs or 2 tsp of baking powder!

Just like the Frankenbread of last week, the batter kept rising and rising. I'm thinking, "Uh-oh, a souffle in a cake pan...". It's puffy edges morphed up and over the edge of my pan, which thankfully has a wide-ish rim all the way around it. All the hot milk bubbled dangerously close to the top.

I prepared myself for another disappointment. It certainly wasn't pretty. After 40 minutes, I removed it from the oven and decided that before I put on the topping, I would invert the cake onto a parchment lined baking sheet so that the ugly side wouldn't show.

Ha ha ha, the joke was on me...it was ugly underneath too! Now flipped, the center was totally concave. Nuts! I spread on the ooey-gooey coconut caramel and stuck it under the broiler for a few minutes until it was browned and bubbly like a brulee.

The result was not too pretty, so I garnished it with some really thin apple slices.

But what should I call this cake?

A flan, a brulee, a cake? Well, one thing was for sure...we can definitely call it "Delicious"!

It has a moist chewy quality from the milk and caramel. I think I remarked that it was like eating a large piece of german chocolate cake topping. Mmm, good.

"Lazy Daisy Cake"

Ingredients:

4 eggs
2 c sugar
2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 c milk
2 TB butter
1 tsp vanilla
(I think it also needs a pinch of salt, but the recipe did not call for it)

Heat milk and butter together over low heat until hot, but not boiling.

Beat eggs until light. Add in the sugar and beat again. Add in the flour and baking powder. Beat until fully incorporated and then add the vanilla.

Line a 9 inch cake pan with parchment paper and butter the sides well. Pour in the batter (it is very thick and a little grainy from the sugar). Then carefully pour the milk/butter over the cake.

Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and turn on the broiler. I inverted my cake onto a baking sheet lined with parchment because it was ugly and because I was afraid the topping would spill out of the pan.

Topping ingredients:

1/4 c heavy cream
1/2 c plus 2 TB brown sugar
4 TB butter
1 c coconut flakes

Combine the cream, sugar, and butter in a saucepan until it starts to bubble. Remove from heat and stir in the coconut. Spread the topping over the hot cake and put the cake under the broiler for a few minutes.

Watch it carefully! The sugar will bubble and turn a nice caramel brown. Remove the cake and let it cool. Garnish with something pretty and serve it with some good coffee!