Waaahhhh. Easter was last week? Oh yeah, that’s right. My bad y’all. Things are crazy around here. But better late than never.
We had Easter lunch at my mother-in-laws house this year. Ya know, sometimes it is nice being entertained and not the entertainer. So my contribution for the feast was simple. I brought homemade Parker House Rolls and a Coconut Cake with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting.
I have never made fresh rolls before. But with my trusty Bible in hand (a.k.a Joy of Cooking) I was able to whip them up in a snap. Ok, its not really a snap, but they were well worth it. The actual process is super easy(as long as you use your stand mixer), but the waiting time is the killer. From start to out of the oven it was exactly 2 hours. And I am gonna fess up on a secret, I did purchase some frozen bread dough just in case they failed. But they were a winner. So the frozen bread dough remains in the freezer, awaiting its fate.
On to the cake. I made the same coconut cake listed here. It’s Paula Deen’s Coconut Cake and it is a no fail recipe. However this time I didn’t do the 7 minute frosting. I am not a fan of it at all, I made a coconut cream cheese frosting that was yummo. And unlike my normal perfectionist self, I threw my towel in and made the cake cutsie for the kids, and didnt worry about all of the messiness that was going on with this cake.
My vision for the cake was …the green coconut as the grass, the peeps frolicking in the grass, blue frosting as the sky and the coconut on top as the clouds Get it? No? O.K maybe it was just my vision in my own little whacked out head. But the kids got a kick out of it.
The recipes for both are below the photos
PARKER HOUSE ROLLS
Joy of Cooking
1 cup whole or low-fat milk, warmed to 105-115 degrees
Gradually stir in:
2 cups bread flour
Then add:
1 1/2 cups more bread flour
Knead about 10 minutes by hand or with dough hook. Transfer to oiled bowl. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in volume, 1-1 1/2 hours. Punch the dough down, knead briefly, then refrigerate, covered, for 30 minutes.
Divide dough into 18 pieces about 1 ounce each. Roll dough pieces into balls, loosely cover with oiled plastic wrap, and let rest 10 minutes. Grease a baking sheet. With a rolling pin or a dowel, roll just the center of each round to create an oval. Edges should be slightly thicker than the center. Brush tops lightly with melted butter and fold the ovals in half so the two ends meet. Let rise until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brush tops with melted butter or milk. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Makes 18 rolls.
Jamie’s Coconut Cake
Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
3/4cup canned sweetened cream of coconut (such as Coco López)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon (scant) coconut extract
i adore coconut cake! paula’s recipe is really good
It’s never too late for yummy recipes :D. What a cute cake! And it doesn’t sound like a simple contribution–2 hour rolls! Sheesh! They look awesome, golden and beautiful!
those rolls look divine! I must try them soon!!!
Your rolls look Great. I wish I loved coconut. I think (I know) it’s the texture! I’m a major texture person!
I like the taste though. Your cake is adorable though.. those nasty little peeps are a texture problem for me too though, as cute as they are…. can we go back to chocoate? ahahahha
Oh and you will be soooo proud of me! those Go-Diva Truffles are Waiting in the Pantry for when you decide to make a journey to GA! hahahah I have NOT opened them! How is that for will power?
I’m not sure how long I can last though.. I’ll be honest!
Leslie
LeslieVeg@msn.com
http://leslielovesveggies.blogspot.com/
The rolls look so fluffy and cute cake. I bet the kids loved it.
It all sounds so yummy! What a cute cake with the little Peeps all around. I’m sure it was a hit! I absolutely love coconut cake.
Oh wow, I haven’t had parker house rolls in years! My mom used to make those all the time. Great post! 🙂
Okay, I gotta say it…
Nice buns.
Ha ha ha.
The cake is really cute too.
Glad you had a good Easter.
Read how I spent mine. It was with thousands of people.
You just made my mind up for me. The next book I buy will be the Joy of Cooking 🙂
I think your vision is awesome. The cake looks great, and I’m sure it tastes even better. I’ve never tried to make Parker House rolls, but now, I’m totally going to try!
It turned out adorable! Love the peeps.
What a cute cake!!!
Your bread rolls turned out beautifully.
The rolls look awesome and perfect and the cake looks GREAT! Glad it was all a success.
I LOVE that coconut cake with the Peeps!!! too cute!
I love both of these recipes. Parker HOuse rolls are one of my favorites.. and that cake, oh that cake, the cake the cake the cake.. yesyesyesyes:)
Hang in there with the craziness!!
Loooove the rolls and Peep cake!!
Those rolls looks fantastic! The color is great – nice and golden. Your coconut cake is sooo adorable!!! I love the peeps frolicking in the grass with the sky/cloud backdrop 🙂 🙂 🙂
Sounds like you had an awesome Easter. Those rolls look so warm and delicious, and that cake turned out beautifully. A perfect Spring dessert.
Cute cake!
Kill me now. I could literally survive on those rolls and that coconut cake. They both look fantastic!
Coconut cake is always heavenly and definitely one of my favorites. I love the smell of fresh rolls baking and yours look like they turned out perfectly. Hope you had a great Easter.
Both the rolls and the cake sound fabulous!
Cake is mighty cute! And don’t feel bad for being late. You did a pretty delicious job on your impromptu Easter feast.
I was out of town for Easter, so I didn’t get much of a chance to bake like I normally do.
I love the cake, that looks so cute!
I’ve made rolls before too, crossing my fingers they would turn out! Great job!
You’ve gotta love the Joy of Cooking!
I love coconut cake and I have never tried hers. I will have to give it a shot and I love the peeps for decoration.
Coconut cake sounds good and looks so pretty and spring-like! I love the Joy of Cooking also, it’s basically everything you need to know about cooking!
Love the rolls! Nice and golden! The cake looks pretty tasty too:)
coconut is rockin’ this year!
the peeps are so adorable!
I’ve never made Parker House Rolls, but my grandmother used to always make her famous cinnamon rolls out of the dough.
Beautiful days and full of love you want. I expect the geaninacodita.blogspot.com
See ya!
i’m perfectly content reliving easter. i love the rolls–they’re perfection itself–but the cake. the cake, leslie. gorgeous.
OH MY GOD, these rolls look AMAZING! Me want some with some butter, right now!
Where do you want me to send my address so you can mail me some buns?
You da best! Whahooo!
Jenifer
J&J DISH
I do love a coconut cake! And the colours on yours are so pretty. I bet everyone loved it!
ummm hello! why didn’t this feed go thru the rss thingee? I missed out on your post. I’m sorry momma, next time slap me.
I’m so glad that a skinny girl like you pigged out on easter. LOL See this way I don’t feel as bad because you’re already thin. 😛
There’s nothing like homemade bread! Love the sound of the cake too, and especially those peeps – I have a weakness for anything that involves marshmallow. 🙂
These look amazing. But I have one question about the rolls. When you fold the ovals do you then reshape the rolls round. Since yours look round
Had a question: Do you have any rolls that would be good for mini-cheeseburgers?
I love those rolls!!!
Both the rolls and cake look good. I totally get your grass, sky,and cloud look.
Glad to hear that you had a relaxing Easter!
~ingrid
I’ll have to say nice rolls Leslie! And the cake is a cutie!
It’s ok, I’m late arriving too. Any possibility of still getting a slab of cake?