Coconut Key Lime Pound Cake

and some of my very favorite cookbooks

It’s rare these days that I find time to crack open a cookbook and make a recipe exactly as it's written. Part of this is because I can’t seem to help myself when it comes to tinkering and adapting in the kitchen, but last week, when I wrapped up my client work for the week, I found myself sitting with my favorite cookbooks sprawled around me, looking for something new to try. Spoiler alert: I did not manage to make the recipe exactly as it was written, but my changes were very minute and I stuck to the spirit of the recipe.

I also learned something new, which is something I love about cooking from books. The recipe I landed on from the book Fruit Cake by Jason Schreiber was for a coconut pound cake made entirely in the food processor. I have never used the food processor to make a cake before, but was intrigued. It was perfect. The batter was well-mixed and smooth going into the oven and the resulting crumb was thick and tender just like a pound cake should be. Would I have ever thought to make a pound cake in a food processor without stumbling on the technique in a book that I trust? Probably not. But will I use this technique in my kitchen again? You bet.

my go-to baking books

These are my very favorite cookbooks—the ones with stained pages and crinkled edges. The books I go to time and time again, whether I’m planning a dessert for a party or consulting other similar recipes when planning my own.

1. Sweet by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh

   This is easily my most-baked from book. It was one of the first baking books I discovered that pushed the boundaries when it came to traditional dessert flavors and ingredients and one of the first books that challenged me to think outside of the box when baking.

2. Wild Sweetness by Thalia Ho

   If you’ve been around my blog and newsletter for a while, you’ll know that I especially love to bake with plants. I love incorporating interesting herbs and flowers and spotlighting seasonal produce. Thalia’s book is STUNNING and organized by season, replete with beautiful recipes rooted in nature.

3. Chez Panisse Desserts by Lindsey Remouf Shere

   I found an original copy of this book at a used bookstore a very long time ago and it will always be a favorite. There are no pictures (which I love), only tiny illustrations at the beginning of each chapter and the book is literally stuffed full of recipes. There are recipes for every fruit you could imagine and a lot of base recipes (think curds, custards, pastry creams) that can be built upon.

4. La Vita e Dolce by Letitia Clark

   I love every book that Letitia Clark has written but this book, a deep look at Italian desserts speaks to my heart. Thumbing through the pages feels like you’ve been transported to an Italian island and the recipes are simple and beautiful.

5. Fruit Cake by Jason Schreiber

   This book is one of my newest additions and I love it. There are so many recipes for interesting or unique desserts highlighting all kinds of fruit. Jason’s recipes are inventive and full of interesting tips and techniques (see food processor pound cake).

coconut key lime pound cake

recipe lightly adapted from Fruit Cake by Jason Schreiber

makes one 8x5” pound cake