It's always fun getting recipes from fellow Trader Joe's fans.  Last week, we announced the winners of our March "Spice Up Your Health" spice contest.  To see the winning recipes, click here.  We recently heard from another fan who suggested an easy way to make Coconut Cake.  Christy N. wrote that she takes Trader Joe's Vanilla Cake & Baking Mix and substitutes 1 cup coconut milk for 1 cup milk, and adds 1/3 cup toasted flaked coconut.  She then frosts with a classic buttercream frosting, again using coconut milk instead of milk.

Well, I loved the idea and was inspired to try a version of the Venezuelan classic dessert, Bien Me Sabe de Coco.  (The translation for Bien Me Sabe is "tastes good to me".)  It was one of my favorite desserts growing up.  In Venezuela, it is served very cold, straight out of the fridge, I'm guessing because the weather is so hot and humid in the coastal tropical areas, where I lived.

I will confess that this version doesn't exactly mimic the original. The cake here is much more dense than the sponge cake used for Bien Me Sabe, so the pudding didn't soak into the cake, but was more like a cream filling.  Nonetheless, my family really enjoyed this dessert.  I even went out and got young coconuts from a local market, pictured in the back, and the kids had a hoot drinking coconut juice right out of the coconut shell.  We sure had our fill of coconut this week!

Coconut Cream Cake

For the cake:
1 box Vanilla Cake & Baking Mix
1 cup coconut milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter, melted

For the coconut cream filling:
Approx 1.5 cans coconut milk (buy 2 cans total: 1 cup for the cake, remaining coconut milk for the pudding filling)
1/3 cup sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch
Pinch of salt
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten

For the frosting:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp sugar
Coconut flakes, optional

1. Bake cake according to package instructions, using coconut milk instead of milk.  Let cake cool for at least 10 minutes (a hot cake will break more easily), and then remove cake from pan.  This cake tends to stick to the pan, so loosen carefully.  Let cake cool completely, and then slice in half horizontally.
2. To make coconut pudding, place sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan.  Add a few spoonfuls of coconut milk and stir until well mixed.  This allows the cornstarch to dissolve, thus avoiding lumps.  Add the remaining coconut milk, about a can and a half.  Place over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens.  Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.
3. Take a few spoonfuls of the hot pudding and stir into the egg yolks.  This tempers the egg yolks and slowly warms them up, so that they don't cook too quickly.  Pour the egg mixture into the hot pudding mixture, and return to heat, stirring constantly.  Cook just a minute longer.  Allow the pudding to cool slightly.
4. To assemble cake, place cake bottom back into the pan you used to bake the cake.  Pour pudding on top and spread evenly.  Place the other half on top.  Store in refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
5. Whip heavy cream and sugar until soft peaks form.  Frost cake, and sprinkle liberally with coconut flakes.

Serves 9