Mama's Christmas Coconut Cake

One of my favorite Christmas foods is Christmas Coconut Cake or Grandma Ridlen’s One Egg Cake. My mother (Joy Miller) always made this cake at Christmas. She would almost never make it any other time of year, even with a lot of pleading. 

The recipe came from my mother’s mother, Margaret Ridlen, but I’m not sure of its history beyond that. I imagine that coconut was the extraordinary ingredient that made the cake so special because the rest of the ingredients would have been easily available on the farm. This cake is a favorite of my family and is one of the most special Christmas foods I make every year.

-Mary Bryan
daughter of Hollis and Joy Miller

Mama's One Egg Cake (Margaret Ridlen)

Ingredients: 

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup shortening

1 egg, beaten

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup milk

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream sugar and shortening. 

Add egg and beat well. 

Sift flour and baking powder, add dash of salt.

Add flour mixture alternately with the milk to the creamed mixture. 

Add vanilla and pour into three round cake pans (lined with waxed paper). 

Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown around the edges. 

After cake has cooled, combine coconut and whipped cream and spread between layers. 

Cover entire cake with whipped cream and sprinkle coconut over the top. 

Decorate with a sprinkling of red sugar crystals. 

Best when served the second day.

Cocoanut Meringue Pie

This is a famous pie in our family, everyone loves to eat it, but it never seems to turn out quite right. My Grandma Joy used to make this pie every year at Thanksgiving and Christmas. It always tasted really good, it always looked beautiful when it came out of the oven, but you could never count on the meringue to stay fluffy. Inevitably the meringue would fall. 

You could sit and watch it slowly deflate as the pie cooled. I remember my Grandma trying everything to get that silly meringue to work. Sometimes it worked better than others but never like it should. My Mom told me that my Uncle Max and Aunt Shirley even got her a copper bowl to use to make it in. I guess that it is supposed to help but it must not have worked all that well because by the time I came to be the meringues still were an issue. 

I remember my Mom and Grandma discussing the issue but they never figured out the mystery of the falling meringue. It has always been kind of a joke in our family that when the pie comes out of the oven everyone has to look at it quick before it falls.

My first attempt at baking a Cocoanut Meringue Pie ...it deflated.

The year before last was the first year that I made this pie, usually my mom makes it. Despite my efforts, my pie fell to the same fate that all the others before it did. It deflated. I even read up on how to do it on the internet before I made it...room temperature eggs, the right utensils... but to no avail. I then decided that it had to be a flaw in the recipe. If Grandma couldn't get it to work it had to be the  recipe.

In my search for a reliable meringue recipe I did some troubleshooting with one of my foodie friends at work and she gave me her Grandma's meringue recipe. She told me that she has never had it fail and that it turns out beautiful every time. I was excited! 

So this year I tried it out and it turned out awesome! It stayed fluffy, had great flavor, and had a smooth texture. It didn't even form those little dew drops on top, which I used to think was way cool when I was little but I guess its not a good thing. I now know that it means you added too much sugar to the meringue. Who knew!?! I will use this meringue recipe from now on. 

-Jennifer Figgins
daughter of Jesse Figgins and Mary Bryan 

This years attempt, it is cooled and still fluffy! Woo HOO!

Cocoanut Pie

Mama (Margaret Ridlen)

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups milk divided
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup cocoanut
4 tsp cornstarch
2 beaten egg whites
1 tsp butter
vanilla extract
pinch salt

Cook 1 1/4 cups milk, sugar, and cocoanut in a sauce pan until it bubbles form around the edge of the pan.

Add the cornstarch to remaining 1/2 cup of milk.

Then add the mixture to the hot mixture.

Continue to cook until it starts to thicken.

Remove from heat.

Continuously beating the egg whites slowly add the hot mixture.

Add vanilla, a pinch of salt, and butter.

Pour into baked pie crust.

Top with a 2-egg meringue.

*Note: This year I also added 1-2 tbsp powdered instant tapioca balls to thicken the filling. It helps a lot and doesn't change the flavor or the texture just absorbs the juice and helps firm up the filling. 

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(this is the recipe my Grandma used - Do not use this one!)

Meringue 

Cappers Weekly

Ingredients:
3 egg whites 
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup sugar

Beat 3 egg whites until light and frothy.

Slowly add baking powder and sugar.

Beat until stiff peaks form.

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New Meringue recipe!

Nicole Russel's Grandma's Meringue

Nicole Russel's handwriting, Grandma Russel's recipe

Ingredients:
3 egg whites
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
6 tbsp sugar

Allow egg whites to stand at room temperature for 30 min.

In a large bowl combine egg whites, vanilla and cream of tartar.

Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed about 1 minute or until soft peaks form (tips curl).

Gradually add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high speed about 4 minutes more or until mixture forms stiff, glossy peaks (tips stand straight) and sugar dissolves.

Immediately spread meringue over hot pie filling, carefully sealing to edge of pastry to prevent shrinkage.

Bake as directed in individual recipes, usually 325 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Four Egg White Meringue

Ingredients:
4 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar

Prepare same as above.

Beat about 5 minutes or until stiff glossy peaks form.

Pastry for Double-Crust Pie - Jake and Emily's first pie!

This year I intended to spend the Wednesday before Thanksgiving baking bread and pies. What I didn't know was that I was going to have so many awesome helpers!

Just as I finished mixing up the last of the Swiss bread dough Will, Sara, and all the kids piled in the door. When Jake walked in he got excited when he saw me baking and asked if I was going to make an apple pie. I laughed and told him I hadn't planned on it, but we could if he wanted to help. I really didn't expect him to agree, but without hesitation he said "Cool!" dropped all his stuff at the door, washed his hands, and rolled up his sleeves. I was pretty impressed. 

It wasn't long after Jake came in the door that Emily followed. When she saw Jake in the kitchen she looked at me and said, "I help?" Who can turn that down? Besides that, before I could say anything she got her stool out and pulled it right up beside me.

Miss Emily at the ready!

So while Miss Emily and I made pie crusts...

...Jake peeled and sliced apples.

Jake: "There is now way this is all going to fit!"

We even got Grandma to step in and show us how to make Grandma Joy's design for venting and fluting pies... I remembered Grandma Joy teaching me a different way so now I know Grandma Joy's true pie signature.

Drew even got in on the history lesson.

Yes, Emily is still carefully measuring flour!

We did manage to get Miss Emily to pause measuring flour long enough to help Jake put the final touches on his pie by sprinkling sugar on the top of the pie.

Jake's first pie!

Grandma Joy's signature pie vent.

It was a blast! Emily had flour everywhere and Jake made his first apple pie!

I have to tell you this little side story though, it was so funny...

Emily had dusted enough flour down onto her stool that she slipped off it and plopped onto the floor. She wasn't hurt, it just startled her pretty good, and of course we had to ask her, "are you okay?" She then noticed Grandma, Daddy, Jake, and Aunt Jenny all staring at her and the water works instantly turned on. 

Grandma was the first to the rescue. She scooped her up and snuggled her in. After a few minutes she decided she wanted Daddy so Grandma handed her off to Daddy. The funny part is, after Will peeled Emily off of Grandma, there was a perfect Emily flour print left on the front of Grandma's red sweater and two perfect hand prints on her back! 

After a few minutes with Daddy Emily was good to go... When Will put her down we all looked at him and there was yet another perfect Emily flour print on Will's black shirt! Oh, that girl is hilarious! She was covered in flour head to toe!

Two baths later she came out clean.

In the end we got all the bread and pies baked. Jake's pie turned out awesome and was quite a hit! I think he might be hired. 

-Jennifer Figgins

daughter of Jesse Figgins and Mary Bryan

Pastry for Double-Crust Pie

Ingredients:

1 tsp salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup shortening

6-7 Tbsp cold water

Stir together flour and salt.

Using a pastry blender cut in shortening until pieces are pea-sized.

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of water over part of the mixture: gently toss with a fork.

Push moistened dough to side of bowl. Repeat until all the dough is moistened.

Divide in half.

Form each into a ball.

On lightly floured surface, flatten 1 dough ball.

Using a rolling pin, roll from the center of the dough to edges until it forms a 12-inch circle.

To transfer pastry, wrap it around the rolling pin: unroll into a 9-inch pie plate.

...Or you could transfer it like my Grandma Joy taught me... fold it in half and then fold it in half again then pick it up and place it in the pie plate with the tip in the center of the plate. 

Then slowly unfold it.

Ease pastry into pie plate being careful not to stretch pastry.

Transfer filling to pastry-lined pie plate.

Trim pastry even with the rim of pie plate. 

Roll remaining dough into a circle about 12 inches in diameter.

Cut slits or a design to allow steam to escape.

Place remaining pastry on filling: trim 1/2 inch beyond edge of plate. 

Fold top pastry under bottom pastry.

Crimp edge as desired.

Bake as directed in individual recipes.

Food processor directions:

Prepare as above.

Place steel blade in processor bowl.

Add flour, shortening and salt.

Cover.

Pulse until the mixture resembles cornmeal, but with a few larger pieces.

With processor running, quickly add 1/4 cup cold water through feed tube.

Stop processor when all water is added.

Continue pulsing until mixture starts to form a large ball.

Remove dough from bowl.

Divide in half and shape both into balls.

Pastry for Lattice-Top Pie:

Prepare as above except trim bottom pastry to 1/2 inch beyond edge of pie plate.

Roll out remaining pastry and cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips.

Fill pastry-lined pie plate with desired filling. Weave strips over filling for lattice crust. 

Press ends of strips into crust rim.

Fold bottom pastry over strips, seal and crimp edge.

For a quick lattice, roll out top pastry and use a mini-cookie cutter to make cutouts an equal distance apart from pastry center to edge.

Place pastry on filling and seal.

Bake as directed.