For The Associated Press

You may not be able to jet Mom off to a tropical island to show your love, but you can at least give her a tropical treat.

The flavors in this cake will remind her of sitting on a beach, sipping a pina colada and being fanned with palm fronds. We start with a banana flavored cake, then layer it with coconut cream and fresh pineapple. You end up with a fantastic presentation and tropical getaway flavor almost as rich as those plane tickets she deserves.

Most grocers carry fresh pineapple that’s been peeled and cored and is easy to slice into rings. If you can only find whole pineapples, here’s how to do it. First, slice off the top and bottom of the pineapple. Using a paring knife, peel the outer scaly layer from the pineapple. For the prettiest rings, first cut the pineapple into slices, then use a small round cookie cutter or a paring knife to cut the round core out of the center.

Our recipe calls for caramelizing the pineapple rings, but the cake is just as delicious if you use the fresh pineapple as is.

BANANA

COLADA CAKE

Start to finish: 2 hours (45 minutes active)

Servings: 12

For the cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of nutmeg

Pinch of allspice

1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar

1 cup sour cream

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, very soft

2 eggs

4 very ripe bananas, mashed

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the filling:

14-ounce can light coconut milk

2 egg yolks

1 whole egg

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and sliced into 1/4-inch rings

1 cup heavy cream

Toasted coconut, to garnish

Heat the oven to 375 F. Spray two 9-inch cake pans with baking spray.

In a small bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, nutmeg and allspice. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, sour cream and butter. Use an electric mixer to beat until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping the bowl after each addition. Beat in the bananas and vanilla extract. Sift the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, then stir to combine.

Divide the mixture evenly between the prepared cake pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

While the cake is cooking, start the filling. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the coconut milk to a simmer.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, whole egg, sugar and cornstarch. Using a ladle, slowly pour a stream of the hot coconut milk into the bowl of eggs while whisking continuously. Repeat with 2 more ladles of hot coconut milk.

Switch to whisking the coconut milk in the pan and slowly pour the warmed egg mixture back into the pan. Continuing whisking and cooking over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Pour the coconut mixture back into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the filling. Refrigerate until completely chilled.

To caramelize the pineapple, heat a saute pan over medium-high. Working in batches, place a couple pineapple rings in the pan and cook until starting to brown, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove the rings to a plate and let cool. Repeat with the remaining pineapple rings until they are all caramelized.

Once all parts of the cake are ready and cooled, assemble the cake.

In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form.

Whisk the chilled coconut filling until smooth. Fold half of the whipped cream into the filling. Once fully incorporated, fold in the remaining half, folding just until incorporated.

Place one of the cakes on a serving platter and spread half of the coconut cream over the top of it. Top with half of the pineapple rings, then set the second cake over that. Top the second cake with the remaining filling, then the remaining pineapple rings. Sprinkle with toasted coconut.

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 470 calories; 180 calories from fat (38 percent of total calories); 21 g fat (13 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 135 mg cholesterol; 66 g carbohydrate; 7 g protein; 3 g fiber; 230 mg sodium.

The first thing I ever picked out to bake with my mother was a lemon blueberry Bundt cake. I’d seen an ad for the cake — complete with lemon-yellow icing — and thought it was the most sophisticated, beautiful cake possible.

So my mother indulged me. We bought the mix, made the cake and it was beautiful. But as it was a mix, it tasted like a mix.

Even at 5, I was disappointed. But my mother had a happy solution. The very simple and very classic sour cream coffee cake. We made that coffee cake together for years, and then for at least a decade I made the same coffee cake myself every time I went to or hosted a brunch.

Over the years, I tweaked it, adding a double layer of streusel as a topping and as a filling, and adding more pecans. Baked in a Bundt pan and sliced just where the ridges fall, it was and remains a crowd pleaser. I also love baking it in mini Bundt pans so everyone gets an individual cake.

Predictably, I can’t make a sour cream coffee cake without thinking of my mother which, in my mind, makes it the perfect Mother’s Day treat.

You can substitute walnuts for the pecans if you like, and even add coconut or a bit of chocolate to the batter, which is rich and moist without being heavy. I’d bet that I could even add blueberries to the batter and glaze the coffee cake with a lemon icing to make the lemon blueberry Bundt cake of my childhood dreams!

———

Classic Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Start to finish: 1 hour 15 minutes (15 minutes active)

Servings: 12

For the batter:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 1/4 cups sour cream (not light or non-fat)

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups sifted flour (sift before measuring)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt

For the cinnamon-sugar filling:

1 cup pecans, chopped

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Pinch of sea salt

Heat the oven to 325 F. Coat a 12-cup (large) Bundt pan with a bit of vegetable oil or cooking spray (do not use baking spray).

To make the batter, in a large bowl, combine the butter and sugar. Use an electric mixer to beat until light and fluffy. Add the sour cream, eggs and vanilla, then mix again until well incorporated.

Measure and sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture to butter-sugar mixture a little at a time, mixing between additions and scraping the sides of the bowl as needed, until well mixed. Set aside.

To make the filling, in a large bowl combine the pecans, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon and salt. Mix well. Spoon a shallow layer of the filling mixture over the bottom of the Bundt pan. Spoon half the batter into the pan over the filling. Sprinkle all but 1/4 cup of the remaining filling evenly over the batter.

Pour the rest of the batter over the filling, smoothing it with a silicone spatula. Sprinkle with the remaining filling.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the cake pulls away from sides and a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean. Start testing for doneness after the cake has baked for 40 minutes since ovens and pans vary in the way they bake. Remove from oven and transfer cake pan to a cooling rack. Let cool before slicing.

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 460 calories; 250 calories from fat (54 percent of total calories); 28 g fat (13 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 85 mg cholesterol; 52 g carbohydrate; 5 g protein; 2 g fiber; 200 mg sodium.

———

EDITOR’S NOTE: Elizabeth Karmel is a grilling and Southern foods expert and executive chef at Hill Country Barbecue Market restaurants in New York and Washington, as well as Hill Country Chicken in New York. She is the author of three cookbooks, including “Soaked, Slathered and Seasoned.”

2011 Holiday Recipe Guide
4 whole eggs, well beaten
¾  C sugar
4 T flour (mixed into sugar)
1 1/3 C Green Label Karo® Waffle Syrup (can use dark)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp maple flavoring
4 T butter, soft or melted
1 1/3 C chopped pecans
 Stir flour into sugar, and mix into the rest of the ingredients, adding pecans last.  I use a whisk to mix. Pour into 9″ unbaked pie shell and bake 45 – 50 minutes at 350°. Check at 40 minutes. 
If top is getting too brown, cover with a loose sheet of foil.  I use a “pie ring” to keep the crust from getting too brown but you can make your own with strips of foil.

2011 Holiday Recipe Guide
1 Baked pie crust
5 T sifted flour
1 C brown sugar
3 T butter
1½ C milk
2 egg yolks, well beaten
1 tsp vanilla
Combine flour, brown sugar, & butter, blend. Add milk & cook in heavy kettle, until thickened, stirring constantly.
Pour small amount of mixture over egg yolks, stirring vigorously. Return to kettle & boil 10 minutes longer or until thick. Add vanilla. Cool. Pour in to pie crust & top with meringue.
Meringue:
2 egg whites
4 T sugar
1/8-1/4 tsp. cream of tartar.
Brown in oven.

2011 Holiday Recipe Guide
¾ C flour
1/8 tsp salt
¾ C sugar
½ tsp baking powder
½ lb dates
½ lb nuts (walnuts or pecans)
½ lb candied pineapple
½ lb candied cherries
½ tsp vanilla
2 eggs separated
Mix dry ingredients with fruit and nuts. Stir in egg yolk and vanilla. Fold in stiflly beaten egg whites.
2 loaf pans, 8x4x2, lined with foil.
Press ingredients firmly into the pansm cover cakes with foil and bake at 275° for 13/4 hours. Remove foil and increase heat to 325° and bake 10-15 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool. Remove from foil; wrap and store in refrigerator.

2011 Holiday Recipe Guide
29 oz can pumpkin
4 eggs
13 oz evaporated milk
1½ C sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
½ tsp nutmeg
1 pkg yellow cake mix
1 C oleo
1 C chopped nuts
Beat pumpkin, eggs, milk, sugar and spices, pour in ungreased 9×13 pan. Sprinkle dry cake mix over pumpkin mixture. Pour melted oleo over cake mix and sprinkle with nuts. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Top with whipped cream if desired.

2011 Holiday Recipe Guide

First Layer:
2 C flour
1 C melted margarine
1 C chopped pecans
Combine and mix all ingredients and press into 9×9 baking dish. Bake 15-20 min at 325°.  Allow to cool.
Second Layer:
2-8 oz pkgs cream cheee
2 C powdered sugar
2 C whipped cream
Combine and mix all ingredients and spread over first layer.
Thirs Layer:
4 pkgs butterscotch no cook instant pudding
6 C milk
1 tsp vanilla
Combine ingredients and beat until thickened. Spread on second layer. Top with whipped cream. Sprinkle with pecans.

2011 Holiday Recipe Guide
1 C granulated sugar
1 C brown sugar, firmly packed
1½ C margarine, softened
3 eggs
4 C sifted flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
1 tsp cinnamon
½ lb dates, chopped
½ lb figs, chopped
1 C walnuts, chopped
Cream sugars with margarine. Add eggs, beat till fluffy. Add chopped dates, figs and walnut to sifted flour, salt, soda and cinnamon. Mix all ingredients well –till fruit and nuts are evenly distributed in the dough. (Dough will be stiff). Pack down into two loaf pans which have been lined with wax paper. Place in refrigerator or freezer till thoroughly chilled. Slice with sharp knife into thin slices and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in 400° oven about 12 minutes.

2011 Holiday Recipe Guide
1 C all-purpose flour
1 C white sugar
¼ tsp salt
2 C cranberries
½ C chopped walnuts 
½ Cbutter, melted
2 eggs
1 tsp almond extract
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease 9” pie pan. Combine flour sugar and salt. Stir in the cranberries and walnuts, and toss to coat. Stir in butter, beaten eggs and almond extract. If you are using frozen cranberries, the mixture will be very thick. Spread the banner into the prepared pan. Bake for 40 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.