Lay Some Yellow on Me!

While I wish I had time to participate in more food blogging events, the fact is that it’s just not possible.

However, there are a few events that I refuse to miss and one of them is Barbara’s A Taste of Yellow event.

In support of LiveSTRONG Day, this event brings foodbloggers around the world together in a show of solidarity and unity in the battle against cancer.

In 2007, Barbara had 149 bloggers take part in the event and we’re all hoping that even more will take part this year.

I lost my father to cancer in 2001. Both of my maternal grandparents passed away because of cancer. And I can’t even count the number of friends and extended family members who have lost loved ones to this disease.

But for every loss, I know that there is a victory. Every day around the world there are people living with and beating cancer. And every day, everywhere in the world, people are making it their life’s work to find a cure.

A Taste of Yellow is about standing behind cancer survivors, those who have lost loved ones to cancer and those who battle cancer every day and saying, “We’re with you!”

I cannot thank Barbara enough for creating and hosting this event. She is an example to us all.

Live Strong! Every day!

Ciao!

A Taste of Yellow is hosted by Barbara of winosandfoodies. The event ends on April 19th. Please check out the details and participate!

The cake pictured above is a Lemon-Lime Coconut and Macadamia Nut Cake based on a recipe from Bill Granger’s cookbook, Bill’s Open Kitchen.

When making this cake, be sure to grease the pan very well. It has a tendency to stick. Also, be sure not to overbake it as that can cause the cake to stick to the pan as well and to have a rather hard crust.

Ingredients:

1 cup macadamia nuts
1/3 cup self-raising flour
a pinch of salt
6 egg, separated
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. finely grated lime zest
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
1/2 cup, sweetened shredded coconut
1 cup icing sugar
1 tsp. lime juice
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. each of grated lime and lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease a 9-inch round or square pan. Set aside.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the macadamia nuts, the flour and the salt. Process briefly until the nuts are finely chopped and you have a fine, crumbly mixture. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the egg yolks and the sugar. Beat on high speed for two minutes. The mixture should be thick and light-coloured.

Add the extract and the lemon and lime zest and mix for 30 seconds.

Add the coconut and the nut mixture and mix on low speed until just combined.

In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Carefully fold the egg whites into the egg and nut mixture.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 30 minutes. Check with a cake tester to see if the cake is done. If it’s not, bake for another 5 minutes and check again. The cake should not take more than 40 minutes.

Remove the cake to a wire rack and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes. With a thin-bladed knife or spatula, loosen the cake from the sides of the pan and carefully invert onto the rack to cool completely.

Once cool, make the icing. To make the icing, combine the icing sugar, lime and lemon juice and lime and lemon zest in a bowl. If it’s too thick, add a tiny bit of hot water to loosen the mixture. Pour the icing over the cooled cake. For decoration, you can tint the icing with food colouring.

The cake will keep for several days at room temperature in a covered container or well-wrapped.

Enjoy!

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