Macaroon Cake and Pirates of the Caribbean

I love witnessing the changing of the seasons in all their glorious, small details: the first crocus popping up under the crusty snow, a chilly late-August morning where you can practically smell autumn in the misty air, the wild geese honking away across a cloudy, early winter sky. There is something thrilling about sensing the wheel of time in motion. However, the signs of summer truly fill me with a unique sense of joy and anticipation. I love the hum of a fan on the first hot day of the year, the sound of my Old Navy flip-flops slapping against the pavement, and filling up on dessert recipes overflowing with tropical ingredients like coconut and pineapple.

That's why I chose to make a Macaroon Cake, with its subtle coconut and almond flavors, for my recipe this week. Here in Boston, it's been raining for the past two days, after we had a week of wonderful summer weather, so the tropicality of this treat was much appreciated! And what better movie to pair a coconut concoction with than the first Pirates of the Caribbean? I remember seeing that movie in the theater way back in 2003, and thinking that it felt like the personification of summer: exotic, fantastical, funny, and spontaneous. While I have not enjoyed the sequels of Curse of the Black Pearl that much (I thought that there were too many characters who faded into the background, the plots were convoluted, and their overdependence on Jack Sparrow diminshed the traits that made him so charming and original in the first film), the original stands in my mind as the quintessential summer film. So here are Dan's pirate-dialect-heavy musings on the film:

Pirates of the Caribbean:

Who would have thought that one of the most successful franchises at the movies could be spun from one of Disneyland's most iconic rides? Despite its seemingly limited source of inspiration, Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl  is a jolly yo-ho-ho rollicking good time, mateys, based on the beloved tropes of classic pirate lore. Maybe the secret is Johnny Depp, who gave life to renegade sea dog Jack Sparrow with a bit of Douglas Fairbanks and quite a bit of Keith Richards in the spirit.

Jack Sparrow himself has become a movie icon with his drunken swagger, freedom from authority, and nonetheless charming ways. Could we describe a Depp incarnation any other way? Nary a chance, me lads. But the fun doesn't stop there. The Pirates movies are filled to the brim with a wide arrangement of colorful scoundrels, aquatic hobgoblins, and mere humans. Throw in Geoffrey Rush as the nasty Captain Barbosa, Naomi Harris as a size-changing sea witch, and Pirates of the Caribbean becomes one voyage you will never forget. Ahoy and welcome aboard!

Ahoy back at you, Dan. Now for the recipe.

So this recipe for Macaroon Cake was adapted from one of my favorite cooking magazines of all time, Taste of Home: Healthy Cooking. This originally was a recipe sent in by a reader to be made healthier by the magazine's awesome Makeover staff. And they did an excellent job! The coconut flakes are integrated into the batter, lending it a sublime tropical flavor that seeps into your taste buds rather than overwhelms them. I love how surprisingly fluffy the cake is, making it lighter than a Port Royal sky. My whole family enjoyed this cake, and we agreed that it tasted even better the next day, when it acquired more flavor, especially from the almond extract. The word "macaroon" has always reminded me of pirates, probably because it sounds like "doubloon," so this is the perfect treat to munch while revisiting Curse of the Black Pearl.

Macaroon Cake
Adapted from Taste of Home: Healthy Cooking 
Ingredients:

• 6 egg whites
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 3/4 cup fat-free milk
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup flaked coconut
• 3 tsps baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp confectioners' sugar

1) Let egg whites stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. After the time has passed, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. Place aside.
2) In a small bowl, combine the flours, coconut, baking powder, and salt. 
3) In a larger bowl, beat the egg yolks, sugar, applesauce, and oil until well blended; beat in the milk and the extract. Gradually beat the flour mixture into the egg yolk mixture until well blended.
4) Fold the egg white mixture into the batter until the color is uniform.
5) Spoon batter into an ungreased 10-in tube pan (*if your oven has the tendency to burn cakes easily, like mine does, you may want to grease the pan a little*). Cut through batter with a knife to remove air pockets. Bake on the lowest oven rack at 325 degrees for 65-75 minutes or until the cake springs back when lightly touched.
6) Invert the pan immediately upon taking it out of the oven and let the cake cool about 1 hour before serving.
7) Remove the cake from the pan by running a knife around the sides and center of the tube. Sprinkle cake with confectioners' suger before serving.

Next Week: Sour Cherry Muffins and Fight Club