Tropical Lemonade with a Brazilian Twist

 

I’m sure that by now you have all heard, and grown tired of, Brazilian lemonade. Not this one, you haven’t. I took the basic recipe for Brazilian lemonade, and turned it into an adult version that is knock-your-socks-off unbelievably good. The original recipe is kid friendly, calling for 3 cups of water as the liquid. I decided to use one cup of water, one cup of coconut water, and one cup of coconut rum. Oh, mama! If you want to take a trip to the tropics without leaving your chair, this is for you.

 Now, you may be wondering why something that employs the use of limes only is called lemonade. Apparently it has something to do with translation. In Portuguese, limão is the term for both limes and lemons, ergo; any drink made with either of these citrus fruits is called limonada, that translated to the English “lemonade.” In my version, because I substituted some of the water with coconut water and coconut rum, I added the word “tropical,” but stuck with the original term of “lemonade,” despite using the limes. Whatever you want to call it, it is sensational.

Tropical Lemonade with a Brazilian Twist

 2 Melissa’s Organic limes

1 c. water

1 c. coconut water

1 c. coconut rum

½ c. sugar

3 T. sweetened condensed milk

1 ½ c. ice cubes

 Wash limes to within an inch of their lives. (I used this vegetable scrubber.) Cut off the ends and slice into eight wedges. Leave the peels on!

Place limes in a blender with water, coconut water, rum, and sugar. Blend until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove rinds, and return to the blender. Add sweetened condensed milk and ice cubes, and blend a final time. Serve in a tall glass, garnished with a slice of lime. (Thereafter, do not operate any heavy machinery.)

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Coconut Tres Lèche with a Kick

 

I had never heard of a Tres Leche cake until about 15 years ago when my mother and I were dining out, and she ordered it for dessert by mistake. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of it until she tasted it, and then it became one of her favorites. Naturally, because I wanted to please her, I found a recipe and started making it on my own. It’s now one of my favorites as well. I particularly like this one because it employs the use of coconut milk in place of the evaporated milk, coconut itself, and rounding out the trio, coconut rum! This is a wonderfully refreshing cake to enjoy during the summer. It’s light, delicious, and makes you feel as though you are on a tropical getaway.Coconut Tres Lèche with a Kick

 Cake:

1 (15.25- oz) box white cake mix

Ingredients on box to make the cake (oil, egg whites, water)

1 t. coconut extract

½ t. clear vanilla flavoring

½ c. flaked coconut

1 (14- oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (15- oz can) Cream of Coconut*

¼ c. coconut rum

 Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1 c. powdered sugar

1½ c. heavy whipping cream

2 T. coconut rum

½ t. coconut extract

½ c. flaked coconut to garnish, optional

 Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9”x13” baking dish with Baker’s Joy; set aside.

Prepare cake according to package directions, adding in 1 teaspoon coconut extract and ½ teaspoon clear vanilla flavorings with the liquids. Fold ½ cup flaked coconut into batter and then spread into prepared pan.

 Bake according to package directions. Cake is done when an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

 While cake is baking stir together sweetened condensed milk and Cream of Coconut; set aside. When cake is done, poke holes evenly all over the top using a large fork while it’s still hot. Immediately pour sweetened condensed milk mixture evenly on top of cake, and allow cake to cool completely.

 To prepare frosting: In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment mix cream cheese and powdered sugar together until smooth. Add in heavy cream and extract and mix on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Spread frosting onto cooled cake and garnish with flaked coconut.

 Chill cake for at least 2 hours before serving. Store airtight in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

 * If you used 2 tablespoons of cream of coconut out of this can to make yourself a delicious Nashville Bushwhacker, that’s not a problem. It works just as well with 13 ounces as it does with 15 ounces.

 

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Blue Ghost

 

At the end of February I shared a review for the Krista Davis yet-to-be-published title, The Diva Goes Overboard that you can read here. Today I’m going to share with you a recipe from the previous book in the series, The Diva Delivers on a Promise. Davis includes recipes at the end of all of the books, many of which I have tried having read every book in the series of 17. This book had a cocktail recipe that I absolutely could not resist. More dessert than cocktail, this will be one libation you will never forget.

 

Blue Ghost
From The Diva Delivers on a Promise

One jigger (1.5 ounces) blue curaçao
One jigger coconut rum
One jigger crème de cacao
Vanilla ice cream

Pour the liqueurs into a mixer and add two scoops of ice cream. Blend and serving chilled martini glasses.

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