Because Sometimes You Just Want To Eat Cake: Louisiana Crunch Cake

To preface I am not what one would actually define as a stress eater. My life is one to be considered as highly vigorous and stressful at times and I don't usually turn to food as my coping mechanism (movies that I may have already watched 100 times...that's a different story). But the actual baking of goods is a stress reliever for me. I am that person who will go into the kitchen at 1am and bake a pan of muffins to clear my head. So in comes this cake inspiration. Louisiana crunch cake has always been one of my favorites and it comes together so easy, prep time less than you going to the store to buy one. Pretty standard ingredients that one would already have in the pantry for baking aside from the coconut, which is optional anyway, so I say it's a win win.

Ingredients:

3 cups of flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 c. granulated sugar

2 sticks of softened butter

1/4 c. sour cream

4 eggs

1 cup milk

1tsp. almond extract

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/8 c. white granulated sugar

1/4 c. sweetened coconut flakes

Cake Glaze:

2 c. powdered sugar

4 tbs. butter...melted

2 tbs. milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tbs lemon juice (bottled is fine)

Pans: non stick tube/bundt cake pan greased and floured

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees

• Sift together flour, salt, baking powder and soda and set aside

• Beat softened butter and sugar together until lightened in color

• Mix in sour cream.

• Add eggs one at a time and beat until mixture becomes light and fluffy.

• Add extracts

• Taking turns alternatively, add in milk and the flour mixture until both are combined

• Add approx 1/8 cup of granulated sugar to the pan, and tap around the sides and bottom until evenly coated.

• Sprinkle coconut flakes to the bottom of pan

• Pour in batter.

• Bake for 50 minutes to an hour, or until a wooden skewer inserted into cake comes out clean.

• Once cake is finished baking, let cool for five mins in pan on a rack and then remove from pan and let cool completely

Vanilla Glaze Directions:

Whisk together powdered sugar, melted butter lemon juice, vanilla extract and milk.

Drizzle glaze over cake and let set for 10 minutes