“I never thought it was such a bad little tree. It’s not bad at all, really.
Maybe it just needs a little love.”

—Linus, A Charlie Brown Christmas

Happy Christmas Eve!

This will be my last post of 2020, which has been a truly surreal year (goes without saying).
I know it’s Christmastime, but my brain can barely comprehend that we are in December (the weather is still reminiscent of March, somehow, and was there even ever a summer?).
I am lucky to be able to have Christmas at home with family, when so many I know are alone at this time.

12 months ago, no one could have known how different holidays would look. We have collectively been through so much this year, and my wish is that through this holiday season and into the new year, regardless of what you celebrate, we are able to hold infinite amounts of grace and patience for ourselves in our hearts.
Perhaps next Christmas, celebrations will be more “normal,” but I hope we won’t forget all of the lessons of 2020 and stay grateful for every little thing we had taken for granted before the pandemic.

This petite cake has two layers of buttery coconut cake, made with three forms of coconut to really emphasize the flavor, sandwiching a layer of tart, vivid cranberry-cherry curd, frosted in classic cream cheese buttercream, and finished with ample shredded coconut.
On the branches of the tree, tiny, stamped coconut cream cheese sugar cookies dangle and sparkle.

If you want to hang cookie ornaments, be sure to poke the hole (I used a toothpick) before baking and immediately after, while the cookies are still warm. Then, while threading, I found a needle to be immensely helpful.

These are great cookies for using embossing/stamping cutters, because they hold their shape precisely and will retain all of the finer details after baking.

This cake stores quite well, but I will caution against making it too far in advance.
While the layers will retain moisture for a day or two, beyond that they will slowly dry out, and the cranberry curd center is not loose enough to compensate. If you want to make it far in advance, I’d advise brushing the layers generously with simple sugar syrup before decorating!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas, previously:

Cakes:
Indulgent, gorgeous, and so so French: chestnut, chocolate, and cream croquembouche au craquelin
The cutest little pink number with an even cuter, dinky reindeer: gingerbread house on an orange spice and chocolate cake.
My pride and joy, the most elaborate cake on the blog: la souche de Noël.
A different, more whimsical take on a tree cake: this eggnog-filled, bauble-bedecked Christmas tree.
Golden and gleaming, an almond and orange spice cake.
A classic: red velvet with a winter woodland theme.
The fluffiest of cakes, a chocolate and peppermint cake with marshmallow frosting.
Oldie but a goodie: chocolate buttermilk cupcakes with peppermint buttercream.

Cookies:
A gorgeous mix of textures with cream cheese holly cookies, chocolate pistachio shortbread, and maple/nutmeg/rye trees.
A box full of brownies, coffee bean cookies, maple almond swirls, and lady grey orange sugar cookies.
Simple but effective pistachio and cranberry butter cookies.
Super intricate and crunchy maple and black pepper gingersnaps.
Luster-dust highlighted sugar cookie Christmas trees.
Very grown-up chocolate orange Linzer cookies.
Festive eggnog sugar cookies, decorated with royal icing and sprinkles.
Twists on the classic: honey spice and dark chocolate sugar cookies, perfect for cutting into shapes.
Pepparkakor with lemon royal icing, decorated with mehndi-inspired swirls.
Chocolate peppermint macarons… Macarons are still my nemesis.
Classic Linzer cookies with different fillings.
Maple, nutmeg, and rye sugar cookies, dressed all in winter white.
Chocolate, sour cherry, and coconut cookies; grapefruit butter cookies; and dark chocolate pecan snowcaps, all crammed into one post.
Cinnamon toast crunch marshmallow treats, chocolate peppermint shortbread, Russian teacakes, 5-spice snickerdoodles, another post bursting with recipes.
Whimsical peppermint marshmallow ropes; not cookies per se, but great for gifting.

Coconut, Cranberry Curd, and Cream Cheese Cake
makes 1 2×6-inch layer cake

ingredients:
for the coconut cake:
55 grams (4 tablespoons) butter, room temperature
28 grams (2 tablespoons) coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
130 grams (1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons) sugar
1 egg
1 egg white
135 grams (1 cup plus 1 tablespoon) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
90 grams (6 tablespoons) full-fat coconut milk
30 grams (1/4 cup) shredded sweetened coconut

for the cherry-cranberry curd:
150 grams (5 1/3 ounces, 1 1/3 cup) fresh cranberries
85 grams (1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon) sugar
40 grams (2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons) water
pinch sea salt
3 luxardo cherries (optional)
1 egg yolk
3/4 teaspoon cornstarch
20 grams (1 1/2 tablespoons) unsalted butter

for the cream cheese frosting:
140 grams (10 tablespoons) butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon salt
480 grams (4 cups) powdered sugar, as needed
84 grams (3 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
1 tablespoon milk

to assemble:
2 cups shredded sweetened coconut

directions:
Make the cake: preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter and flour 2 6-inch baking pans.
Beat butter, coconut oil, salt, and sugar on medium speed in the bowl of a stand mixer until fluffy and lightened in color, about 3 minutes.
Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the egg and egg white.
Beat for another minute (mixture may be runnier at this point).
Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the flour on top and the baking powder on top of the flour.
Mix on low speed while pouring in the coconut milk until homogeneous.
Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the shredded coconut; stir together to ensure the batter is uniform.
Portion into prepared pans.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden and the tops are springy.
Allow to cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
Cake can be stored very well wrapped at room temperature for 1 day until ready to assemble the cake.
Make the cherry-cranberry curd: bring cranberries, sugar, water, and salt to boil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.
Cover and cook until all cranberries have burst and started to shrivel, about 10 minutes.
While cranberries cook, whisk egg yolks and cornstarch in bowl until smooth.
Transfer hot cranberry mixture to food processor or immersion blender canister.
Blend for 30 seconds, then add cherries and yolk mixture and process until smooth (small flecks of cranberry skin will be visible), about 1 minute, scraping down sides as necessary.
Let mixture cool until skin forms.
Add softened butter to cranberry puree and process until fully combined, about 30 seconds.
Press plastic wrap against the surface of the curd and allow to cool completely.
Curd can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days before assembly.
Make the cream cheese frosting: whip butter and salt together on high speed until light and fluffy.
Add 3 cups of the powdered sugar and stir on very low speed to prevent sugar clouds!
Mix until completely homogenous and fluffy.
Add the cream cheese and 1 tablespoon milk and whip on high speed until fully incorporated.
If the frosting is not stiff enough, add the remaining 1 cup powdered sugar in 1/4 cup increments, beating between each.
If the frosting is too stiff, add milk 1 tablespoon at a time.
To assemble cake, cut off rounded top of each cake layer with a serrated knife until level.
Place first layer on cake stand and pipe or spread a ring of cream cheese frosting around the outer 1/2 inch of the cake, creating a well.
Place the cranberry curd (you may have some extra, depending on the depth of the well you created) in the center of the cake and spread to the edge of the icing dam.
Place the second layer on top and frost the exterior of the cake generously (no need for a strict crumb coat as we’ll be covering the whole cake with coconut).
Place the cake plate on a rimmed baking sheet and begin to press the sweetened coconut onto the frosting using your cupped hands.
Top with baubles and decorations as desired!

Coconut Cream Cheese Cookies
makes 36 mixed 1- and 2-inch cookies

ingredients:
85 grams (6 tablespoons) butter, room temperature
28 grams (2 tablespoons) coconut oil, solid
30 grams (2 tablespoons) cream cheese, room temperature
200 grams (1 cup) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons milk
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
180 grams (1.5 cups) AP flour

directions:
Prepare a clean surface with a dusting of flour.
Beat butter, coconut oil, and cream cheese together on low speed just until incorporated, about 30 seconds.
Add the sugar and beat on the lowest speed until the mixture has become less gritty and lightened slightly in color (but you don’t want to incorporate too much air, so don’t increase the speed!), about 1 minute.
Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the vanilla, milk, sea salt, and AP flour.
Mix on low speed until dough comes together.
Roll out to 1/4 inch thick, then use whatever cutters you choose to cut cookies.
Place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
Place cookies in freezer and reroll scraps to use up as much as possible; freeze the cookies for at least 15 minutes and up to 1 week, well covered.
To bake, preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Place cookies in oven straight from freezer.
Check doneness at 6 minutes—you don’t want the cookies becoming too golden, but rather being just set.
If they are still soft when pressed with a fingertip lightly, bake for 2 more minutes, and check again (repeat as needed: I ended up with 10 minutes, depending on how cold the batch was coming out of the freezer and how warm my oven was).
As soon as they start to color at the very edges, just slightly blonde, take them out.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.