Tapioca Cake

Ingredients

For the cake:

• Butter-flavored baking spray
• 1 (18.25-ounce) box vanilla cake mix (recommended: Betty Crocker)
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups white cranberry juice

For the filling:

• 1 (3-ounce) box cook n' serve tapioca pudding (recommended: Jell-O)
• 1 (14-ounce) can light coconut milk (recommended: Thai Kitchen)
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut

For the frosting:

• 3 (12-ounce) cans fluffy white frosting (recommended: Betty Crocker)
• 2 teaspoons coconut extract
• Fresh blueberries
• 1 1/2 cups shredded coconut

Directions

3 recipes Blueberry Sauce, recipe follows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray 2 (8-inch) round baking pans with butter flavor baking spray; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, oil, eggs, and white cranberry juice. Use an electric mixer to beat cake batter on low speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl and beat for 2 minutes on medium speed.

Divide batter evenly into prepared pans. Bake in preheated oven for 32 to 35 minutes, or until tester comes away clean.

Meanwhile, make cake pudding filling: combine pudding mix, coconut milk, 1 teaspoon coconut extract, and 1/2 cup shredded coconut in a medium saucepan.

Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and let cool.

In a small bowl, mix together frosting and 2 teaspoons of coconut extract; set aside.

For assembly:

With a serrated knife, cut cake layers in half horizontally; set aside.

Fill pastry bag or zip-top bag with a third of the frosting; set aside.

Place 1/2 of a cake layer on serving plate and pipe a ring of frosting around top edge. Fill middle of ring with 1/3 of pudding. Repeat with 2 more layers. Place final cake layer on top. Frost outside of cake with remaining frosting.

Top frosted cake with blueberries and shredded coconut and serve with Blueberry Sauce.

Blueberry Sauce:

• 2 cups frozen blueberries
• 1/3 cup blueberry vodka (recommended: Stoli)
• 1/4 cup blueberry jelly
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 orange, zested

Combine all ingredients in saucepan.

Cook and stir over medium heat for 3 to 6 minutes or until jelly is dissolved and sauce has thickened.

Yield: 4 servings