#16 Tropical Coconut Cake With Mango Sauce

A friend requested a cupcake version of this cake recipe for her birthday, and I was happy to oblige. It's rather simple to make and ends up really moist and fruity. Since I made them as cupcakes (I squeezed out 18), I didn't make the mango sauce. Oh, and believe it or not, this recipe comes from InStyle.

1 ripe mango peel, chop (again, I omitted this)
2 tablespoons lime juice (I didn't use the lime juice, but I did zest one and add to the cake batter)
1 pound yellow (lemon) cake mix
11 ounces mandarin oranges
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
8 ounces crushed pineapple drain & reserve juice
2 cups heavy cream
1 package unflavored gelatin
1 cup sweet flaked coconut

Puree mango and lime juice in blender until smooth. Set aside. Heat oven to 350"F. Grease and flour two 9" round cake pans. In large bowl beat cake mix, oranges, butter, oil and eggs; pour into prepared pans (I lined a 12-cup muffin pan with ungreased liners; do not overfill cups).

Bake 27-32 min., or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean (I think I baked them about 20 min. I just followed whatever the cake box recommended). Remove cakes from pans and cool on wire rack. While warm, poke holes in top with wooden skewer; brush with pineapple juice.

In medium bowl whip cream; stir in gelatin and pineapple (I think a tsp. of vanilla extract would add a nice layer of flavor to the whipped cream). Place one cake layer on platter; spread with cream mixture. Top with second layer; frost sides and top. Cover all with coconut. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before eating. Serve with mango sauce. (I used an offset spatula to frost the cupcakes. I also toasted the coconut to add some color and crunch. I put the cupcakes in the fridge and didn't add the coconut until the last minute.)

Grade: A