California Pound Cake

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Ingredients

Pound Cake

  • 3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 3 eggs
  • 4 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon rum extract
  • Grated rind of 1 lemon
  • 1 (16 ounce) can pineapple chunks in juice, drained, reserve 1/4 cup juice
  • 1 1/4 cups mashed ripe bananas
  • 1/2 cup pitted dates, chopped

Crunchy Topping

  • 1 cup plantain chips, crushed
  • 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 325 degrees F.
  2. Pound Cake: Place the coconut in a shallow pan and bake 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until golden.
  3. In a large non-reactive bowl, with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream sugar and butter about 1 minute or until well blended.
  4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  5. By hand, blend in flour, soda, sour cream, vanilla extract, rum extract, lemon rind and 1/4 cup reserved pineapple juice. Mix well.
  6. Blend in drained pineapple, mashed bananas and dates. (The mixture will be fairly thick.)
  7. Crunchy Topping: In a small bowl, blend all topping ingredients together.
  8. Spoon cake batter into a lightly greased and floured 8-inch Bundt pan; sprinkle topping mixture over batter and bake 1 hour and 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  9. Cool in pan on a wire rack.
  10. Remove from pan and slice.

Yield: 10 to 12 servings