California Pound Cake

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. 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, 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. To make 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