Pie Crust
I’m going to be posting the recipes I used for my pie competition over the next couple of days. The first thing needed when baking pies is a crust. I’ve actually never made full sized pie crusts before. I went with a William Sonoma recipe that is similar to most pie crust recipes out there. I used butter flavored Crisco and the crusts turned out flaky and delicious. I made 4 crusts even though I only needed 3 just in case I needed that extra one.
See WS link for ingredient list for 1 pie crust and for food processor method. I made sure everything was VERY cold before making my crusts. I measured the ingredients into bowl and put them in the freezer for 45 minutes. I also put my mixing bowl and pastry cutter into the freezer for about 20 minutes.
Pie crust – from William Sonoma
For a 9-inch double-crust pie:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup vegetable shortening
6 to 7 Tbs. cold water
Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl and toss together. Add the shortening. With your fingertips, 2 knives or a pastry blender, blend the ingredients together, working quickly, until you have a mixture of tiny, irregular flakes and bits about the size of coarse bread crumbs. Sprinkle on the water, 1 Tbs. at a time, stirring gently with a fork after each addition. Add just enough water for the dough to form a rough mass.
With floured hands, pat the dough into a smooth disk (or into 2 disks, one just slightly larger than the other, if you are making a double-crust pie). The dough is now ready to use. It is not necessary to refrigerate the dough before rolling out (unless you included some butter), although for convenience it may be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 2 days.
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
WOW – I would like to have a piece of that cake as soon as possible! looks beautiful and delicious!
This cake looks beautiful and I love the addition of toasted coconut!
I love love cakes with coconut. So delicious.
Beautiful cake!
Totally agree – the more layers the better! The cake looks stunning!
Had I been at your dinner party you wouldn’t have had to cook anything. I would have just completely indulged in this gorgeous cake!
This cake looks incredible! coconut and lemon are two of my favorite flavors; I’m glad you don’t have to choose one or the other with this recipe.
This sounds wonderful. Coconut with lemon curd, yummmm!
This looks fantastic – so springy and beautiful, and absolutely delish 🙂
what a wonderful cake!
Beautiful cake! I’ve been craving a coconut cake, but I know too many people who don’t like coconut cake that if I made it I wouldn’t have anyone to share. Boo.
ooh, fabulous. love the lemon curd-coconut combo, and in a layer cake, fun!!
OF COURSE 4 is better than 2!!! This looks amazing….I love the idea of lemon and coconut together-and it’s gorgeous!
Love lemon curd, love coconut, especially love a cake that lets me “frost” the sides with ease. This looks so yummy!!
Such a delicious cake! I honestly didn’t know a 6 inch was half of a 9 inch….thank you 🙂
I told my girlfriend I would bake her a cake for her birthday this Sunday !!! I got lemon curd and coconut stuck in my brain, so I started googling… which led me to your page !!! This recipie looks almost perfect !!
Couple questions…
Do you think the coconut extract was too strong for the cake, because you also have the browned coconut pcs too? I was considering vanilla bean cake, lemon curd and toasted coconut on the outside… but perhaps that wouldn’t be enough coconut flavour…. your thoughts?
Lastly… what did you use as the frosting to keep the toasted coconut on? It looks like whipping cream…. ?!?!?
Thanks !!!
Kelly
P.S
This is the first cake I’ve ever baked !!! lol