'I made the cake Tom Cruise gives his celebrity pals each Christmas - and can confirm it's a show-stopper'
Would it even be Christmas if we weren't reading about the cake Hollywood actor Tom Cruise sends to his celebrity pals each holiday season?
The delicacy in question is prepared by Doan's Bakery in Los Angeles, so the closest Aussies can do is make their own, which is exactly what I set out to do last year – with mixed results.
But first, some background.
Tom Cruise famously treats a select group of his famous friends to a bundt cake each Christmas. Getty Images Europe via CNN Newsource
The 'Tom Cruise cake', as it is known, is a white chocolate coconut bundt cake that is covered in cream cheese frosting and finished with shredded coconut.
Cruise reportedly orders several hundred to send out to his nearest and dearest, and the cake became famous after some of his celebrity pals posted about it on social media.
Recipients include the Rosie O'Donnell, Kirsten Dunst and Tom Hanks.
Brooke Shields revealed she made the cut before being scrapped from the list.
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Merryn Porter's version of the Tom Cruise Christmas cake... Supplied
... and the real thing, as captured here by comedian Rosie O'Donnell. Instagram@Rosie
He also sends the cake to past and present staff, and even people who have never met him, such as the owner of a San Francisco restaurant who unknowingly supplied takeout to Cruise and his former wife Katie Holmes.
Mere mortals can purchase the cake from the bakery for about $75, although a price is not listed on the website.
If you live in the US, you can also order the cake from food and gift delivery website Goldbelly for $US139.95 ($211).
With no way to get it delivered to Australia, I was left with no choice but to recreate it at home.
In order to get it right, I purchased a traditional German Bundt cake tin, having found a lovely pink one on sale at Big W for $12.60.
There are quite a few recipes online purporting to be the Tom Cruise White Chocolate Coconut Bundt cake.
I decided to go with one on Allrecipes, which you can find here.
Next, I had to source my ingredients. Most were easy to find. The hardest was the coconut extract, with major supermarkets no longer stocking it.
This resulted in a hunt that lasted days, and I almost gave up when a cake baking supplier told me they'd sold their last bottle the day before.
My husband finally found one and I was ready to go.
Most of the ingredients were easy to find, except the coconut extract. Supplied
The first step is to grease and flour the bundt tin, then combine some of the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder) in a bowl. You will need a large bowl, as this is a big cake.
Then you start on your wet ingredients. First combine softened butter and sugar until it is creamed. I ended up having to add more butter to get the consistency right.
Next, I added five eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla and coconut extracts, and sour cream.
Once this is done, I added the flour mix to the wet ingredients and combined. This was difficult due to the sheer volume of the mixture.
The dry ingredients on the left and the wet ingredients on the right, just before they were combined. Supplied
Ready to go into the oven! Supplied
Next, fold in the coconut and white chocolate pieces before pouring the batter into the prepared tin and smoothing the top.
The cake's cooking time is one hour and 25 minutes, but my oven runs hot, so I kept an eye on it and I panicked when it almost looked done after just 40 minutes.
I turned the oven down and decided to trust the process as the cake has to cook all the way through.
The only way to know it is done is by putting a toothpick or skewer in the middle. The cake is cooked when it comes out clean.
A bundt in the oven. Supplied
In the end, I checked it twice before it was ready to come out of the oven, which ended up being right on the recommended cooking time.
Once the cake was cooked, it cooled in the pan for 20 minutes before being removed. It came out easily in one go.
I then placed it on a wire rack to cool for another two hours, before it could be frosted.
To make the frosting, I combined cream cheese, butter, salt, vanilla and coconut extract in a bowl and used an electric mixer to mix until smooth.
Next, I added icing sugar and slowly mixed until combined before beating for a couple of minutes until it was light and fluffy.
A little overcooked on the outside, but ready to frost! Supplied
Despite following the instructions, the icing was a little runny.
A quick call to my Mum, who told me to add more icing sugar, and it was good enough to proceed – but I still popped it in the fridge for five minutes before coating it with the coconut.
I then frosted the top and sides of the cake before lightly pressing the flaked coconut on the sides and Voila!
Finally, the moment of truth arrived as I cut through the cake.
It was definitely a little overdone on the outside but inside was soft and moist – and very delicious.
"I think even Tom Cruise would be proud. " Supplied
The cake was a lot of work and cost quite a bit for all of the ingredients, but it was a huge hit with the family.
I even sliced some up and put it in the freezer, where it kept for several months.
So, if you're after an alternative to a fruit cake or trifle for Christmas Day, it certainly is a show stopper. As a co-worker exclaimed: "It looks like a giant Raffaello! Delish!"
And I think even Tom Cruise would be proud.
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