Quick General Tso’s Chicken

Every time we decide to order “fast food” Chinese for dinner, we are always faced with the age old dilemma…”Do we or do we not order General Tso’s chicken tonight?” Do we stick with the dish that we all know and love or stray from the well worn path and try something different which may not be as awesome? If you really think about it, it really breaks down to this battle royale, General Tso’s vs everything else. 2 food entrees enter the ring…only 1 will leave.

As you can surmise, we’re a general tso’s chicken house, however, it has been one of those dishes that never once occurred to me to make myself until recently. Honestly, the perfectly crispy coated chicken pieces always seemed like such a daunting task. I’ve breaded, dipped, and fried my fair share of food, but nothing has ever come remotely close to the crispy breading perfection that tso’s chicken calls for.

That’s when I realized, you know, if I’m going to make this myself in my own kitchen (with that torturous electric stove) I might as well as try and do it MY way. Using a great recipe that I found, I modified this to forgo the “breading” and deep frying process and just use a basic coating of corn starch instead. This made it immensely quicker and all the more easier on my frying skills (or lack thereof!). The chicken comes out pretty crispy and provides just enough texture for the sauce.

Speaking of sauce…who knew the General’s secret sauce was soooo easy? Easy and delicious! The fresh scallions really make the sauce…don’t substitute these out and be generous. I ended up with some leftover sauce and it was fantastic just spooned over some white rice for a quick meal. Who needs the chicken? Shhhh….

So while this General Tso’s may not be the ultimate Tso’s chicken you get from your favorite local Chinese place, but for a quick, easy, homemade dinner that’s a wee bit healthier, this one’s a winner!

Quick General Tso’s Chicken
Adapted from Food.com

Ingredients

3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
2 cups green onions, sliced
8 small dried chilies, seeds removed (bird pepper or thai chilies are good)
1/2 cup cornstarch
Salt and pepper to taste

For sauce:
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh garlic, minced
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup sherry wine or 1/4 cup white wine
14 1/2 ounces chicken broth

Preparation

Prepare sauce by combining all ingredients in a large jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake ingredients to mix. Can be prepared ahead and kept in refrigerator…just shake it up before you use it.

Place remaining cornstarch in a place and season with salt and pepper. Preheat large frying pan with just a smidge of oil. I first started out with a tablespoon of oil…the resulting chicken vesuvius was not so good. I ended up using a few spritzes of cooking spray and that turned out perfect. Coat each piece of chicken in seasoned cornstarch and fry in the pan for several minutes until golden brown on all sides. Drain on paper towels and keep warm. Repeat until all chicken is done.

In a large wok or skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over high heat until oil begins to dance and shimmer. Add green onions and hot peppers and stir fry for about 30 seconds. Stir in sauce mixture and cook until it begins to thicken and easily coats the back of a spoon. If sauce thickens too much, you may thin it out with some water, add about 1 tablespoon at a time.

Once sauce is thick enough, add chicken to wok and cook until warmed through and all is hot and bubbly, should only be about 1-2 minutes more. Serve over rice and enjoy!

Banana Walnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Who here doesn’t like banana bread? Ever since I figured out the proper technique on how to make it without resulting in what my family affectionately liked to call the “banana brick” this has become both a family and office staple. Thus, when I came across this recipe for a cookie that reminded me very much of banana bread, it was a no brainer. I mean, really, have you ever met a cookie that you didn’t like? And when it promises to be a winning combination of cookie and banana bread? Hello?

One thing I will say about bananas, there one of those strange fruits that I both love and hate. I love it when it’s baked…be it in a cake, cookie, or just straight by itself (and seriously, if you’ve not made yourself some baked bananas yet, I’m not sure what other nirvana experience you’re waiting for!). But by itself, fresh, it’s a tough sell. In fact, I’ll only eat it if it’s still a little green. Once a banana in my house has gone ripe, even the merest of brown speckles, it’s destined for a baked good or sliced with Mai’s cereal. Call it a weird quirk, but it keeps me in fairly steady supply of good ripe bananas for bread and…cookies!

These cookies came together fairly quickly and I almost forgot…they also incorporate one of my other favorite things in the cookie world…oats. The bananas ensure that this cookie is moist and sweet without being too sugary while the oats gives it a bit of a earthy and toothsome texture. I also feel (in my addled brain somewhere) that the oats makes it healthy? Bananas + oats = healthy, right? Whatever, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. The chocolate chunk and walnuts in there are just a reward for being so good.

And speaking of good, these cookies rock. I ended up making 9 dozen of these for a client visit (yes, you lucky guys know who you are) and aside from being pretty easy to mass produce, they were a pretty big hit if I do say so myself. Within an hour after arriving for my meeting, all but 2 dozen were left. I’m not sure if there’s a better review than that, folks.

Banana Walnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Adapted from

Makes about 3 dozen

Ingredients

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (about 1 large)
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped into 1/4-inch chunks
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (about 2 ounces), toasted

Preparation

Prepare oven and preheat to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together both flours, salt, and baking soda. Using an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugars until pale and fluffy on medium speed. Reduce speed to low and add in egg and vanilla and mix until combined. Mix in banana. Add in flour mixture and mix until just combined. Using a wooden spoon or mixing spoon, stir in oats, chocolate chunks and walnuts until uniform.

Using baking sheets lined with parchment paper, place dough about 2 inches apart. I used a 1.5″ cookie scooper. Bake cookies, 12 to 13 minutes, rotating sheets about halfway. Cookies should be golden brown and *just* set. Let cool on sheets for 5 minutes before transferring cookies to cool completely on wire racks. Cookies will keep up to 2 days, stored in airtight containers.

Drunken Udon Noodles

Last year during my PAX East sojourn I discovered the magic of drunken udon noodles…basically a very clever variation of pad khee mao that was positively amazing and has served to haunt me ever since I had it for the first time (and every other single time I’ve traveled to Boston). It only makes sense that this be the dish that would bring me out of my cooking hiatus and get me back on track!

The last few weeks have been a little tough…we were unfortunately faced with the loss of one of my most staunch and faithful supporters and kitchen cheerleaders last month, Chyna. After 12 amazing years, our little pug angel had to say goodbye to us and move onto the next chapter of her life’s journey. It’s admittedly been a little disconcerting without her at my feet while I’m prepping ingredients or eagerly looking up with her “Let me quality control test that bit of food for you!!” but Molly has managed to shoulder the extra responsibility and help fill the gaps. Molly has enthusiastically given her beagle howl of approval for this dish as the aromas came wafting up from my trusty stove…

And seriously, this dish is no joke. The inviting smell of the fresh garlic and chili peppers as they sauteed in my wok really made me remember why it is that I enjoy cooking as much as I do…there is nothing in this world like a plate of great homemade food. Nothing. What I like so much about this dish is that while it has the wonderfully complex flavor profile of pad khee mao I really enjoy the textural difference of the udon. It’s got a slightly chewier bite to it over the flat, wide rice noodles and really does an amazing job of soaking up the pad khee mao sauce which, honestly, is where the magic’s at.

I purchased my udon as a “bulk pack” at my local asian supermarket. This particular package that I picked up also makes prepared noodles that you can use for lo mein and wonton noodle soup. I have also seen bulk udon in the freezer section at the H-Mart korean supermarket nearby. It may take a bit to find its exact location at the supermarket, but it’s becoming more and more popular…if you don’t see it, just ask. It should be there somewhere

This can take a bit of time to prepare as you can have a myriad of different ingredients that you can put into there, but this dish is extremely adaptable so feel free to add or omit whatever additional veggies or proteins you’d like. I would recommend sticking with the same sauce ingredients and proportions however and to not skimp on the Thai basil as this constitutes the heart of this dish.

Drunken Udon Noodles
Adapted by TastyDesu

Ingredients

1 package (16oz) fresh udon noodles
1/2 cup white, firm tofu
1/2 cup beef, chicken, or shrimp
1 tablespoon garlic chili paste
1-2 Thai serrano chilis, sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
Assorted veggies (I used 1/2 cup baby bok choy, green and white parts separated; 1/4 cup carrots; 1/2 cup diced red peppers; 1/2 cup snow peas; 1 onion, cut into wedges )
2 eggs, lightly scrambled
1/2 cup packed Thai basil leaves
1 1/2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon regular soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons golden mountain soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce (nuoc mam)
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon vinegar
4 tablespoons oil
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Preparation

Prepare tofu by pressing tofu with paper towels to remove as much water as possible. Cut into bite sized pieces, about 1″ x 1/4″, pressing each piece gently with paper towel to remove more moisture. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in pan over medium heat until it starts to shimmer. Add tofu and fry until golden, flipping over to ensure even browning on both sides. Set aside on paper towel.

Add remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in pan, I recommend a nonstick wok, and heat on high till oil shimmers. Add garlic, chili paste, and sliced chilis. Saute until garlic is a light brown…don’t leave unattended as garlic can burn very easily and stand back as it pops! I have a battle scar on my arm from an errant popping piece of garlic attempting to jump to freedom.

Once garlic is browned, add your protein(s) and saute until those are no longer pink. Add your veggies and continue to saute until all is cooked through. You may add 1 tablespoon of water here to help facilitate the veggies cooking.

Add noodles and continue to fry for a minute or two. These noodles shouldn’t stick, but if they do, you may had a little water, sparingly, to help it unstick. Add in tofu and any of your more delicate veggies.

After about 2 minutes, add the soy sauces, sugar, and hoisin. Stir well to mix. Once everything is all incorporated, add basil and vinegar. Stir again to mix. Once basil has wilted, it’s done. Remove from heat and serve.

Vietnamese Spinach Soup — Canh Rau Mồng Tơi

One of my favorite soups growing up was a green one that my mom used to make about once a week. I call it a “green” one because up until about a year ago, I had no idea what the english word for the leaves we used for the soup were called. They were a vibrant yet earthy green color, were extremely tender, and grew on vines close to the ground which necessitated washing the bejeezus out of them before cooking lest you find yourself with a gritty soup.

Known as malabar in English or rau mồng tơi in Vietnamese, this succulent spinach is usually found year round in most asian supermarkets and is pretty high in vitamins and low in calories. I know…something that’s delicious AND good for you? Holy cow! Did I mention that it’s pretty easy to prepare? Probably the 2nd thing I learned how to master in my youth, it’s easy, hard to mess up, and does well with some tweaks and enhancements. If I’m feeling particularly health conscious, I’ll throw in some tofu too. I know…stop the presses.

The soup itself reminded me of a lighter version of gumbo…indeed, when cut, the leaves and vines have the same thick oozy properties that okra has. When preparing, you prepare the broth and then throw in the malabar at the last moment…allowing it to cook further only until the broth has come to a boil again. This yields a soup that still full of tender, amazing malabar and allows it to thicken the broth just slightly giving you a fresh, light soup that has some body to it.

My favorite way to have this soup is either by itself or served over a small helping of rice with a bunch of my family and friends. As far as comfort foods go in our household, this is one of the top 5!

Canh Rau Mồng Tơi
As envisioned by TastyDesu

Ingredients

1/2lb pork belly, finely minced/ground**
1lb malabar
1 package extra firm tofu, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
5 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 to 1.5 tablespoons sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Thoroughly wash malabar in a large basin or sink to remove any remnants of sand. Remove any old looking leaves that have holes or any browned edges and discard. Chop malabar, leaves, vines, and all, into about 1/4 – 1/2 inch chiffonade. It doesn’t have to be perfect, you just want to cut the leaves and vines down to manageable pieces. Set aside in a bowl and prepare broth.

In a large pot, heat oil over high heat until shimmering. Saute ground or minced pork belly until no longer pink and slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add in water with heat still on high and deglaze the pan, make sure to get up any browned bits of goodness!

Season broth with salt, sugar, and pepper to taste and bring to boil. Lower heat and allow to simmer about 15-20 minutes. Increase heat to high and bring broth back up to a rolling boil and add in malabar and tofu. Stir. Allow the soup to come to a boil again, then immediately remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper again to taste.

**I usually use shrimp and prepare the soup base as I did for banh canh tom, but I happened to have some pork belly on hand at the time. Feel free to use whatever protein you’d like…this recipe is easily adaptable

Sweet Chili Wings

Wings. Wings. More wings! Let’s face it, wings are one of those things, unlike men’s jeggings, that will never go out of style, get boring, or ever be refused by polite society. Now, as our quest for the most amazing wingage continues, I decided to give an asian inspired wing recipe a spin. I’ve tried out the traditional Frank’s Hot sauce variation, and Drew Cerza’s Bourbon variety which more than appeased my penchant for all things spicy, but I yearned for something different…perhaps something that wouldn’t singe the tastebuds off of my friends and send them crying in the corner.

Ok, I admit, perhaps I may have leaned towards this recipe because I am a bit biased…I mean, I’m asian, you throw in some plum, hoisin, or fish sauce in anything and I’m pretty much already halfway sold. Biases aside though, the promise of sweet and spiciness of these wings was pretty irresistible and given that I just happen to have all of the ingredients in my pantry AND it only takes 5 minutes to throw together the sauce, was there really ANY reason to not make this? I didn’t think so…

As expected, these wings were really superb. The spiciness is easily adjustable according to your tastes with either more or less serrano chilis (which I usually buy in bulk at the asian mart and freeze in ziplocks. They will keep for several months this way.) and sriracha sauce. The sweetness of the hoisin and plum sauce provide an amazing counterbalance to the spiciness without ever bordering on being too sweet and saccharine. It gives it that bit of complex sweetness that tempers the heat and provides another avenue of flavor for your tastebuds to focus on while the heat does its thing!

I’ll definitely be making these again…and in the oven of course! Ever since I figured out that you can do wings in the oven, it has quickly become my wing preparation method of choice. I’m going to get on my soapbox for a moment and declare, “Throw ye all your hot fryers away and crank up your ovens!!” Wings without any of the deep fryer guilt. What more can you ask for?

Sweet Chili Wings
Adapted from PARADE | January 2008

Ingredients

For the sauce:
1 1/2 cups rice or cider vinegar
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup ketchup
6 tablespoons Chinese plum or duck sauce
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
4 to 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons (or to taste) finely chopped fresh red, jalapeño or serrano chili, with seeds
2 tablespoons (or to taste) Sriracha sauce
3 tablespoons finely minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water
30 chicken wings (about 3lbs, tips removed and cut at joint into sections)

Preparation

To prepare sauce
Combine all the sauce ingredients in a small, heavy saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to boil and then reduce to medium low. Simmer for about 5-10 minutes, stirring constantly to blend flavors. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce to medium-low and simmer, stirring constantly to blend the flavors. Remove from heat and puree in batches in a blender or using a hand blender until smooth. Yields 3 cups. Sauce may be stored, covered in air tight container, in refrigerator up to 2 weeks.

For the chicken wings
Place rack into bottommost position of oven. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Prepare a non stick roasting pan or spray some cooking spray into a roasting pan. Place wings in a single layer, about 1″ apart into pan and place onto bottom rack of oven. Bake about 20 minutes, flipping every 5-7 minutes, until wings are done and crispy.

Add the wings to a large mixing bowl and toss in the sauce, coating each wing.

Jalapeno, Sausage, and Egg Braid

Remember that really simple pizza dough that I was talking about before? Well, I’m going to let you in on a secret. Ready? Did you brace yourself? It’s not just for pizza… If you haven’t had that thunderstruck moment yet, don’t worry, you will in a few moments. I’ve been trying to figure out for ages now another excuse, er, recipe to make a bread braid.

After experiencing the magic and rapture that was the apple cream cheese braid, I wanted to make another braid, but of the savory variety. I had already brainstormed a variety of different filling combinations to try out, but I was a little uncertain about what I should do about the bread part, you see, because the dough I used in the cream cheese braids was more of the sweet sort. I was unsure how a sweetened dough would pair with savory fillings and so I kept putting off the braid making extravaganza…that is…until simple pizza dough came around.

Yes, that’s right…I used that oh so simple and so great pizza dough as the basis for my savory braid. And let me tell you, it was the culinary epiphany that I needed to drive away my cold spring blues. I had been toying around with a recipe for a breakfast braid for a while now and I figured now was as good as any time to try it out with the homemade dough…I mean why not? What says, “I’m brilliant and am culinary genius!!” more eloquently than a bright and sunny eggy bready thingie?

Who’s to say that eggs are relegated to just breakfast? If you’re anything like me, you’re not a morning person and fixing anything requiring more effort than ladling some cereal in a bowl and sloshing some milk on it is totally beyond your capabilities. So while this may have been intended as a breakfast dish, in my house, this evolved a weekday “breakfast for dinner” special. The results were delicious and just as amazing, if not more so, than if I had braved making this in the morning before my first cup of coffee.

The homemade pizza dough served as a perfect vehicle for this savory braid…it provided enough depth of flavor and texture to hold its own against the plethora of filling that I decided to throw in there…jalapenos, sausage, scrambled eggs, red peppers, and the usual suspects of my fridge raid. Enough gushing though…hurry up and go and make this! Because I know I’m going to be making this braid again this weekend, but I think this time filled with some gruyere, caramelized onions, and ham. Oh yes…the floodgates have opened…

Jalapeno, Sausage, Jack, and Egg Breakfast Braid
Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients

1 pizza crust (I used the simple pizza dough recipe but feel free to use your own or a 14oz can of refrigerated pizza dough)
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
4 ounces your favorite chicken sausage, chopped
2-3 jalapenos, minced (seeded if you prefer less heat)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 large egg white, lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon of water
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
Olive oil cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Get your pizza dough to room temperature and roll out into approximately a 15″ x 10″ rectangle onto a baking sheet coated with a light mist of cooking spray. Sprinkle monterey jack cheese down the center of the dough lengthwise, leaving about a 2.5″ border on each side.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, sausage, and jalapenos and saute until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Stir in eggs and cook for another 2 minutes or until set. Remove from heat and allow to cool about 5 minutes. Spoon egg mixture evenly onto pizza dough over the cheese. Sprinkle remaining cheddar cheese over egg mixture.

Make 2″ diagonal cuts about 1 inch apart along both sides of the dough using a very sharp knife. You’ll want about 1/2 inch gap between the dough strips and the filling. Alternating from side to side, fold the pieces in over the filling. When possible, gentle press on the tabs to seal the folds. After all of the strips have been folded over, brush the braid with egg white. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut crosswise into slices and serve.

Inside Out German Chocolate Cake

I feel like every time I turn around, I’m baking a cake that is even more decadent and sinful than the last. I really thought that after the cappuccino fudge cheesecake that there was nothing left for me to bake that could even come close to topping my “oooooooooohhhhhhh!!!” meter. I was wrong…

To give you a bit of some background story, for some reason I’ve been endearingly termed the “Black Widow” of my cubicle quad. We don’t usually see a lot of turnover on my team, but we’ve lost at least 3 people in less than 2 years and they just all happened to have been sitting in the cube next to mine. I figure it’s just a bad stretch, but since my friend Vince was going to be my next victim, er, cubiclemate very soon, I thought it wouldn’t hurt to try and start off on the right foot. I mean, all good things start with a good beginning right?

So since his birthday was coming up around the corner and since Vince HATES having a big to do done about his birthday, what better way to welcome him into the quad then by baking him a ridiculous cake adorned with flowers? I don’t know about you, but it was a smashing idea that was a win/win! I found a recipe that I had been meaning to try out for ages and set to work…

German chocolate cake has always been a favorite of mine because it’s all about the chocolate and not as much about the cake. This is an instance where I feel like the cake is merely the conduit for the chocolate, not the other way around. The chocolate here stands out as if to say, “Hey buddy, I’m the belle of this ball, k?” What I thought was equally interesting about this cake was that it was an inside out cake…meaning the cake served as the outermost layers while the inside layers was actually a filling made of dulce de leche mixed with pecans and coconuts. Wait, hold up. Dulce de leche? What’s that you ask? That’s the same question I asked myself finally when I started fooling around here. I mean, I’ve heard of it before and I always equated it with some sort of caramel type thing, but I couldn’t have been more wrong or have been missing out more…

Dulce de leche is very similar to caramel only instead of being made with caramelized sugar suspended in butter, this is sweetened or condensed milk that’s been gently cooked and loved until the milk sugars caramelize and make something so utterly amazing that I almost kicked myself for not having tried this sooner. Seriously, as it was, I was hard pressed to leave the dulce de leche alone enough to mix it into the coconut and pecans to make the filling. I somehow managed to muster up some herculean restraint and kept myself from pouring out some for quality control purposes and managed to make the cake with all, er most, of the dulce de leche intact.

So what do you get when you mix german chocolate cake, caramel of the gods, sprinkled with pecans and coconut, and then enrobed with some dark chocolate glaze? A little bit of heaven!

Inside Out German Chocolate Cake
Adapted from Gourmet | March 2000

Serves 12

**Liz note: I doubled the cake layer and filling portions below based on some suggestions and the cake I ended up with was pretty mammoth. Not that anyone complained while they were licking their fingers.

Ingredients

For cake layers
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup whole milk
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup boiling-hot water

For filling
7 ounces sweetened flaked coconut
4 ounces coarsely chopped pecans (1 cup)
14-ounces can sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon vanilla

For glaze
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
10 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
Special equipment: 3 – 9 inch round cake pans (although I recommend 8 inch round pans for thicker cake layers)

Preparation

Start by getting the dulce de leche started. The original recipe calls for cooking the condensed milk in a shallow pan in the oven, but I researched and found an easier way, but you have to follow the instructions precisely or else you’ll be cleaning caramel off of your ceiling. In a large, preferably tall heavy bottomed pot, place your condensed milk can(s). Fill with water to cover the cans by at least 6 inches. It’s important that there is always enough water to cover the tops of the cans! Bring to a boil and then cover and let simmer for 2 hours. Remove can and allow to cool on the countertop until cool enough to handle.

While the dulce de leche is simmering begin making cake layers and glaze. To make the glaze, melt butter in a 3 quart saucepan. Remove from heat and add chocolate and corn syrup, whisking until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth and shiny. Reserve 1 cup of glaze in a bowl to chill in the fridge for 1 hour until thickened and spreadable. Let remaining glaze cool in pan to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees with racks in upper and lower third positions in oven. Prep your cake pans with butter or oil and line bottoms of pans with a round of parchment paper. In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another large bowl, whisk milk, butter, egg, egg yolk, vanilla, and almond extract until just combined. Beat egg mixture into flour mixture with electric mixer on low speed, then beat on high speed for 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and beat in water until just combined. Don’t worry if batter looks thin. Divide batter equally among prepared cake pans. Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching pans and rotating 180 degrees after about 10 minutes. Bake until tester comes out clean, about another 10-15 minutes (total bake time will be 20-25 minutes).

Cool layers in pan on racks for 15 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edges and invert layers onto racks. Remove parchment rounds and cool layers upside down.

Reduce heat in oven to 325 degrees. Spread coconut in a large shallow baking pan and pecans in another. Bake pecans in upper third of oven and coconut in lower third, stirring occasionally, until golden, 12 to 18 minutes. Remove pans from oven.

Open your can(s) of dulce de leche and stir in coconut, pecans, and vanilla. Cover with foil and keep warm.

To assemble the cake, place 1 cake layer on a rack set over a baking pan. Drop half of the coconut mixture by spoonfuls evenly over the cake layer and gently spread with a wet spatula (if you have an offset spatula, it will really help). Make sure to spread the coconut filling to the edge of the cake layer. Top with another cake layer and repeat process with remaining filling. Top with remaining cake layer and spread chilled glaze evenly over top and sides of cake. Heat remaining glaze in pan over low heat, stirring, until glaze is glossy and pourable, about 1 minute. Pour glaze evenly over to of cake, making sure it coats sides. Shake rack gently to smooth glaze.

Chill cake until firm, about 1 hour. Transfer cake to a plate.

Cake keeps, covered and chilled, 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
For easier handling when assembling cake, place bottom layer on a cardboard round or the removable bottom of a tart or cake pan.