Four Years of Wedded Bliss: Celebrating with Flowers, Fruit, Champagne and One Very Big Coconut Cake

Eric and I recently celebrated four years of wedded bliss. I wanted a giant coconut cake but I couldn't face Martha's Coconut Column recipe, so here's what I did.

I added 1 can of coconut milk to 2 boxes prepared white cake mix. (Special credit to my husband for rescuing the cakes from my wrath when the pop out pans I was using leaked batter all over the floor of oven creating massive cloud of black smoke. I was ready to toss them in the garbage with rage, but his clear head saved the day.)

For filling between the layers, I used lilikoi jam thinned with a bit of lemon juice. For frosting, I beat butter and powdered sugar together, a pinch of salt and a bit of cream with a dash of coconut extract- not too much! (I used 1/4 tsp for about 4 cups of frosting) Then I toasted shredded coconut in the oven till lovely and golden brown. It tastes so much better toasted- crunchy, nutty and sweet- and carefully patted it over the top of the iced cake. Divinity. (Topped with my all time best seller Flamingo Love Birds!)

The traditional gift for a fourth wedding anniversary is flowers and fruit, so we hit the farmer's market for a selection of both. Eric is quite the tropical fruit enthusiast, so it was really fun to choose it together.

Clockwise from left, we sampled cherymoa also known as custard apple, lilikoi or passion fruit, yellow and red dragon fruits (similar to kiwi with crunchy black seeds and a tart flavor), hairy red rambutan and rose apples. Each one was really unique, but I think the rose apples were my favorite. They tasted like candied rose petals with the texture of a pear.

Eric, I'm so glad you are my husband. Your curiosity, humor and talent for living fully and well inspire me day after day and year after year. Here's to a hundred more years.