Fit for the King

Elvis Presley would have turned 69 on Jan. 8 and, by all accounts, he hasn’t been this hot since he left the building for good almost three decades ago. For the third straight year, Forbes has named him the top-earning deceased celebrity (raking in a cool $40 million annually), he charted a multi-platinum album in 2002 and his signature style has permeated the Silver Lake hipster set with their lamb-chop sideburns and oversized Foster Grants.

And, like Elvis, his favorite down-home cuisine is enjoying a comeback without ever having gone completely away. Not the oft-mentioned fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches or the Fool’s Gold Loaf (a hollowed-out loaf of Italian bread stuffed with a pound of fried bacon and a jar each of peanut butter and jelly) that have become the cautionary Elvis-at-the-end tales of excess. We’re talking about the comfort food he savored from his childhood in Tupelo, Miss., throughout his superstar trajectory and to the end of his life--dishes such as meatloaf, pan-broiled pork chops, ham and sweet potato casserole and banana pudding.

Comfort cuisine, which has pretty much stomped out the fussy nouvelle variety, abounds on L.A. menus. Several newer restaurants offer dressed-up versions of down-home delicacies such as EM Bistro’s braised short ribs, onion soup and strawberry shortcake, and Jar’s pot roast, creamed spinach and ice cream sundaes. Southland stalwarts such as Campanile and Kate Mantilini continue to serve up, respectively, gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches and secret recipe meatloaf

But, as generations of Elvis impersonators--from El Vez (“the Mexican Elvis”) to the Flying Elvi (Las Vegas-based skydivers)--have proven, nothing satisfies like the original. Luckily, when it comes to Elvis eats, the King’s appetite has been almost as well documented as his musical career in a handful of books, including Brenda Arlene Butler’s “Are You Hungry Tonight?”, David Adler’s “The Life and Cuisine of Elvis Presley” and “The Presley Family & Friends Cookbook” by Elvis’ cousin Donna Presley Early. Each details dishes from the fried okra and hominy grits of his childhood to the roast suckling pig and oysters Rockefeller served at his wedding to Priscilla Beaulieu.

The only challenge to eating like the Man from Memphis is to narrow the options without narrowing the arteries. Even the healthiest dishes among the hundreds of published recipes make the Atkins diet look like Army C rations. Over the years Elvis padded that famous pelvis with plates full of fried cheese balls, bacon muffins, deep-fried dill pickles, chicken pancakes and months worth of meatloaf. If one is going to pay homage to the King as the New Year’s diet season gets underway, it should be a recipe that doesn’t require permission from a medical professional.

Since it’s Elvis’ birthday and he was fond of his mother’s coconut cake, that’s as good a place as any from which to embark. The accompanying recipe comes from a collection called “Fit for a King: The Elvis Presley Cookbook,” and is served without a glaze. Elvis may have preferred his coconut cake without icing, but not so for this old hound dog, thank-you-very-much.

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Elvis’ Coconut Cake

Makes 8-12 servings

1 2/3 cups cake flour

1 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/3 cup, plus 1 tablespoon shortening

1/3 cup, plus 1/4 cup coconut milk

1/4 cup milk

3 egg whites

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

1 tablespoon butter, softened

3 cups grated coconut

To make cake, line the bottom of two 8-inch layer pans with waxed paper. Lightly grease the paper and sides of the pan with shortening. Cake ingredients should be at room temperature.

Sift cake flour into a bowl. Add sugar, salt and baking powder, and resift 3 times. Add shortening and 1/3 cup coconut milk, and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed for 2 minutes. Scrape sides of bowl. Add milk, egg whites and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Beat 2 minutes more. Scrape sides of bowl frequently to keep batter smooth. Spoon into cake pans and smooth top with a spatula.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove cake from oven and let it stand for about 5 minutes. Remove it to a rack to cool thoroughly.

To make glaze, combine confectioners’ sugar, butter, 1 teaspoon and 1/4 cup of coconut milk. Beat until smooth.

Place one cake layer on platter. Spread half of the glaze on cake. Sprinkle with 1 cup coconut. Place second layer on top. Spoon remaining glaze over second layer and let drizzle down the sides. Sprinkle remaining coconut on top of cake.