Here's a spectacular dessert that doubles as a centerpiece. The cake is baked in individual clay flowerpots, iced and topped with fresh flowers. Group the flowerpots together in center of dining table or place one at each place-setting and attach a place card for each guest. Use clean new clay flowerpots about 3 inches wide at the top, 1 3/4 inches wide at the bottom and 3 inches high.

Before using the first time, pots must be seasoned in a conventional oven. Coat insides of flowerpots liberally with shortening and set inside a cake pan. Leave inside a 250°F oven for 1 hour, adding more shortening as pots absorb the fat. Once seasoned, food will not stick to the pots and the seasoning should last through many washes.

Cake: Cream shortening and sugar together. Add eggs, beating well. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Mix well. Stir in lime juice and peel.

Place double thickness of waxed paper over bottom hole of 6 well-seasoned clay flowerpots. Divide batter evenly among flowerpots. Arrange pots in circle in microwave; micro-cook at medium (50%) for 5 minutes. Rearrange (rotate and move around) pots. Micro-cook at high for 2 to 6 minutes, or until tops are almost dry and toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Remove immediately to wire rack. Cool.

Icing: Micro-cook butter and milk in 4 cup dish at high for 1 minute or until butter is melted. Stir in food coloring, lime juice and peel. Beat in icing sugar gradually until icing is thick enough to spread. Ice cooled cakes and sprinkle with coconut.

Garnish: Just before guests arrive, cut drinking straws in half and insert two halves in each flowerpot at a jaunty angle. Cut stems on flowers if necessary and arrange one flower in each drinking straw. *Don't use poisonous flowers such as daffodil, hyacinth, iris or crocus to garnish this dessert. Typed in MMformat by cjhartlin@email. Msn. Com

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