A brief story that proves that is the proper coconut cake. It’s so excellent, it’s virtually miraculous. (Not that I see the face of Jesus within the frosting, however rattling close to as stunning.)
The One has been a lifelong coconut hater. At any time when I recommend whipping up a batch of coconut blondies, a coconut cream pie, or some coconut pops, he rolls his eyes and says one phrase. “Chocolate.”
All this month, our good friend Nora has been visiting us from Uruguay. She is, as she places it, “cuckoo for coconut cake.” Because of this, I’ve made this magnificence thrice.
The primary time, The One nibbled a bit on his slice after which reached for the blueberry slab pie.
The second time, he muttered, “Not too dangerous,” and had a number of extra mouth fulls. The third time, he demanded I divvy the cake into thirds so he may stake his declare. Now he needs it in regulation summer time rotation.
I drew inspiration from the Magnolia Bakery’s coconut cake recipe. As a lot as I really like their cake, I wished extra coconut taste and a moister texture, and I didn’t need to fiddle with two kinds of flour (self-rising and all-purpose). I wished what the title recommend: an previous style coconut cake.
After testing and tweaking and retesting, I settled on coconut milk and coconut cream for sweetness and moisture. I added coconut to the batter, and actual coconut extract gave it that further punch of taste. I settled on simply plain ole all-purpose flour.
Dare I say it restored my religion in, um, the facility of dessert?
Why Our Testers Cherished This
Tester Ayanna Fews struggled to seek out the correct phrases to explain how a lot she and her goddaughter adored this classic coconut cake. She beloved that it was “moist, candy, wealthy, and simply pure decadence.”
Notes on Substances
- Sweetened shredded coconut–This provides texture to the cake batter and filling in addition to a lovely garnish to the completed cake.
- Coconut milk and sweetened coconut cream–To create a wealthy cake batter with numerous coconut taste, I exploit a mixture of coconut milk and coconut cream. Use the canned variations, not the boxed selection.
- Coconut extract–This delivers an additional increase of coconut taste. Keep away from the pretend stuff; use actual coconut extract for the very best outcomes.
- Cream of tartar–That is important for stabilizing your meringue frosting. Don’t skip it.
Step-by-Step Directions
- Warmth the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour three 8-inch cake pans.
- Beat the butter in a stand mixer till easy.
- Dump within the coconut and regularly beat within the sugar.
- Plop within the eggs, one after the other, beating nicely after every addition.
- Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the coconut cream, coconut milk, vanilla, and coconut extract. Add one-quarter of the dry components to the mixer whereas it’s operating.
- Pour in one-third of the coconut milk combination and mix nicely. Alternate including the remaining dry and moist mixtures.
- Divvy the batter between the cake pans. Bake till a tester comes out clear. Cool within the pans for quarter-hour, then take away and funky utterly on a wire rack.
- To make the filling, whisk the coconut milk, sugar, and flour in a saucepan till easy. Cook dinner till thickened and bubbly.
- Stir in coconut and vanilla, then cool.
- Unfold half of the cooled filling between the primary two layers of the cake, then unfold the remaining half between the second and third layers.
- Put together the Italian meringue and beat till it’s silky with stiff peaks.
- Frost the cake instantly, then sprinkle with coconut.
Frequent Questions
This cake is finest served the day it’s stuffed and frosted. But when I’m sincere, The One and I’ve had sliced 48 hours, and it was completely nice. To maintain the cake in preventing form, it’s finest to retailer it below a cake dome. It retains the meringue frosting brisker.
Concern not. When you don’t have three 8-inch pans, you’ll be able to bake the cake in batches. Simply ensure to not let the batter sit too lengthy as a result of it may have an effect on the cake’s rise. You might additionally use two 9-inch pans and scale back the baking time to 25 to half-hour.
Sure, however with caveats. You’ll be able to freeze the unfrosted cake layers for as much as 4 months. Merely wrap them tightly in plastic wrap, then, for further security, in aluminum foil or in hermetic freezer luggage.
While you’re prepared to make use of them, allow them to thaw utterly at room temperature earlier than filling and frosting. Right here’s the caveat: The filling and frosting don’t freeze nicely, so that you’ll must make them because the cake defrosts. No biggie.
Professional Suggestions
- You may make the cake layers a day forward of time and the filling and frosting the day it’s to be served.
- At any time when I bake desserts, I exploit cake strips (these grey spirals in step #1). You moist them and wrap them across the outdoors of the cake pan. It prevents the cake from doming.
- For a extra complicated taste, you toast the adorning coconut in a dry skillet over low warmth. Stir always till the coconut is evenly coloured. Instantly spoon it right into a bowl to cease the cooking. It provides dramatic coloration to the highest of the cake.
Extra Excellent Cake Recipes
Write a Assessment
When you make this recipe, or any dish on LC, think about leaving a overview, a star score, and your finest picture within the feedback beneath. I really like listening to from you.–David
That is the very best cake ever! I actually loved making ready it. I’ve been baking for years and am fairly good at it. However it is a very completely different cake combine and a pleasure to create.
diana s.
Make the coconut layer cake
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Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter and flippantly flour three 8-by-2-inch spherical cake pans, then line the bottoms with parchment paper.
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Beat the butter within the bowl of a stand mixer till easy. Dump within the coconut.
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Add the sugar regularly and beat till fluffy, 3 to five minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating nicely after every addition.
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Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt In a medium bowl. In one other bowl, whisk collectively the coconut milk, coconut cream, and extracts.
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Spoon the flour combination into the creamed butter in 4 additions, alternating with the coconut milk combination, beating nicely after every addition. Divide the batter among the many cake pans.
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Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or till a cake tester inserted within the middle of a cake comes out clear.
☞ TESTER TIP:
Resist overbaking the cake. it is going to be unpleasantly dry and crumbly.
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Let the desserts cool within the pans for quarter-hour. Take away from the pans and funky utterly on a wire rack.
Make the coconut filling
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Whisk the coconut milk, sugar, and flour in a medium saucepan till easy.
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Cook dinner, stirring always, over medium-high warmth till thickened and bubbly, about 5 minutes. Take away from the warmth, then stir within the coconut flakes and vanilla extract. Cool to room temperature.
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Unfold half of the cooled filling between the primary two layers of cake, then the opposite half between the second and third layers.
Make the Italian meringue
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Add the egg whites and coconut extract to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high till foamy, about 1 minute.
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Mix the water, sugar, cream of tartar In a medium saucepan over excessive warmth.
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Because the combination begins to bubble across the edges, stir as soon as to verify the sugar is dissolved utterly. Let it come to a rolling boil, 2 to three minutes. Instantly take away from the warmth.
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Flip the mixer to medium-high, and pour the sugar syrup CAREFULLY into the crushed egg whites in a skinny, regular stream. Proceed beating for about 7 minutes or till stiff peaks type, however the frosting remains to be silky.
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Frost the highest and sides of the cake instantly, being beneficiant together with your swoops, swirls, and thrives. Generously sprinkle the highest of the cake with shredded coconut.
- Make forward–The cake layers could be made a day forward of time, and the filling and frosting the day it’s to be served.
- Use cake strips–Cake strips forestall doming. They’re indispensable.
- Toast the coconut–For a extra complicated taste, toast the adorning coconut in a dry skillet over low warmth. Stir always till the coconut is evenly coloured. Instantly spoon it right into a bowl to cease the cooking.
Serving: 1 portionEnergy: 632 kcalCarbohydrates: 100 gProtein: 8 gFats: 24 gSaturated Fats: 16 gMonounsaturated Fats: 5 gTrans Fats: 1 gLdl cholesterol: 104 mgSodium: 232 mgFiber: 2 gSugar: 76 g
Diet info is robotically calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.
Recipe © 2023 David Leite. Pictures © 2023 David Leite. All rights reserved.
Recipe Testers’ Opinions
It’s a wonderful cake! Tender and moist. Simply beautiful. The coconut cream I purchased was unsweetened and the cake turned out so completely. I truthfully wouldn’t have preferred the cake any sweeter. The marshmallow-y coconut frosting was sugary sufficient for me and my household, who agreed that the cake was good. That is proper up there with one other cake–a carrot cake soaked with coconut syrup and swathed in cream cheese frosting.
Studying by way of the recipe, one would suppose this basic cake needs to be a multi-day endeavor. I suppose it may very well be, nevertheless it got here collectively way more shortly than I assumed it could.
The Italian meringue is FABULOUS, and the instructions are spot on. My icing reached the stiff peak stage in about 4 minutes utilizing my 30+-year-old bowl elevate Kitchenaid. All these icings have been considerably of a nemesis to me through the years, typically turning out completely, different occasions wanting like soup (or worse, hardening like divinity sweet).
I’m nonetheless not all in on the coconut IN the cake. It appears to make for a messy minimize. The hubs is glad, although. It’s a strong cake. And an enormous one.
It’s onerous to place into phrases simply how unbelievable this old school coconut cake is. It’s moist, candy, wealthy, and simply pure decadence. I shared a slice with my goddaughter, and he or she mentioned, “It’s so good that it doesn’t make sense!” It truly is!
The filling was wonderful, and the frosting tasted SO good. (And I’ll admit that I sampled fairly a little bit of the frosting earlier than it made it onto the cake!)
You make the frosting such as you would an Italian meringue, besides you don’t add any butter. It tastes like the very best marshmallow you will have ever tasted! The recipe was spot on as written; the one deviation I made was to toast the coconut earlier than placing it on the cake, giving it a considerably nutty style that was nicely obtained.
I at all times use a bit of the batter to make a single cupcake in order that I can style the cake with out having to chop into it, and I can inform you this recipe makes an lovable cupcake, too. I added a small layer of the filling to the highest of the cupcake, then I added the frosting and the toasted coconut, which turned out actually cute!
I can’t wait for an additional purpose to make this old-timey cake once more, as that is the sort of cake it’s essential to make with the intent to share. In any other case, you possibly can undoubtedly eat this whole cake by your self.
