Coconut Cake

My co-workers are getting spoiled. Not that I mind, but almost daily I get asked “any goodies today?” and if the answer is no, “how about tomorrow?” It’s actually a great feeling knowing that people enjoy what I bake. The latest request was for a coconut cake. I was even presented this recipe by my friend and cubicle neighbor, Gina.

Surprisingly, I had all the ingredients in my kitchen. That is a good sign that I am building a stock of baking necessities, really – who has buttermilk in their fridge, just in case? 

It’s a good rule of thumb to bring all ingredients to room temperature when making a cake, even the milk and eggs. The cake will have a better rise if the ingredients are warm during mixing. I greased the pans, and sifted the flour, baking powder, soda and salt into a medium bowl. 

I beat the butter for 2 minutes, and then added the sugar until light and fluffy. Then the egg yolks were added, one at a time, followed by the vanilla. 

The batter looks great! A beautiful shade of yellow, with a creamy and fluffy texture. The recipe calls for the buttermilk to be added in 3 additions, alternating with the flour mixture. This recipe is called “Coconut Cake” although the only coconut in this cake is the flaked coconut garnish. So I added ¼ cup of dried coconut milk to the buttermilk before mixing it into the batter. The powder dissolved right into the milk, so it should give the cake a light coconut flavor and add a bit more moisture to the cake, since the power contains some coconut oil. 

I beat the egg whites onto a meringue, and gently folded them into the batter. I used my new kitchen scale to weigh both pans of batter to get even cakes. The cakes baked for 35 minutes in a 350 degree oven. 

After the cakes were completely cooled, I cut them both in half to get 4 even layers. The recipe calls for a home-made lemon curd filling. Instead of using this, I just popped open a jar or pre-made lemon curd. I did not want the strong lemon flavor to drown out the coconut flavor, so I beat ¾ cup of lemon curd with 1 cup of whipped cream. It was a creamy, but not-as-tart version of lemon curd – perfect for this cake. I spread it evenly between the 3 layers along with a sprinkling of coconut.

The recipe called for a ‘7-Minute Frosting’. The ingredients are simple, the process not-so-simple. I had such a hard time with this frosting that I am writing a separate post about it – yes, it was that bad! But, on the 4^th try, it came out wonderful, better than I had imagined. 

I spread on a nice thick layer and topped with a layer of coconut. We carved it up for breakfast the next day at work. The cake was moist, a little dense with a hint of coconut flavor. The alternating lemon curd and coconut in the layers was not only attractive, it gave you all the flavors in every bite. The frosting was heavenly – thick, sweet and almost marshmallowy. All together, the cake was delicious. My co-workers would agree, especially one of my biggest supporters, who had 3 pieces!