Lucious layer cakes deliver tropical taste

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/05/2015 (3966 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Today we have two coconut layer cakes. Thanks to Enid Barnes who sent in her go-to recipe, by way of Ina Garten, and to Myrtle Bredin, who offers a triple coconut cake recipe she came across in Live Better, the Walmart magazine.

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Ina Garten’s coconut cake

340 g (3/4 lb or 11/2 cups) unsalted butter, room temperature

500 ml (2 cups) granulated sugar

5 extra-large eggs, room temperature

7 ml (11/2 tsp) pure vanilla extract

7 ml (11/2 tsp) pure almond extract

750 ml (3 cups) all-purpose flour

5 ml (1 tsp) baking powder

2 ml (1/2 tsp) baking soda

2 ml (1/2 tsp) kosher salt

250 ml (1 cup) whole milk

113 g (4 oz or about 1 cup) sweetened shredded coconut

 

Icing

453 g (1 lb) cream cheese, room temperature

226 g (1/2 lb or 1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature

3 ml (3/4 tsp) pure vanilla extract

1 ml (1/4 tsp) pure almond extract

450 g (1 lb or 33/4 cups) icing sugar, sifted

170 g (6 oz or 11/2 cups) sweetened shredded coconut

 

Preheat the oven to 175 C (350 F). Grease two 22 cm (9 inch) round cake pans (see notes), then line with parchment paper. Grease them again and dust lightly with flour. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light yellow and fluffy. Crack the eggs, 1 at a time, into a small bowl. With the mixer on medium speed, add each egg as it is cracked, scraping down the bowl once during mixing. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well. The mixture might look curdled; don’t be concerned. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk to the batter in 3 parts dry ingredients and 2 parts milk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Fold in the 113 g (1 cup) coconut with a rubber spatula.

Pour the batter evenly into the 2 pans and smooth the top with a knife. Bake in the centre of the oven for 45 to 55 minutes, until the tops are browned and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool on a baking rack for 30 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto a baking rack to finish cooling.

For the icing, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and almond extract on low speed. Add the icing sugar and mix until just smooth (don’t whip!). To assemble, place 1 layer on a flat serving plate, top side down, and spread with frosting. Place the second layer on top, top side up, and frost the top and sides. To decorate the cake, sprinkle the top with coconut and lightly press more coconut onto the sides. Serve at room temperature.

 

Tester’s notes: This is a delicious cake, with moist, dense layers a bit like a carrot cake, and a not-too-sweet cream cheese icing. I had a few issues in the execution, though they were all my own fault. I noticed that my standard cake pans with 3.8 cm (11/2 inch) sides were quite full, and I should have gone up to pans with 6.4 cm (21/2 inch) sides. I also rushed into the assembly stage and decided to ice the layers when they were quite cool. (There is no such thing as “quite cool” with icing cakes.) That, combined with the fact that my cream cheese icing wasn’t set enough, made for a delicious mess. Next time, I’ll use proper pans, patience and a little tinkering to get a good consistency for the icing. (And do make sure to buy bar cream cheese rather than the spreadable kind.) Ultimately, I salvaged my hopeless two-layer cake by turning it into two lovely single-layer cakes. They were great.

You’ll notice the recipe calls for extra-large eggs, an Ina Garten favourite. If you don’t want to buy extra-large specially, a close equivalent would be 5 large eggs and 1 yolk.

Once for a friend’s birthday, Enid divided the cake into 4 layers, which is absolutely heroic, since it involves nerve-racking horizontal-layer splitting as well as making extra icing in a recipe that already calls for pounds of cream cheese and butter. Enid also advises that this cake tastes best when it’s been frosted and sitting for at least a few hours or even overnight.

 

Triple coconut cake

625 ml (21/2 cups) all-purpose flour

250 ml (1 cup) shredded unsweetened coconut, plus additional for decorating

15 ml (1 tbsp) baking powder

5 ml (1 tsp) salt

175 ml (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature

375 ml (1 1/2 cups) granulated sugar

3 eggs

10 ml (2 tsp) vanilla extract

1 x 398 ml (13.5 oz) can coconut milk

 

Icing

250 ml (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened

5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract

750 ml (3 cups) icing sugar, divided

125 ml (1/2 cup) white chocolate chips, melted and cooled

60 ml (1/4 cup) whole milk

 

Preheat oven to 175 C (350 F). Butter or lightly spray two 22 cm (9 inch) cake pans and line with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, coconut, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat butter with sugar for 3 minutes, until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla. With mixer on low, beat in flour mixture in 2 parts, alternating with coconut milk.

Divide batter between prepared pans and smooth tops. Bake in centre of oven 30-35 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into centres of cakes comes out clean. Cool in pans on rack for 10 minutes, then turn cakes out onto rack and let cool completely, 1 hour. Place one cake layer on a large plate. Spread with 175 ml (3/4 cup) icing (see below) right to edge. Top with remaining cake layer. Repeat icing right to edge, then spread remaining icing around side of cake, smoothing or swirling surface. Sprinkle top with coconut.

To make icing: In a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter until creamy, 1 minute. Add vanilla, 250 ml (1 cup) icing sugar and melted and cooled white chocolate chips and beat for 1 minute. Reduce speed and beat in remaining 500 ml (2 cups) icing sugar in 2 parts, alternating with milk. Beat on medium-high, scraping down sides of bowl, until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

 

Tester’s notes: This is an easy, very tasty recipe. Use the best-quality white chocolate you can find for the icing. You can assemble this cake up to two days in advance, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Just make sure to let the cake come to room temp before serving.