singular sensation – coconut cream cake
A much belated Happy New Year to you all–it’s been almost a month since the last recipe. If you happened to see my tweets and barrage of Instagram photos during that interval, you learned that M and I were in Japan and Hong Kong for a vacation and family visit. It was also three weeks of amazing eats. Stay tuned for photos and stories.
I had planned to make an apple dessert upon my return, thinking this would be the right homey treat for re-entry back to everyday life. Instead, I found myself thinking of the sweet and even savory flavors from our trip. We experienced mango, passion fruit, coconut, egg custards, multiple mousses, many types of mochi–and daily samplings of flakey pastries and airy cakes.
Some of these desserts would be familiar to a Western palette but most were new. I found several to admire and to select for re-interpretation, but it will take a bit of time to deconstruct and decipher them.
For now, it’s best for me to deal with each ingredient, one at a time. This will extend the vacation glow just a bit longer to savor flavor memories.
Coconut Cream Cake
Ingredients:
Coconut Cake
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 5 large egg whites, room temperature
- 3/4 cup cream of coconut
- 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 2-1/4 cups cake flour (9 ounces), sifted
- 1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 12 tablespoons (6 ounces/1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter , cut into 12 pieces, softened, but still cool
Coconut Frosting
- 4 large egg whites
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 pound unsalted butter (4 sticks), each stick cut into 6 pieces, softened, but still cool
- 1/4 cup cream of coconut
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Assembly
- Coconut cake layers
- Coconut Frosting
- 2 cups large coconut flakes, toasted
Directions:
Coconut Cake
1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325℉. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with cooking spray and dust with flour.
2. Beat whole egg and egg whites in large measuring cup with fork to combine. Add cream of coconut, unsweetened coconut milk, vanilla, and coconut extract; beat with fork until thoroughly combined.
3. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Mix on lowest speed to combine, about 30 seconds. With mixer running, add butter 1 piece at a time, then beat until mixture resembles coarse meal, with butter bits no larger than small peas, 2 to 2-1/2 minutes.
4. Add 1/2 of egg mixture, increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add remaining egg mixture in steady stream. Stop mixer and scrape down bowl with rubber spatula, then beat at medium-high speed until fully combine, about 30 seconds. (Batter will be thick.)
5. Divide batter evenly between cake pans and level with offset spatula. Bake until golden brown, cakes pull away from sides of pans, and toothpick inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes (rotate cakes after about 20 minutes).
6. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes, then loosen cakes from sides of pans with paring knife, invert cakes onto racks and then re-invert; cool to room temperature.
Coconut Frosting
1. Combine whites, sugar, and salt in bowl of standing mixer; set bowl over saucepan containing, about 1-1/2-inches, of barely simmering water. Whisk constantly until mixture is opaque and warm to the touch and registers about 120℉ on an instant-read thermometer, about 2 minutes.
2. Transfer bowl to mixer and beat whites on high speed with whisk attachment until barely warm, whites are glossy and sticky, about 7 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-high and beat in butter 1 piece at a time. Beat in cream of coconut, coconut and vanilla extracts. Stop mixer and scrape bottom and sides of bowl. Continue to beat at medium-high speed until well-combined, about 1 minute.
Assembly
1. Cut each cake in half horizontally. Place one cake layer on the bottom of cake stand or serving platter. Spread a generous layer of frosting over cake layer and top with another layer. Repeat with the remaining cake layers.
2. Spread frosting on top and side of cake. Garnish with toasted coconut flakes. Serve.
recipe adapted from Cook’s Illustrated
Welcome home! Look forward to hearing about the food adventures (and seeing pics?) from your trip. In the meantime, your coconut cake will be a nice weekend baking break from a crazy week. Your cakes always look like castles- they stand tall, demand respect then welcome you in to indulge ;-)
This cake is so pretty! And sounds awesome.
Absolutely gorgeous! I completely enjoyed your photos on Facebook. Except that they always appeared when it was time for breakfast and I was starving, ha!
Yum! I love anything coconut :) WINNER!
Amazing recipe, amazing photography Well done!! best regards chandni
This looks fantastic! And totally reminds me of a coconut cake we had in Thailand. I am starting to really fall in love with all the different coconut products and its uses. Coconut water, milk, cream, flakes, butter, oil… all from one amazing fruit :)
This cake looks absolutely amazing! I love your pictures!
That looks like heaven! Coconut cake is my fave and yours is beautiful!
this is a really good coconut cake recipe. i’d love to try it!
Welcome back! I loved following along during your culinary capers – you feed us well! This cake is gorgeous, and I am thinking I am going to ask a certain someone to make for my birthday!
Wow, how perfect you made that cake. Impressive and delicious!
Wow, this cake is utterly divine! :)
Oh wow! How divine does that look? Pure ambrosia
What a spectacular way to welcome 2013 Ken! Of course we loved all your Instagram pictures from your travels but wow – we’ve missed your gorgeous recipes. Please send me a slice of this stat.
Yummm. Love the photo of the fork with eaten cake all over it. Looks so gooood.
this looks delicious….
Gorgeous! That cake is calling my name… Now, if you could just package it up and send it to me, that would be fabulous. :)
Oh wow the cake looks absolutely gorgeous, sounds delicious too!
I have a hard time leaving recipes alone. Sooooo, with the left over yolks I decided to make lemon curd and put it between the layers with some of the coconut frosting. Smells like heaven! Can’t wait to eat it later! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
By the way, do you use unsweetened coconut flakes or sweetened? Thanks
Hi Laura, I could only imagine the tangy lemon curd contrast beautifully with the coconut. I used unsweetened coconut flakes, but if you like a sweeter cake, by all means use the sweetened kind. -Ken
It was wonderful! Thank you! I took the cake to work and all of my coworkers raved about it!
Pingback: Coconut Macaroon Thumbprints with Passion Fruit Preserves » Chez Us
This looks awesome! Can’t wait to make it later this week for my birthday! Did you use canned coconut milk or the kind that comes in a carton that is sold by the soy and almond milk?
Hi KelseyLynn, it’s canned unsweetened coconut milk and not from the cartons. Happy Baking! -Ken
Hi, thank you for this recipe, I think it is the coconut cake I have been looking for! Can I just ask is cream of coconut just tinned coconut cream not milk? Thanks, Jacqui
Hi Jacqui, cream of coconut, aka Coco Lopez is a sweetened coconut cream, usually use for cocktail such as Pina Colada. It does come in a can but make sure you differentiate cream of coconut from unsweetened coconut milk, which also comes in a can. Happy baking! -Ken
I must be doing something wrong. Cakes were not very high despite only making it in 8″ pans. Did this make it flat? It was also far from the lovely white colour of yours. I dreamt of white cake all week.
Hi Laurice, first thing comes to mind is your baking powder has past it’s prime and lost the leavening strength. As for the white cake part, I’m not sure what went wrong. – Ken
Thanks Ken I will check the use by date. Maybe I used an old one!
wow this look absolutely stunning
Beautiful & delicious cake but, my icing was too thin. Any suggestions? I whipped the egg whites 8 minutes & until stiff & glossy? Maybe butter wasn’t cold enough?
Hi Monica, it could be 1. the warm butter, 2. the egg whites are still too warm to add butter or 3. you need to whip it a bit longer. Place the icing in the fridge for 20-30 min and beat it again. Hope this helps -Ken
Hi Ken, I’m going to try this cake again (even though mine wasn’t as spectacular looking as yours it tasted divine). My sons birthday is this weekend and his favourite cake is a Lamington. So I will make this cake with a dark chocolate frosting with toasted coconut. Can’t wait!
Hi Laurice, if your son loves chocolate and coconut, may I suggest 2 more of my recipes for your consideration. German Choc Cake http://bit.ly/GRB3wt and German Choc Lamingtons http://bit.ly/Z6ceEb Happy Baking! -Ken
Your cake seems amazing and so pretty! Rive Gauche Patisserie makes a coconut cake, more traditional with a cream cheese and butter icing! Can’t wait to try yours!
This recipe was fantastic, the batter alone came out so beautiful it made me want to cry!!! This was just simply delish. Thank you so much for such a great recipe.
Hi Susie, I’m so glad you liked the cake. Thank you for the comment, it’s words like your that make blogging all worth while. -Ken
This is the most amazing cake I’ve ever had, bar none! The time it takes to make it is so worth it. My guests went wild. Making it for Christmas Dinner. Going to experiment and attempt a jelly roll style. Decorate with silver or gold candy beads for a simple wedding or green, gold, red for holiday. Some don’t care for the large flakes of coconut- you can refine by pulsating in a chopper. This added coconut adds extra rich flavor but finishes the decor of the cake itself.
This cake is to die for!
Hi Ken,
I made the Cooks Illustrated recipe last year and it was so dry. How far does your recipe stray from their recipe? Unsure of what I did wrong – overcooking (however, they didn’t look overcooked). It was certainly beautiful (added fondant snowflakes as I served it as Christmas Eve Dessert). I’m nervous about attempting it again, but you are getting wonderful reviews from those who have tried your recipe!
Hi Jacqueline, I didn’t alter the recipe too much. Did you leave the cake out for too long when cooling them on the rack? Did you use unsweetened coconut milk from the can or unsweetened milk beverage from the carton? I sure hope you’ll try it again. Happy Baking -Ken
Pingback: Coconut Dessert Recipes | Un - ComplicateUn – Complicate
I have not been able to locate the large coconut flakes here in Texas. Any ideas?
Hi Mary, you can usually find them in Whole Foods or large health food stores. Short of that, there’s always Amazon http://amzn.to/1i7Udkz -Ken
Hi Ken,
I had so much fun making this cake. I made it for my employee’s birthday, who is a coconut fanatic. I followed your recipe to the T. Will let you know how it turned out. Thanks for the recipe;).
Roc
Hi Roc, that’s wonderful, hope he/she appreciate your effort. Keep me posted on the party and love to see photos. -Ken
This cake was a total hit. Everyone loved this cake. Ken, Thanks again!
So glad it worked out for the birthday celebration. Thanks again for choosing my blog/recipe as your inspiration. -Ken
Pingback: 9 Gorgeous Coconut Cake Recipes for Easter Desserts - Great Food Kitchen
Pingback: 9 Gorgeous Coconut Cake Recipes for Easter Desserts – Great Food Recipes