Coconut Cake with 7-Minute Frosting
This coconut cake is packed with coconut goodness. When I woke up this morning, my whole downstairs still smelled like wonderful coconut. There is nothing that I love more than a great coconut cake. I have to admit, I did not make this, my husband did! This is my birthday cake. I asked him for a birthday cake, and he already knew my favorite was coconut. He is extremely good at cooking with precise measurements and instructions. Therefore, he loves Alton Brown. This recipe is adapted from Alton Brown’s coconut cake recipe. He did not use a fresh coconut, because I could not find one. However, I did make a stop by my local Asian grocery and found the required coconut juice, and went ahead and picked up the coconut milk and coconut cream for this recipe. I just bought all the ingredients, and he did the rest. He even did the dishes!
Yield: Serves 12
Coconut Cake with 7-Minute Frosting
3.80 stars (5 reviews)
Loading...Ingredients:
For the Cake:
14 1/4 ounces cake flour, about 3 cups
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup coconut cream
8 ounces, or 1/2 cup butter at room temperature
16 ounces sugar, 2 1/4 cups
1 teaspoon coconut extract
4 egg whites
1/3 cup coconut juice
For the 7-Minute Coconut Frosting:
3 large egg whites
12 ounces sugar, about 1 3/4 cups
1/3 cup coconut juice
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Grated coconut
Directions:
For the Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly oil 2 9 inch cake pans with vegetable oil. Line the pans with parchment paper, and then lightly oil again. Sprinkle with flour, and shake out excess.
Place the cake flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl, and whisk to combine.
Combine coconut milk and cream in a bowl and set aside.
Place butter in mixing bowl of stand mixer and attach paddle attachment. Cream the butter on medium until light and fluffy, about one minute. Decrease the speed to low and slowly add the sugar. Once all the sugar is incorporated, turn the mixer back to medium and continue creaming until mixture is very light in color and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
Add coconut extract, and mix until incorporated.
Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour and milk mixture to the butter and sugar alternately, ending with the milk mixture. Try not to over mix.
In a separate bowl, use your hand mixer to beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.
Fold the egg whites into the batter, just until combined.
Divide the batter evenly into the two pans. Tap the pans on the counter several times to evenly distribute the batter.
Place on middle rack in oven and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, or until cakes are golden brown, and cakes path the toothpick test.
Cool the cakes for 15 minutes in the pan, and then remove and place on a cooling rack to continue cooling.
When cakes are completely cooled, cut each layer in half to make 4 cake layers.
Use coconut water in a spritz bottle to spray on the cake layers, or lightly brush the coconut juice on the cake layers.
For the Frosting:
Fill a sauce pan, or bottom of your double boiler with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and continue to boil.
In a mixing bowl, or top of double boiler, place egg whites, sugar, coconut water, cream of tartar, and salt.
Place this on top of boiling water and beat with your hand mixer on low speed for 1 minute.
Then increase hand mixer speed to high and continue to beat for 5 minutes or more, or until frosting has thickened. (My frosting always takes more than 7 minutes.)
Remove from heat and add vanilla and coconut extracts. Beat for another minute on high.
Allow the frosting to set for 5 minutes before using.
Frost top of layers and sprinkle with grated coconut, repeat with all layers. Frost top and sides of cake. Sprinkle with grated coconut.
