Three years ago Naiel Chaudry, 14, started baking as a treat for his parents. His mom and dad were both busy with new jobs, and the Los Altos, CA, teen and his younger sister made them a date-night meal with a chocolate-hazelnut souffle. The siblings had so much fun baking that they launched La Jawab Treats and sold their goods to family and friends. When Naiel scored a spot on Kids Baking Championship, all of his experience came in handy—particularly during the show’s final challenge, when two of the three layers of his nautical-themed coconut-Key lime cake fell apart. He patched one together, ate the other and reconfigured the cake into two layers. “It boosted my morale because it tasted so good,” he says. The judges agreed, and he took home the $25,000 prize. “A year ago, I was looking up baking tips from past winners,” says Naiel. “Now that’s me!”
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 2 hr |
| Active: | 1 hr 30 min |
| Yield: | 12 to 16 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pans
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup Key lime juice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 small drop of green food coloring
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1 cup coconut puree (such as Pitaya Foods coconut smoothie packs)
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted
- 4 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter, granulated sugar and vegetable oil on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition. Add the vanilla and mix well.
- Reduce the mixer speed to medium and add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk in 2 additions. Mix until well combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely.
- Meanwhile, make the Key lime curd: Whisk together the granulated sugar, eggs, Key lime juice and salt in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it is thick like pudding and starting to pull away from the sides of the pan, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the food coloring and butter, a few tablespoons at a time. Mix until well combined. Strain the curd through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, 1 to 2 hours.
- Meanwhile, make the pastry cream: Bring the coconut puree to a simmer in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove from the heat. Whisk together the egg yolks, granulated sugar and cornstarch in a bowl until light and fluffy. Slowly pour the hot coconut puree into the egg mixture, whisking vigorously to prevent the eggs from curdling. Pour the mixture into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thick and boiling, about 5 minutes. Stir in the butter; remove from the heat.
- Strain the pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Fold in the toasted coconut. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely cooled, 1 to 2 hours.
- Make the buttercream: Beat the butter in a stand mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, heavy cream and salt; beat to combine.
- To assemble, place 1 cake layer on a platter. Spread a ring of buttercream on top and fill with the Key lime curd and then the coconut pastry cream. Top with the second cake layer. Completely cover with the buttercream using an offset spatula.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 14 servings |
| Calories | 898 |
| Total Fat | 54 g |
| Saturated Fat | 29 g |
| Carbohydrates | 99 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 75 g |
| Protein | 8 g |
| Cholesterol | 237 mg |
| Sodium | 408 mg |
Reviews
Delicious. I made it gluten free and the cake itself had great flavor and texture! Loved the combination of the lime and coconut. I used lime juice from my tree instead of key lime and skipped the food coloring.