| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr 40 min |
| Prep: | 1 hr |
| Cook: | 40 min |
| Yield: | 1 cake |
Ingredients
- 1 coconut (see Cook’s Note)
- Vegetable oil, for cake pan
- 14 1/4 ounces cake flour, plus extra for pans, approximately 3 cups
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup fresh coconut milk
- 1/2 cup fresh coconut cream
- 8 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
- 16 ounces sugar, approximately 2 1/4 cups
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 4 egg whites
- 1/3 cup coconut water
- 3 large egg whites
- 12 ounces sugar, approximately 1 3/4 cups
- 1/3 cup coconut water
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Grated coconut from 1 coconut, approximately 8 to 10 ounces
Instructions
- For the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil 2 (9-inch) cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper. Oil the parchment paper and then flour the pan. Set aside.
- Place the flour, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
- Combine the coconut milk and coconut cream in small bowl and set aside.
- Place the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer and using the paddle attachment, cream on medium speed until fluffy, approximately 1 minute. Decrease the speed to low and gradually add the sugar slowly over 1 to 2 minutes. Once all of the sugar has been added, stop the mixer and scrape down the sides. Turn the mixer back on to medium speed and continue creaming until the mixture noticeably lightens in texture and increases slightly in volume, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the coconut extract.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture alternately with the milk mixture to the butter and sugar in 3 batches, ending with the milk mixture. Do not over mix.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Fold the egg whites into the batter, just until combined. Divide the batter evenly between the pans and bang the pans on the counter top several times to remove any air and to distribute the batter evenly in the pan. Place in the oven on the middle rack. Bake for 40 minutes or until the cake is light golden in color and reaches an internal temperature of 200 degrees F.
- Cool the cake in the pans for 10 minutes then remove and transfer to a cooling rack. Once the cakes have cooled completely cut across the equator of each to form 4 layers. Place the 1/3 cup coconut water into a small spritz bottle and spray evenly onto the cut side of the 4 layers. If you do not have a spritz bottle you may brush the coconut water on with a silicone pastry brush. Allow to sit while preparing the frosting.
- For the frosting:
- Bring 1 quart of water to a boil in a 4-quart saucepan over high heat. Decrease the heat to medium to maintain a steady simmer. In the meantime, place the egg whites, sugar, coconut water, cream of tartar and salt into a medium size-mixing bowl. Place the bowl over the simmering water and immediately begin beating with an electric hand mixer set to low speed. Beat for 1 minute and then increase the speed to high and continue to beat for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and beat in the coconut and vanilla extracts for 1 minute. Allow the frosting to sit for 5 minutes before using.
- Place approximately 3/4 cup of the frosting on the first layer of cake, sprinkle with 1/2 cup coconut and top with the next layer. Repeat until you reach the top layer. Frost the top and sides of the cake and sprinkle with the remaining coconut. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 14 servings |
| Calories | 596 |
| Total Fat | 28 g |
| Saturated Fat | 19 g |
| Carbohydrates | 84 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 59 g |
| Protein | 5 g |
| Cholesterol | 35 mg |
| Sodium | 252 mg |
Reviews
Delicious cake! Did not make this frosting since I don’t have a handheld beater. We made cream cheese frosting instead, but added the coconut shreds to it. Also, we did not add coconut extract and used canned coco milk as opposed to fresh. Love this! Used home milled, whole soft white wheat flour.
I’ve made this cake multiple times. It’s the lightest cake and the 7 min frosting is the only frosting that I will eat. It’s full of flavour and extremely smooth
I already had decided on a cake recipe (don’t tell anyone but I used a cake mix as the base for ease) but preferred a frosting that didn’t use cream cheese, so my review pertains to the frosting. Several have commented on the sweetness but I didn’t find much on what happens when you use less sugar. I used 9oz of sugar and regular water – the icing still turned out perfect. The frosting was glossy and gorgeous and has held up well (this is day 2 now). Agree with others to frost the cake right away since it will dry similar to tacky paint and coating with coconut may prove challenging.
The next part was I didn’t grate fresh coconuts; they were really expensive, so I bought frozen “fresh” grated coconut (NOT the dried sweet coconut in the baking aisle). Since the package said it was sweetened, it was another reason to want to reduce the sugar in the frosting. I used 2 6oz bags of coconut but wish I had used 3. I was heavy handed with it compared to the directions but don’t feel that it was too much coconut.
I love that this recipe uses coconut milk and cream. I also used canned versions, but I still got a great coconut flavor. I assume used gluten free flour due to an allergy in the family. While obviously not as fluffy or moist, the cake still turned out well.
I love coconut cake. I would have given 5 stars but at 76 opening a coconut was difficult. So glad to see the 7 minute frosting. My kids didn’t have a clue what I meant when I told them about it. A favorite for coconut and for chocolate cakes. This is just a lovely cake.
So so fabulous I had problems with the coconut but got done….exquisite
This cake was amazing. Reminded of my great grandmothers cake during the holidays. Will be a permanent addition to my holiday baking!
This cake is fabulous. I will say, even if you use store bought items, it does take some time and effort. I will also suggest that you watch the episode. He walks through every step and there are things he tells you that are different from this page. One prime example is that he didn’t dust his pans with flour but it tells you to do that here. You can see what the batter should look like through different stages. This was my first time using this recipe and the cakes turned out beautiful. You can’t overwork the batter and you have to follow his instructions. Mine turned out light and moist. I did use canned milk, cream, water, and extract but he walks you through how to make those from fresh coconuts if you watch the video. If you do a search for coconut cream on this site it will also pull up his recipe. Next time I will just use some of the extra coconut milk to spritz the cakes with instead of the water. I also used a different frosting. I am southern and very familiar with meringues applications. They are not my favorite and neither is marshmallow. The 7 minute frosting kind of hits the middle between those two in texture. I used a frosting made from cream cheese, whipping cream, coconut extract, and a little sugar for something much lighter.
This cake is incredible! It has become a family favorite of ours. My only complaint is that it is very sweet. Is there a way to reduce the sugar in the recipe without totally destroying the cake?
I agree with you!