This Coconut Cake is a show stopper. There’s the perfect balance of coconut flavor in a lovely scratch white cake. Swiss Buttercream is a little more work than an American Buttercream. It’s definitely worth the effort, as it’s buttery, silky and creamy. This is bakery worthy, for sure.
Coconut. Love it. (Or not.) If you don’t love coconut, please stick around. You can easily adapt this cake to be vanilla. But if you do love coconut– and I sure do– this is the coconut cake to make. I’ve posted Ina Garten’s Coconut Cake, and it’s one of my most viewed recipes. It’s a good cake– but the folks at America’s Test Kitchen have upped the ante. The difference in this cake, is that the recipe includes:
Cream of Coconut
makes a mighty find Pina Colada or a Chi-Chi. But, that’s for another time. I had to search at a couple of places, but I finally found a can of this. That was month ago, when I first caught the America’s Test Kitchen television episode on how to make this cake. I finally got around to making the cake, when I had leftover egg whites, using the yolks to make a fabulous Salted Caramel Ice Cream recipe.
NOTE: I found the cake recipe in this cookbook (which I own, and love) uses a traditional buttercream frosting. However, on the Season 10 show, a Swiss Buttercream is what’s used. I’ve always wanted to make a Swiss Buttercream, which is a bit different than the more common butter + powdered sugar kind of frosting.
Cake flour is important. I’m a huge fan of King Arthur Unbleached Cake Flour. You can buy it online, but it’s also at places like Whole Foods. The method for making the batter might seem a bit unconventional– it’s a method that America’s Test Kitchen likes to use. We start with dry ingredients, then add in butter, then add in the liquid. You’ll need both vanilla and coconut extract (buy mine online from LorAnn). You’ll need egg whites and one egg yolk. The batter uses 1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces. If you own this cookbook, these directions are not included: “Beat egg whites and whole egg in large measuring cup with fork to combine. Add cream of coconut, water, vanilla, and coconut extract and beat with fork until thoroughly combined.” You’re welcome.
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 still running on lowest speed, 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. With mixer still running, add 1 cup liquid. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 45 seconds. With mixer still running, add remaining 1 cup liquid in steady stream (this should take about 15 seconds).
Stop mixer and scrape down bowl with rubber spatula, then beat at medium-high speed to combine, about 15 seconds. (Batter will be thick.) Divide batter between cake pans and level with offset or rubber spatula. Bake until deep 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). Do not turn off oven.
While the cakes are cooling, spread 2 cups packed sweetened shredded coconut (about 8 ounces)
on rimmed baking sheet; toast in oven until shreds are a mix of golden brown and white, about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring 2 or 3 times.
Coconut Layer Cake with Swiss Buttercream Frosting
Equipment
- Cream of coconut (not coconut milk) This is often found in the soda and drink-mix aisle of the grocery store. Coco Lopez brand works best. One 15-ounce can is more than enough for the cake; make sure to stir it well before using because it separates as it stands. Thai Coconut Milk doesn't work with this cake recipe.
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1 large egg
- plus 5 large egg whites
- ¾ cup Coco Lopez cream of coconut not coconut milk!
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 2 ¼ cups cake flour 9 ounces, sifted
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon table salt
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 1/2 sticks, cut into 12 pieces, softened, but still cool
- 2 cups packed sweetened shredded coconut about 8 ounces
For the Swiss Buttercream
- 4 large egg whites
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- Pinch table salt
- 1 pound unsalted butter 4 sticks, each stick cut into 6 pieces, softened, but still cool
- ¼ cup Coco Lopez cream of coconut
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
FOR THE CAKE:
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease two 9-inch (or 3 8-inch) round cake pans with shortening and dust with flour. NOTE: I use Bakers Joy Baking Spray
- Beat egg whites and whole egg in large measuring cup with fork to combine. Add cream of coconut, water, vanilla, and coconut extract and beat with fork until thoroughly combined.
- 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 still running on lowest speed, 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.
- With mixer still running, add 1 cup liquid. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 45 seconds. With mixer still running, add remaining 1 cup liquid in steady stream (this should take about 15 seconds). Stop mixer and scrape down bowl with rubber spatula, then beat at medium-high speed to combine, about 15 seconds. (Batter will be thick.)
- Divide batter between cake pans and level with offset or rubber spatula. Bake until deep 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). Do not turn off oven. NOTE: I recommend checking the cake at 20-25 minutes for doneness to avoid risk of dry cake!
- Cool in pans on wire racks about 10 minutes, then loosen cakes from sides of pans with paring knife, invert cakes onto racks and then re-invert; cool to room temperature.
Toast the coconut:
- While cakes are cooling, spread shredded coconut on rimmed baking sheet; toast in oven until shreds are a mix of golden brown and white, about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring 2 or 3 times. Cool to room temperature.
For the frosting:
- Combine whites, sugar, and salt in bowl of standing mixer; set bowl over saucepan containing 1 1/2-inches of barely simmering water. Whisk constantly until mixture is opaque and warm to the touch and registers about 120 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 2 minutes.
- Transfer bowl to mixer and beat whites on high speed with whisk attachment until barely warm (about 80 degrees) and 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 and 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.
TO ASSEMBLE THE CAKE:
- Cut into slices and serve. (Wrap leftover cake in plastic and refrigerate; bring to room temperature before serving.)
- With a long serrated knife, cut both cakes in half horizontally so that each cake forms two layers.
- Put a "blob" of icing on the bottom layer and evenly spread with an off-set spatula. (You want a thin layer, as you'll have three layers of cake to frost.
- Repeat two more times, then frost the top layer of the cake. Frost the sides; Go easy with the frosting to make sure that you have enough to frost the cake all the way around. A rotating cake stand really helps with this.
- Once the cake is completely frosted, start applying the toasted coconut, over the sheet pan, on top of the cake. (The sheet pan catches any coconut that falls.)Gently press coconut on the sides of the cake, scooping up any coconut that has fallen onto the sheet pan.
- Cut into slices and serve. (Wrap leftover cake in plastic and refrigerate; bring to room temperature before serving.)
Notes
The good news is that just beating the heck out of it will usually bring it back together. If this happens to you again, try this: Run a dish towel under warm water and wring it out most of the way; wrap it around the outside of the bowl of your stand mixer while beating the buttercream, and hold it in place. If it starts to cool off, wet the towel again and repeat. This works best if your stand mixer bowl is metal; glass is a less efficient conductor of energy.
What a beautiful cake! I'm not a big fan of coconut, but this is so gorgeous I'm tempted to try it. I love Swiss buttercream and can imagine the dimension this adds to the cake. I hope you've had a fabulous Mother's Day. Blessings…Mary
First off, Happy Mother's Day! And YAYYYYY I am seriously SOOO excited, you have no idea 🙂 What an honor to have won! I can't wait to come up with something good! Also, did you know it is National Coconut Cream Pie Day?! Was this just a coincidence!? Thank you Debbie, you made my…month!
awesome….swiss buttercream is my only choice for buttercreams. great job on the post.
It looks like you have found another winner Debby. I hope your Mothers Day was pretty special!!
That is a beautiful cake, a bit too complicated for little old me, but I applaud you for making it!
I love a good coconut cake! This looks wonderful. I'm very curious about the frosting. I've never made Swiss buttercream. I'm Swiss. I should!
If it were up to me, I would put coconut in just about everything I bake, but my roommate HATES it! That's okay…I can bake this. For myself. Looks amazing!
Debby – I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day! Your cake is gorgeous and I love that it has the cream of coconut in it.
I want to lick my screen when I see that cake!! OMGosh! Perfection!!! I am now a follower of your delicious blog and hope you will stop by ours soon!
Lori
What a gorgeous cake! Thank you so much for the recipe and all the tips!
Amazing cake – wish we'd know run into each other blog a month sooner .. I had a cake event going on! I am sure there will be other ones
and I am already following you dear!
What a gorgeous and delectable coconut cake! I love it. The cream in there must really add moistness and richness.
oh my heavens that looks yummy. I am going to try this because I love coconut. Can I tell you what a wonderful site you have!
Congrats to Allie on her win!
I didn't love Ina's coconut cake because it was so dense and seemed dry and wasn't coconutty enough for me. I was hoping this would be better, but perhaps as you said, if you adapt your favorite white cake to include coconut, that would be best! I do love swiss meringue frostings though because they're so creamy and they pipe beautifully!
I adore coconut cake but dare not make it because I'd eat the whole thing. Wish you lived nearby, I'd have taken a bit off your hands.
I am a huge fan of coconut, especially when it's toasted. 🙂 Your buttercream looks amazing!
The coconut cake recipe is awesome im a lover of cakes and now i know how to finish it with coconut.
I think the cake is dry because of unbleached cake flour. I've made Cook's Illustrated pound cake with the same King Arthur unbleached cake flour and the result was very dry. Perhaps just a regular cake flour from King Arthur. Please let me know what you think.
There's a possibility that cake flour would give this a more tender crumb. I might want to underbake it just a few minutes less, too. I'm still looking for the "ultimate" white cake. Somehow, sour cream might be the secret.We shall see.
Again it looks wonderful. I would like to try the recipe but I am not finding a list of ingredients. I am a first time cook and can't figure it out by the beautiful pictures. Do you have to be a chef and know by instinct how much to put in the recipe?
I guess, Pat, you'll never see my response since you felt it necessary to insult me. First, can you read? In BIG RED LETTERS, if you look, at the top right of my blog I say where to click if you can't see my recipes.
Second, can you read that all over my blog, including the comment box that I give you my email? I am very available to my readers. I hope you can work through your anger, and practice a little kindness. There is a recipe card, and you are the ONLY person who says you can't see them…and you don't have a profile so I can't contact you.