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Coconut Layer Cake with Swiss Buttercream Frosting

This Coconut Cake is a show stopper, for sure. 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 rich, silky and creamy. This is bakery worthy, for sure.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword Coconut Layer Cake With Swiss Buttercream Frosting
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Cake Cooling Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 45 minutes
Servings 10 servings
Author Debby - www.AFeastfortheEyes.net

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

SERVES10 to 12 (Makes three 8-inch layers or two 9-inch layers)
Recipe source: America's Test Kitchen
TIP:  It is possible that the buttercream can break-- resembling cottage cheese. Don't despair!  Per ATK:
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.