I adore coconut in any fashion! I grew up eating my grandmother’s coconut cake which began with box cake mix jazzed up a bit with perfect 7 minute icing. I loved it then and I still love my grandmother’s cherished coconut cake…BUT this is the best coconut cake I have eaten and now attest to including cream cheese in the icing. The toasted coconut deepens the flavor and texture of the coconut and offers some color to the cake.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
- 15 eggs (separated)
- 6 cups of sugar
- 1.5 cups of unsalted butter
- 1.5 cups of canola oil
- 1 tablespoon of coconut extract
- 1.5 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 3/4 teaspoon of almond extract
- 6.75 cups of cake flour
- 1 tablespoon of baking powder
- 1.5 teaspoon of baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon of salt
- 3 cups of buttermilk
- 6 cups of sweetened shredded coconut, chopped
- 3/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar
- Icing:
- 2 pounds of cream cheese
- 2 cups of butter, softened
- 13 cups of powdered sugar
- 3.75 teaspoons of coconut extract
- 6 cups of sweetened shredded coconut, toasted
DIRECTIONS:
- Place egg whites in a large bowl and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In another large bowl, beat sugar, butter and oil until well blended. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beat well after each addition. Beat in extracts (coconut, vanilla and almond)
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition. Stir in the coconut.
- Add cream of tartar to egg whites; with clean beaters, beat on medium until stiff peaks form. Fold a fourth of the egg whites into the batter, then fold in the remaining egg whites.
- Transfer to greased flour baking pans. Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire rack to cool completely.
- For frosting, in a small bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add confectioners’ sugar and extract; beat until smooth.
- Place cake layer on serving platter and frost and sprinkling with 1/3 cup of coconut. Repeat. Refrigerate for 2 hours before cutting. Store in the refrigerator.
Article Provided By: Allison Thomas
