Coconut Layer Cake
This recipe crafts a delightful, moist coconut layer cake. It combines all-purpose flour, butter, sugar, cream of coconut, and buttermilk, enriched with separated eggs for a tender crumb. The cake is baked in layers and calls for a cream cheese frosting, generously topped with sweetened shredded coconut, making it a perfect dessert for any occasion.
Equipment
- 1 Electric Mixer Stand or hand mixer
- 3 9-inch Round Cake Pans Greased and floured or lined with parchment
- 2 Large Mixing Bowls
- 1 Rubber Spatula For folding and scraping
- 1 Wire Cooling Rack
Ingredients
Main
- 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 3/4 cups sugar
- 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup canned sweetened cream of coconut such as Coco López, see note
- 4 large eggs separated
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
- Pinch of salt
- Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 cups sweetened shredded coconut
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans, or line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together the unsalted butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
- Gradually beat in the egg yolks, sweetened cream of coconut, and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Alternately add the dry ingredients and buttermilk to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix just until combined after each addition.
- In a separate clean bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form.
- Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the cake batter until no streaks remain, being careful not to deflate the mixture.
- Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool the cakes in the pans on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes, then invert them onto the wire rack to cool completely.
- Once completely cool, frost the cake layers with cream cheese frosting (as suggested by the recipe) and generously cover the entire cake with sweetened shredded coconut.
Notes
Achieving a tender, moist cake relies on room temperature ingredients, especially butter, eggs, and buttermilk. Cream the butter and sugar thoroughly until light and fluffy; this incorporates air vital for texture. Sift dry ingredients to prevent lumps. When combining wet and dry, alternate additions, beginning and ending with dry, mixing just until combined to avoid overdeveloping gluten, which leads to a tough cake. Whip egg whites to stiff peaks separately and gently fold them in last, adding significant lightness. For the cream cheese frosting, ensure cream cheese and butter are very soft for a smooth consistency. Toast some shredded coconut for a beautiful, aromatic garnish.