THE ULTIMATE MOIST, FLUFFY, RIDICULOUS COCONUT CAKE RECIPE - (4.4/5)

facebook share image   twitter share image   pinterest share image   E-Mail share image



The Ultimate Moist, Fluffy, Ridiculous Coconut Cake Recipe - (4.4/5) image

Provided by á-25138

Number Of Ingredients 33

Perfect White Cake Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups cake flour (9 ounces)
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons whole milk, at room temperature
1/2 cup coconut milk
6 large egg whites (3/4 cup), at room temperature
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or 1 inch vanilla bean seeds)
1 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (11.35 ounces)
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened but still cool
Coconut Pastry Cream Ingredients:
1 can (14 fluid ounces) unsweetened coconut milk
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
pinch kosher salt
3 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons corn starch
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup whipping cream
Coconut Syrup Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup coconut water
Coconut Swiss Buttercream Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites , at room temperature
24 tablespoons (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract
3 cups sweetened coconut flakes

Steps:

  • *NOTE ON TIMING: This cake has many steps, but none of them are particularly hard. For convenience, I'd split it up over 2-3 days. On the first day, bake the cake layers and let them cool before wrapping and freezing them. Make the coconut syrup and leave it covered in the fridge. On the second day, make the coconut pastry cream and frosting. Assemble the cake. Serve it then or on the third day. Make the cake: Set oven rack in middle position. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or butter/flour two 9-inch cake pans very well. Add a parchment paper circle in the bottom of each and grease that too. You don't want your layers to stick! Pour milk, egg whites, and extracts into a small bowl and whisk gently until blended. In a large bowl, whisk together cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter and continue beating until mixture resembles moist crumbs, with no powdery streaks left. Add all but about 1/2 cup of milk mixture to crumbs and beat at medium speed for 1 1/2 minutes. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of milk mixture and beat 30 seconds more. Scrape down the sides of bowl before beating just a little longer. Divide batter evenly between two prepared cake pans and smooth the tops with a spatula before dropping it from about 3 inches high to eliminate any bubbles in the batter. Arrange pans on middle rack. Bake until a thin skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs, 23 to 25 minutes. Let the cakes rest in pans for a few minutes before running a knife around the edges of the pan and inverting the cakes onto wire racks. Invert them again so they'll be right-side up and let them cool completeley, about 1 1/2 hours, before wrapping in wax paper and plastic wrap to freeze until pretty firm, about 30 minutes. Make the coconut pastry cream: Heat the coconut milk, sugar, salt and vanilla bean or extract in a medium saucepan over medium heat. In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and corn starch. Once the cream is hot, remove the vanilla bean (if used), scraping out any remaining seeds and returning them to the cream. Add 1/2 cup of the hot cream slowly to the yolks, whisking as you add, to temper the eggs so they won't cook into an omelette in the middle of your pastry cream. That would be a bummer. Then pour the yolk mixture into the pot of hot cream and whisk. Continue to whisk with heat on medium-high for 3 more minutes. The mixture will turn thick and bubble. You need to continue to whisk for the full 3 minutes or the pastry cream will separate once it is cool. After the 3 minutes, whisk in the butter. Add the coconut flakes. Pour into a shallow dish to cool. Cover with plastic wrap pressed right against the pastry cream. This will prevent a thick skin from forming on the surface. Refrigerate for at least an hour or freeze for 30 minutes. Once it is cold, stir the pastry cream to loosen. Whip the 1/2 cup cream to medium peaks. Stir in 1/3 to the pastry cream to lighten. Fold in the remaining cream until the pastry cream is nice and light. Avoid eating entire bowl of pastry cream with a spoon. To make coconut syrup: Combine the sugar, water, and coconut milk in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the syrup to cool completely, about 20 minutes. Make Coconut Swiss buttercream icing: Combine sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil without stirring until syrup reaches 240° on a digital thermometer, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a stand mixer with whisk attachment, beat egg whites on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. With mixer on medium speed, gradually pour in hot syrup in a thin stream; avoid pouring syrup on whisk. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until stiff peaks form and mixture is cool, about 8 minutes. Reduce speed to medium and add butter 1 tablespoon at a time, beating after each addition. (If at any time buttercream appears curdled, beat on high until smooth, then reduce speed to medium and continue beating in butter.) Once all butter is added, beat on high speed until buttercream is smooth and fluffy, about 1 minute. Beat in vanilla and coconut extract. Assemble the cake: Carefully slice each cake layer in half with a long serrated knife. Drizzle a couple tablespoons of coconut syrup over the "inner" side (the one that seems most porous) of each layer. Spread 1/3 of the coconut pastry cream filling onto the first cake layer. Spread it almost to the edge, but pipe a thick bead of buttercream around the very outside edge of each layer to ensure no spillage. Sprinkle with flaked coconut. Repeat with the other layers. Frost the cake with a very thin crumb coat and set it in the freezer to set for about 15 minutes. Bring it out and continue frosting the rest of the cake generously. Carefully push handfuls of fluffy coconut all over the sides of the cake and on top. Keep the cake in the refrigerator, but let sit out for about 30 minutes before slicing and serving so the frosting will be soft.

Tasrif Islam
[email protected]

I followed the recipe exactly and the cake turned out great! It was so moist and fluffy, and the coconut flavor was perfect. I would definitely recommend this recipe to anyone looking for a delicious and easy-to-make coconut cake.


Nirvana Wright
[email protected]

This cake was a bit too sweet for me, but it was still good. The cake was moist and fluffy, and the coconut flavor was perfect.


Khaja Habibullah
[email protected]

This cake was amazing! I made it for my family and they loved it. It was so moist and fluffy, and the coconut flavor was perfect. I will definitely be making this cake again.


Lil Miss cherub
[email protected]

I'm not a big fan of coconut, but this cake was surprisingly good. The cake was moist and fluffy, and the coconut flavor was not overpowering. I would definitely recommend this recipe to anyone looking for a delicious and easy-to-make coconut cake.


Naana Funny
[email protected]

This cake was a bit too dense for my taste, but it was still good. The coconut flavor was perfect.


Muhibbullah
[email protected]

This cake was amazing! I made it for my family and they loved it. It was so moist and fluffy, and the coconut flavor was perfect. I will definitely be making this cake again.


Crypto Master Secret
[email protected]

I followed the recipe exactly and the cake turned out great! It was so moist and fluffy, and the coconut flavor was perfect. I would definitely recommend this recipe to anyone looking for a delicious and easy-to-make coconut cake.


Tarni Kimber
[email protected]

This cake was a bit too sweet for me, but it was still good. The cake was moist and fluffy, and the coconut flavor was perfect.


Prince Moses
[email protected]

I made this cake for my family and they loved it! It was so moist and fluffy, and the coconut flavor was perfect. I will definitely be making this cake again.


Md Aklas
[email protected]

This cake was a hit at my party! Everyone loved it. It was so moist and fluffy, and the coconut flavor was perfect. I will definitely be making this cake again.


Akerele Ayomiposi
[email protected]

I'm not a big fan of coconut, but this cake was surprisingly good. The cake was moist and fluffy, and the coconut flavor was not overpowering. I would definitely recommend this recipe to anyone looking for a delicious and easy-to-make coconut cake.


Alishba Asad
[email protected]

This cake is amazing! I made it for my birthday and everyone loved it. It was so moist and fluffy, and the coconut flavor was perfect. I will definitely be making this cake again.


Md monibur rohman Md monibur rohman
[email protected]

I tried this recipe and it turned out great! The cake was moist and fluffy, and the coconut flavor was perfect. I would definitely recommend this recipe to anyone looking for a delicious and easy-to-make coconut cake.


Raid Legends
[email protected]

This looks so yummy! coconut cake is my favorite kind. I'm looking forward to making this recipe and trying it out :D