Coconut Cream Cake

Coconut Cream Cake – Light and fluffy coconut cake layers with a creamy coconut frosting and toasted coconut.

I love revisiting some of my older cake recipes and introducing them to so many of my new friends here. This coconut cake is a few years old and has been on my list to revisit for months now.

Coconut Cake

I originally came up with this recipe a few years ago for a friend’s wedding. I remember it being full of flavor. However, it was a little more dense than I imagine the perfect coconut cake to be. With the idea of lightening the texture a bit, this cake has been on my mind for a while now.

Recipe Testing

As I looked at my old coconut cake recipe, I spotted a major problem. The quantity was off for three 8-inch pans. I also noticed that in the original recipe, I had a lot of liquids and fats and not quite enough flour. This was probably why it was on the denser side. When I started my first round of recipe revisions, I  added more flour and sugar right off the bat. I also tried using cream of coconut (the bottled kind I like for my frosting), instead of the canned coconut – simply because I love the flavor in my frosting.

However, with the addition of granulated sugar and the bottled cream of coconut (which also has a lot of extra sugar), my cake sank. The flavor was awesome, but the cake sank and that was a no-go.

Round 2

I cut back on the granulated sugar (which tends to weigh cakes down), took out the coconut oil (not sure it was really adding anything), and kept the bottled cream of coconut. The cake still sank a little. It was also a bit overly sweet, so I decided to go back to the canned coconut cream I originally used. The canned coconut cream isn’t as sweet, but has a delicious coconut flavor.

Round 3

For round 3, I used a cup of canned coconut cream, cake flour, granulated sugar, all egg whites and a little more baking powder. This combination of ingredients are what I hoped would help get my cake to rise nicely, taste amazing, and have a light and fluffy texture.

And sure enough, success!

I am so pleased with how my new version of my Coconut Cream Cake turned out. The flavor is truly amazing and the texture is now light and fluffy! I’ve added my coconut buttercream to cover the top and sides from my Almond Joy Cake and am personally rating this cake a 10!

Enjoy!

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Coconut Cream Cake

5 from 2 votes

Tender and fluffy coconut cake layers, with coconut buttercream and toasted coconut.

Servings 1 3-layer, 8-inch cake

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Ingredients

  

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For the Cake

• 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 large egg whites, room temperature
• 2 whole eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup (231 g) canned coconut milk (the cream and the liquid mixed together)
• 1 tablespoon (16 g) coconut emulsion
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) vanilla extract
• 3 cups (345 g) cake flour
• 1 tablespoon (12 g) baking powder
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt

For the Buttercream

• 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
• 1/4 cup (57.75 g) cream of coconut (in the bottle, not the can)
• 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
• 1 tablespoon (16 g) coconut emulsion
• Pinch of salt
• *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping you’ll want to make an extra 1/2 batch.

For the Garnish

• 1 1/2 cups (225 g) sweetened shredded coconut, toasted

Instructions

 

For the Cake

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray, line the bottom with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and the sugar together on medium-high speed for two minutes.
• Gradually add the egg whites and whole eggs, making sure to scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl between additions. Mix on medium-high for 2 minutes after all the eggs are added. The mixture should be smooth and fluffy.
• Add the coconut emulsion and vanilla extract.
• In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk the cake flour, baking powder, and salt.
• Turn the mixer on low speed and alternately add the flour mixture and the coconut milk, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Mix until combined.
• Evenly distribute the batter in your pans.
• Bake for about 23-25 minutes, or until the tops are slightly golden brown and the edges of the cake start to pull away from the sides of the pan. 
• Let cool in pans for 10 minutes and then invert onto cooling racks to cool completely.

For the Buttercream

• In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the butter and coconut cream. Beat on medium-high speed for 1 to 2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
• With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, followed by the extracts and salt.
• Turn the mixer to medium speed and beat the frosting until it is light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Use a wooden spoon to stir out air bubbles.

Assembly

• Level each cake layer with a knife or leveling tool.
• Place your first cake layer, right-side up, on a cake plate or cake board. Cover the cake layer with about 3/4 cup frosting.
• Repeat step 2 for the second layer, and then place the final cake layer on top, bottom-side up.
• Apply a thin layer of frosting around the entire cake to create a crumb coat. Chill the cake in the freezer for 10 minutes.
• After the crumb coat is chilled, continue frosting the cake and decorate with toasted coconut. Alternatively, you can add toasted coconut in between each cake layer if you don’t want it on the outside of the cake.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Cake

Keyword: Coconut, Coconut Cream Cake