Last week, for my mother's birthday, I made a coconut celebration cake, served with vanilla coconut tea. Searching for inspiration for the perfect coconut cake, I quickly realized that I was going to have to combine some of my favorite recipes from different sources. This cake became the perfect celebration of a lightly coconut-flavored white cake, filled with a coconut pastry cream and frosted with a fluffy seven-minute frosting, all finished with toasted coconut pressed onto it's sides.
If you have never made a pastry cream or seven-minute frosting before, this is the ideal recipe to practice on! Although it is a good amount of work, don't get discouraged. You could easily make the cake and pastry cream a day ahead to spread out the amount of work involved. This is a great spring-time cake that could be featured at an Easter dinner, a baby or wedding shower, or any other celebration.
Coconut Celebration Cake
Sources: Adapted from:
White Cake - http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/tender-white-cake-recipe
Pastry Cream - Great Pies and Tarts - Carole Walter
Seven Minute Frosting - Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook
Bake: 350 degrees F
Cake:
2 3/4 cups cake flour
1 2/3 cups sugar (superfine sugar is best)
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
4 large eggs whites plus 1 whole large egg, room temperature
1 1/2 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup cream of coconut
Pastry Cream:
1 1/4 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons sugar
3 large egg yolks
1 heaping tablespoon all purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1 cup cream of coconut
Seven Minute Frosting:
2 egg whites
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon light corn syrup
pinch of cream of tartar
1/3 cup cold water
dash salt
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease, line with parchment and flour two 8 or 9 inch cake pans. Set aside. Mix all of the dry ingredients on slow speed to
blend. Add the soft butter and mix until crumbly, like fine damp
sand. It may form a paste, depending on the temperature of the butter,
how much it's mixed, and granulation of the sugar used.
Add the egg whites one at a time, then the whole
egg, beating well after each addition to begin building the structure
of the cake. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl after each
addition. In a small bowl, whisk the coconut milk
with the cream of coconut. Add this mixture, 1/3 at a time,
to the batter. Beat 1 to 2 minutes after each addition, until fluffy. Be
sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for
25 to 35 minutes for 8" or 9" rounds. A toothpick or cake
tester inserted into the center will come out clean when done. Remove
from the oven, remove from the pan, and cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate until ready to assemble.
While the cake is baking, begin pastry cream. Place milk and 1 tablespoon of sugar in a small saucepan. Stir to combine. Cook over low heat, without stirring, until the milk forms a skin on the surface. Whisk egg yolks in a medium bowl. Add remaining 1 tablespoon sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt. Whisk until smooth and thick. Whisk 1/3 of the hot milk into the egg yolks to temper them. Then pour the yolk mixture into the remaining milk, stirring constantly. Over low heat, bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly with a whisk until thickened, about 3-4 minutes. (You want the pastry cream very thick) Remove from heat and empty into a medium bowl. Stir in the cream of coconut and shredded coconut. Cover with plastic wrap and cool in the refrigerator until ready to assemble.
To assemble the cake: place one of the cake rounds (or hearts, squares, etc.) on your platter. Brush with any remaining cream of coconut and spread the pastry cream over the top of the cake. Top with the other cake round. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
To make the frosting, place all ingredients except coconut extract in the top of a double boiler or into a metal bowl over a saucepan of water (do not let the water touch the bowl). Beat for 30 seconds at a low speed to blend. Set at a medium high heat and begin to beat on high with a mixer. Cook, beating constantly, until frosting forms stiff peaks, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat and add coconut extract, beating about 1 more minute.
Frost the sides and top of cake. Toast 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut in a 425 degree F oven, for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Press onto sides of cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Harmony's Thoughts
I used 2 tablespoons King Arthur cake enhancer in my white cake.
You can find cream of coconut in the drink mixer section of your grocery store. It is sold in a 12-15 oz. can.
Refrigerate leftovers.
