Coconut Cake with Seven-Minute Frosting

Yield: one 8-inch two-layer cake
Recipe: 98/200
“Back to Baking”, pp. 148

     I enjoy coconut desserts as much as the next girl, and since it had been quite some time I decided to make a nice big cake – for no occasion at all other than pure enjoyment. Simply put, the cake is delicious. The coconut flavour is subtle, but the coconut flakes mixed in the batter give the cake a very nice texture. The cake is dense but still moist, as it should. Coupled with the heavenly and beautiful glossy-white seven-minute frosting, the cake looks superb. I would advise not putting too much frosting between the two layers, since when I did so the cake is so heavy that most of the frosting was pushed to the outside! What I particularly like about this frosting is that it hardens as it cools, thus making it lovely in appearance. I keep it on a cake stand on my kitchen table covered with a transparent bowl, and whenever I lift it I get a whiff of coconut – lovely!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 eggs, at room temperature, separated
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup coconut milk
• 2/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut, lightly toasted
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 recipe Seven-Minute Frosting
• 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut, for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans, tapping out any excess flour, then line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper.
2. Using  a hand or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and 3/4 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add the egg yolks and beat well, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl.
4. Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.
5. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the butter mixture in three separate additions, alternating with the coconut milk, while mixing at low speed.
6. Stir in the toasted coconut flakes and mix well. The batter will be quite dense.
7. In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar until they are foamy, then slowly pour in the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. Whip at high speed using a hand or stand mixer until the whites form a soft peak.
8. Fold half of the whites into the cake batter and mix gently until almost all of the egg whites are incorporated, then fold in the remaining whites until evenly incorporated.
9. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans and spread evenly. Bake the cakes for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.
10. Cool the cake in the pans for 20 minutes, then turn the cakes out to cool to room temperature completely before frosting with the Seven-Minute Frosting. Frost the cake layers with an offset spatula, making swirls as you go. Press the coconut flakes onto the sides of the cake and let the cake set, uncovered, for 1 hour. The cake will keep well, covered, at room temperature for 3 days.

Valerie