Your Daily Dish: Creamy Coconut Layer Cake

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, lived a Queen. Every day she asked her magnifying mirror who was the fairest of them all? Despite her frown lines and crow’s feet, the answer was always “You, my Queen, are fairest of them all.” But, through the woods, a little distance away, lived an innocent maiden with 7 dwarfs and they all loved to bake. When the Queen next consulted her mirror she was taken aback – “You are no longer the fairest of them all…there is a snow white cake with thick swaths of ivory icing and sweet curls of coconut.” At that, the Queen hurled her mirror in the trashcan and Heigh- Ho’ed it outta there to score a slice. THE END.

Ingredients

Coconut Cake
13/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp coconut extract
4 large egg whites
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
11/3 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup flaked sweetened coconut

Coconut Icing
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp coconut extract
4 cups icing sugar
3 tbsp milk
1 cup flaked coconut, sweetened or unsweetened

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with non-stick cooking spray. Dust pans with a few pinches of flour, tapping out excess.

2) For the cake, in an electric mixer, cream together sugar and butter on medium speed until well combined, about 1 minute. Add vanilla and coconut extract and continue on medium speed. One at a time, add egg whites, beating well after each addition.

3) In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. On low speed, add to the electric mixer in the following order: 1/3 of flour mixture, 1/2 of the buttermilk, another 1/3 of the flour, remaining 1/2 of the buttermilk, finishing off with remaining 1/3 of the flour. Beat just until com- bined – do not overmix. Gently fold in flaked coconut. Divide batter evenly into prepared pans and bake 22-24 minutes or until cake springs back when touched gently in the center. Cool in pans for 10 minutes before removing. Cool completely on wire racks before icing.

4) For the icing, in an electric mixer, cream together shortening, butter, vanilla and coconut extract on medium speed for 30 seconds. Turn down to low speed, slowly adding 1/2 of the icing sugar and mixing until incorporated. Add milk and remaining icing sugar, continuing to mix until desired spreading consistency is reached. Fold in flaked coconut.

5) To assemble the cake, place 1 cake on a serving dish and top with 1 cup of icing, spreading it evenly over cake. Top with remaining layer and use the rest of the icing to cover the top and sides of the cake.

Serves 10-12

Bite Me Bit: “Your good friend has just taken a piece of cake out of the garbage and eaten it. You will probably need this information when you check me into the Betty Crocker Clinic.” Miranda, Sex and the City

If you want to “Let them eat cake,” this Light Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing is another one guaranteed to please.

 

 

 

Whether it’s cruising the aisles at the Dollar Store or experimenting at the stove, we believe that every day can be a holiday.

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