If you love coconut, then this cake is for you. The cake is moist, the lemon curd filling is tart and bright, and the vanilla icing is silky smooth.
This coconut cake pulls out all the stops. It is the best dessert for any special occasion.
If I learned anything from my days as a pastry chef, it is that in baking, you can often play around with timing and make most recipes work on your schedule.
This is because pastry making is all about components. At the restaurant, we made many of our building blocks throughout the week: puff pastry, pastry cream, pie dough, even buttercream, could all be made ahead at separate times and then combined in different ways depending on the particular dessert we needed to make.
The same holds for this cake. It’s a big bite to take all in one day, unless you have an entire morning for the job. Instead, spread out the tasks over a few days.
Here’s what I do: Make the cake, and while it is baking, make the lemon curd (which is pretty quick and easy). Wrap the cake in foil and pack the curd into a storage container, and refrigerate both. Now you have done the lion’s share of work!
On the following day, make the buttercream, and then fill, ice and decorate the cake. Or refrigerate the buttercream for another day (or up to three days); let it come to room temperature before decorating the cake.
Once decorated, cover the cake with a cake dome or an inverted mixing bowl, and it can sit on the counter for several hours until serving. You can also refrigerate the covered cake for a few days before serving (up to 3 days).
Before you know it, your pièce de résistance is ready for its grand entrance at the dinner party, without too much fluster!
Coconut Cake with Lemon Curd and Vanilla Buttercream
The coconut oil in the ingredient list should be solid; it sometimes liquefies at room temperature. If it has liquefied, measure what you need and then let it solidify in the fridge.
Cream of coconut is different than coconut milk or coconut cream, so read labels carefully when shopping. My favorite brand is Coco Lopez. If you don’t see it in your supermarket, look for it at the liquor store since it is also a component for pina coladas.
You won't need the full can of cream of coconut. The leftover is great drizzled over morning oatmeal or made into a cocktail.
Cream of coconut is different than coconut milk or coconut cream, so read labels carefully when shopping. My favorite brand is Coco Lopez. If you don’t see it in your supermarket, look for it at the liquor store since it is also a component for pina coladas.
You won't need the full can of cream of coconut. The leftover is great drizzled over morning oatmeal or made into a cocktail.
Ingredients :
For the cake:- Butter (for the cake pans)
- Flour (for the cake pans)
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup coconut oil (solidified, not liquidy)
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 cup canned cream of coconut, such as Coco Lopez
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
- 1/2 cup lemon juice (from 3 to 4 lemons)
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- Pinch of salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut in small cubes
- 3/4 pound (3 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 4 egg whites
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted
- 1 cup lemon curd
- 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
MAKE THE CAKE (Makes two 9-inch cake rounds)
1 Prepare the pans and preheat the oven: Heat the oven to 350F. Butter two 9-inch circular layer cake pans. Dust each pan with flour, and tap out the excess. Line the bottom of each pan with a circle of parchment paper.
2 Combine the dry ingredients: In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to blend them.
3 Separate the eggs: Place the egg yolks in one bowl and the egg whites in another. Refrigerate the egg whites until needed.
4 Make the batter: In an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and coconut oil on medium speed for 3 minutes. Add the sugar and beat for 2 minutes. (This beating action will aerate the cake and make it lighter.)
Switch to low speed, and beat in the eggs yolks, one at a time, mixing only until incorporated. Blend in the cream of coconut and vanilla.
With the mixer on its lowest speed, add a third of the dry ingredients (from step 2) followed by half of the buttermilk. Mix just until blended and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add another third of the dry ingredients, followed by the remaining buttermilk. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the remaining third of the dry ingredients.
Remove the bowl from the mixer stand and scrape it into a large bowl.
5 Beat the egg whites: Wash out the mixing bowl with dish soap, being careful to wipe away all traces of fat. Dry thoroughly.
In the clean bowl with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and salt on medium high speed until stiff but not dry. They should look creamy and hold their peaks; if they start to look crumbly, stop immediately and continue with the recipe.
6 Fold the egg whites with the batter: Scoop a third of the beaten egg whites on top of the cake batter and mix gently to lighten the batter. Scoop the remaining egg whites on top of the batter and gently fold them together. (To "fold," just scoop deep into the bowl with your spatula, lift up, and gently turn the batter over on top of itself. Rotate the bowl slightly and repeat. Continue until you see no more streaks of egg white.)
Read More: Coconut Cake with Lemon Curd and Vanilla Buttercream
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