Coconut Layer Cake

I don't consider myself a coconut person. Nate saw this cake on one of my cooking shows and said that he wanted THAT cake for his birthday so of course that's what I made. I can count on one hand the number of times I've made a cake and frosting from scratch and I've never been too excited about the results. This cake was so delicious. I will use less frosting next time--it was a little too much, even for me.

*The recipe calls for cream of coconut--this is NOT coconut milk. It is used to make Pina Coladas and is therefore found in the liquor aisle near the rum and Pina Colada mixes.


Cake
2 1/4 cups cake flour, plus extra for the pans
3/4 cup cream of coconut*
5 large egg whites plus 1 large egg, room temperature
1/4 cup water
1 tsp coconut extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar
1 TB baking powder
3/4 tsp table salt
12 TB (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces and softened

Frosting
2 TB heavy cream
1 tsp coconut extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch table salt
16 TB (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into chunks and softened
1/4 cup cream of coconut
3 cups powdered sugar
2 cups sweetened shredded coconut, toasted (at 350 for about 10 minutes stirring often)

FOR THE CAKE:
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans, then line the bottoms with parchment paper.

Whisk the cream of coconut, egg whites, egg, water, and extracts together in a medium bowl.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt on low speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Increase the speed to medium and beat the butter into the flour mixture, one piece at a time, about 30 seconds. Continue to beat the mixture until it resembles moist crumbs, about 1 minute.

Beat in all but 1/2 cup of the cream of coconut mixture, then increase the mixer speed to medium and beat the batter until smooth, light, and fluffy, about 1 minute. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly beat in the remaining cream of coconut mixture until the batter is combined, about 30 seconds.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pans, smooth the tops, and lightly tap the pans against the countertop 2-3 times to settle the batter. Bake the cakes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs attached, 30-35 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time.

Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes. Run a small knife around the edge of the cakes, then flip them out onto a wire rack. Peel off the parchment, flip the cakes right side up, and cool completely before frosting, about 2 hours.

FOR THE FROSTING:
In a small bowl, stir the cream, extracts, and salt together. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream of coconut together on medium-high speed until smooth, about 20 seconds. Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low and gradually beat in the powdered sugar, then continue to beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. Beat in the cream mixture. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.

To frost, place one of the cake layers on a platter. Spread 1 cup of the frosting over the cake, right to the edges. Place the other cake layer on top and press lightly. Frost the cake with the reamining frosting. Press the toasted coconut into the sides of the cake and sprinkle it over the top. Transfer cake to cake stand and serve.

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated