Southern Coconut Cake
For this month's, Cake Slice Bakers, we voted to make
Southern Coconut Cake from Alisa Huntsman's book:
Sky-High Cakes: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes. (Luckily, I made it early before my oven started giving me troubles.)
I must tell you something. I'm not a fan of flaked coconut. I do enjoy coconut milk in Thai food curries and the "makes me weak in the knees" mango with sticky rice. But I can't stand the texture of flaked coconut. Seriously, there is very little difference between coconut and dental floss.
And that's why I love my job. It's interesting, challenging, and there is a group of people who like coconut!! :)
I loved the cake. The cake has a lovely crumb and uses coconut milk for a delicious (sans dental floss) coconut yumminess. Okay, I had to make this cake twice. The first time, I completely missed the sugar! What?! How did that happen? Well, this recipe uses the fat-flour method and mixes the dry ingredients with the butter before adding in the wet ingredients. If it started with creaming the butter and sugar, I wouldn't have forgotten the sugar (at least I hope so! :) Oh, well, it was sorta funny when it happened!
I made the frosting twice too! The original recipe calls for an Italian meringue technique (adding hot sugar syrup to egg whites), but I tried the Swiss meringue technique (heating the sugar and egg whites over a double-boiler) since I'm more familiar with it and I can get the egg whites up to 160 degrees. But adding the cream cheese/butter mixture didn't go as planned and I ended up with soup (the meringue was probably too warm). All my fault. I should have followed the recipe exactly and not messed with it!
I ended up creaming together 12 ounces (1 1/2 blocks) of cream cheese, 4 T (1/2 stick) of butter, 2 cups of powdered sugar and 2 t vanilla for a frosting. It was yummy and easy.
My co-workers really liked it. I could smell the coconut from my desk! I pushed off the dental floss and enjoyed the cake and cream cheese frosting.
You can find the recipe on
Gigi's blog but you should really buy the book:
Sky-High Cakes by Alisa Huntsman. All the recipes have been sooooo good!! Can't wait for next month's selection!
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40 comments:
OMG. Why did I click on your blog while I am at work...and I am trying to cut back on dessert. I am a fan of coconut (I laughed at the dental floss part). I am soooo tempted to make this-- eat ONE slice and pawn the rest off on my office.
Beautiful photos...makes me want to lick my monitor.
Debby
I'll never look at coconut the same way again :)
Ahaha, I've totally missed pivotal ingredients before. Did you try it at all? Or did you realize before you baked it?
What a gorgeous cake! And I love the huge piece of cake, yum!!
I just bought this book and I got it int he mail a couple days ago. I looked through it and there were so many cakes I wanted to make. I was a little disappointed that not every cake had an accompanying picture though. What's up with that?
I'm not a fan of flaked coconut either. I never thought of it as dental floss, but now I will..haha. I forgot to add sugar to a muffin recipe once and I was quite suprised after taking my first bite. It was kinda like muffin-bread and not very good.
You share my husband's dislike of coconut, it sounds like.
Way to be a trooper and get the cake done. It looks fabulous.
secon time's a charm--looks great! you can send any coconut baked goods my way! :)
Your cake came out so tall and gorgeous! Glad to hear the co-workers enjoyed it!
This is such a funny count down to a beautiful cake.. something about mile high cakes that make them so chic.
Your cake looks just gorgeous! Hey--we've all forgotten something important in a recipe before; I left the flour out of CCCs one (how, I don't know)! But, your final product looked absolutely beautiful and so delicious. I can't stand the texture of coconut either, so I pulverize it in the food processor until it's just like a powder and incorporate that into my baked goods!
You did a beautiful job! It looks totally perfect. I'm hot and cold on coconut but it is my dad's absolute favorite. His birthday is next week so I'm thinking I'll make this (I love that book!)
oh.. pity the cream cheese meringue frosting didn't work for u. you shld have another go at it! it was divine.
Nonetheless, your cake still looks like a jewel encrusted crown. Fabulous work! glad that everyone enjoyed it!
My goodness, what a cake, what a cake! I love how tall it is!
I am leaving right now for a slice of that cake. Be there in a few! Don't eat all of it! ;)
Your cake looks gorgeous. I bet you had some very happy co-workers
Wow, now you've got me craving coconut!!
Mary, gotta love your tenacity! I think I would have tossed in the towel after attempt #1.
Your hard work shows, as that is one beautiful cake!!
Oh my goodness! That looks incredible!
That book has been sitting on my Amazon wishlist for a while now... I should just go ahead and get it!
Girlfriend you can BAKE! I usually fear such things, but you make it look so good and so easy. Thanks for the inspiration and the new craving I have for coconut cake! Yum!
i was totally tempted to make a traditional cream cheese frosting for the cake. glad to see you did with such great results.
Great cake! Too bad it gave you so many problems. :)
OMG, I haven't had coconut cake in years! This looks so pretty :)
I hope your co-workers know how lucky they are!
This looks so good! It's a shame I couldn't make it this month (I just had way too much to do)... I'll definitely be joining you guys for next month =)
hehehe dental floss...
I would have done the same..scraped the flakes off and then eat it.
It really is something to do it twice..good job...
GOODNESS GRACIOUS. i really did start salivating here, and i even just ate a giant frozen yogurt!! this looks sooo awesome... and so cute!!
Wow...looks gorgeous! Love how white it looks and the layers...yum yum!
oh my gosh I think i need to try this,pam
Beautiful layers, and I love coconut!!!
It turned out beautifully. I thought this was one of the best tasting cakes I have tried in awhile.
Well even with having to make both the cake and the icing twice, it came out stunning!!!
I'm trying to stop by all my blogging friends and let them know that i've started a new blog event called Thrifty Thursdays if you are interested in blogging along! http://amandascookin.blogspot.com/2009/02/gauging-interest-thrifty-thursday.html :)
That looks perfect. Nothing about that cake says dental floss to me!
I hate flaked coconut too, but your cake looks yum, especially the cream cheese frosting!
This reminds me of that Alton Brown episode where he searches for the Cake Lady. GORGEOUS cake!
Cake looks yummy whatever frosting you used. Made the syrup/meringue last week for first time with TWD. It actually turned out. Love coconut and your cake.
Looks really pretty!
Beautiful..I could eat that for breakfast!
oh my god! I love this cake! Love it. I have been looking for an authentic recipe, and this one just entered the mix! Thanks!
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