Caribbean Coconut Cake

Photo: Jacqueline Torres

Ingredients

Toasted Coconut:

2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

Coconut Simple Syrup:

1 1/2 cups water

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut

3 teaspoons of Amaretto

Coconut Custard:

3/4 cup whole milk

3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk

1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped

4 large egg yolks

cup granulated sugar

4 tablespoons cornstarch

2 teaspoons coconut rum (recommended: Malibu)

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Coconut Filling:

3/4 cup coconut custard (recipe above), cold

3/4 cup very cold heavy cream

Coconut Buttercream:

3 stick unsalted butter, softened

cup confectioners' sugar

3/4 cup coconut custard (recipe above) (cold)

Pinch fine sea salt

For the Cake:

2 sticks butter, at room temperature

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

3 cups sifted self-rising flour

1 cup coconut milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preparation

Directions For the toasted coconut:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Spread the coconut evenly onto a baking sheet and toast until lightly golden brown, stirring once, 8 to 10 minutes. Turn off the oven and let the coconut sit in the oven until very dry and crunchy, about 15 minutes longer.

For the simple syrup:

Bring water and sugar to a boil. Stir in the coconut and Amaretto, remove from the heat and let sit for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours. Strain the liquid into a clean saucepan, bring to a boil and let cook until the mixture is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Let cool.

For the custard:

Combine the milks and vanilla bean and seeds in a medium nonreactive saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat.

Whisk together the yolks, sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl. Slowly whisk the warm milk into the egg mixture then return the mixture to the pot over medium heat and bring to a boil, whisking constantly, until thickened. Scrape the mixture into a bowl and whisk in the rum and vanilla extract. Let cool to room temperature then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours.

For the filling:

Combine the custard and cream in a bowl and whip until soft peaks form.

For the buttercream:

Beat the butter and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the coconut custard and salt and beat until combined and smooth.

For the cake:

Once you finished toasting the Coconut, Increase the heat of the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 3 (9-inch) cake pans.

Using an electric mixer, cream butter until fluffy. Add sugar and continue to cream well for 6 to 8 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour and coconut milk alternately to creamed mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Add vanilla and continue to beat until just mixed.

Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Level batter in each pan by holding pan 3 or 4-inches above counter, then dropping it flat onto counter. Do this several times to release air bubbles and assure you of a more level cake.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until done. Cool in pans 5 to 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto cooling racks.

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About

Coming from the Caribbean we grow up eating and testing the delicious flavor of the coconut, (same as my two Kids, which are teenagers now). For this thanksgiving my youngest Son (Luis) asked me if I could do a different kind of desert from what we usualy eat at this time of the year...From there we started to work on this recipe..we tried different fillings, different liqueurs and different frostings! until finally! the big revel....this recipe was born, tested and was a total hit with all my family and friends. The cake is soft and moist with a simple based taste of almond, the filling and the frosting are nicely flavored with the coconut essence, but it doesn't over power your pallet and then it is covered with delicious toasty coconut..so everyone is clear about what flavor is this delightful cake! is just perfect!! Try it you will love it tooo!

Yield:

8 servings

Added:

Tuesday, December 22, 2009 - 5:46pm

Creator:

Jacqueline Torres

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