Caribbean Coconut Cake My Style
By: Jacqueline Torres
Published: Wednesday, December 23, 2009 - 2:08pm

Ingredients




Toasted Coconut:
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
Base Simple Syrup:
2/3 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup of Amaretto or Brandy
Coconut for Filling and Frosting:
4 egg yolk
3/4 cup whole milk
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 1/2 cup. sugar
5 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
1 cup. coconut, grated
1/2 cup nuts (Recommend Almond)
2 teaspoons coconut rum (Malibu or Any other Coconut Coconut Buttercream Frosting:
3 stick unsalted butter, softened
 cup confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup coconut Filling (recipe provided) (make sure is cold)
Pinch fine sea salt
For the Simple Cake:
2 sticks butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 cups sifted self-rising flour
3/4 cup coconut milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 teaspoons coconut extract
1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup cream of coconut

Preparation

1 Directions For the toasted coconut: 2 Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. 3 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. 4 For the simple syrup: 5 Add sugar and water in a small saucepan, 3-cup capacity. Place over high heat until boiling, reduce heat to moderate and cook uncovered 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add almond extract. Let cool for 20 minutes. Then throw in the brandy or Coconut Rum 6 For the Filing: 7 Mix together all ingredients, except coconut and nuts. Cook in a double boiler over low heat until thickened (Mix constantly until thicken) Cool partly. Reserve 3/4 of the filling to be use later for the frosting.  To the rest of the filling, add coconut and nuts. Let cool to room temperature then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours. 8 For the buttercream Frosting: 9 Beat the butter and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the coconut Filling and salt and beat until combined and smooth. 10 For the SImple Cake: 11 Once you finished toasting the Coconut, Increase the heat of the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 3 (9-inch) cake pans. 12 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 with the coconut milk and Cream of Coconut alternately to creamed mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Add vanilla and continue to beat until just mixed. 13 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. 14 Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until done. Cool in pans 5 to 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto cooling racks.

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!

Comments:
Karen Baker Mattison

Sounds yummy,great recipe!
Jenny Richards

This looks terrific!
Maribel Rivera Marin

It's delicious
Celia Clifford

I had been looking all evening for a recipe like this for New Years!
THANK YOU!!!
Lookin so nummy too!
I love toasted/roasted coconut!
Celia