Recipe: Three-tiered Coconut Cake
This coconut cake is a crowning achievement.
I’m pretty sure Marie Antoinette never said "Let them eat cake!" but the expression lives on and conveys a fairly wonderful suggestion. Cake is a treat, no doubt about it. And in my household, there is no better occasion to make a great big fancy opulent confection than on one’s birthday. In fact, I can’t imagine a birthday without a cake so much so that I’ve become quite the cake boss over the years baking them for friends and family. And while I’m on the subject, I do want to add that it is very difficult finding a bakery that makes great cake. I don't know why this is the case but at this point there is only one bakery that consistently bakes the very best cakes on the planet and it’s based in Los Angeles, so that leaves birthday cake production to me.
Last weekend was a friend’s birthday. A mutual friend threw the dinner party so I offered to bake the cake and the cake I baked was a three-layer coconut cake with a butter, cream cheese coconut frosting that was, in short, a triumph. I was so happy to see how thrilled my friend was when we presented her with the towering cake ablaze in lit birthday candles. This little ceremony never gets old no matter how old you get!
So the next time making dessert is on your agenda, bake this cake and treat yourself to a crowning achievement of saccharine decadence.
Three-tiered Coconut Cake
Serves 12 large portions
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing
3 cups sugar
8 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1½ teaspoons coconut extract
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pans
2 teaspoons baking powder
6 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1¾ cups whole milk
8 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
For the frosting:
1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1 pound confectioners’ sugar, sifted
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease three 9-inch round cake pans and dust with flour. Line them with a circle of parchment paper and press down.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light yellow and fluffy. Crack the eggs into a small bowl. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl once during mixing. Add the vanilla and coconut extracts and mix well.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk to the batter in three parts, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Fold in the 6 ounces of coconut with a rubber spatula and stir until evenly distributed.
Pour the batter evenly into the 3 pans and smooth the top with a knife. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are browned and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a baking rack for 30 minutes then turn the cakes out onto a baking rack to finish cooling.
For the frosting, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and almond extract on low speed. Add the confectioner’s sugar and mix until just smooth. Add four ounces of coconut to the frosting. Reserve the remaining coconut.
To assemble, place one layer on a flat serving plate, carefully use a sharp knife to remove the rounded top. This makes for great sampling. Spread frosting and repeat with remaining two layers. Frost sides of cake. To decorate the cake, sprinkle the top with coconut and lightly press more coconut onto the sides with your hands. Serve at room temperature.
