Birthday Boy

My husband's birthday was this week. And since I had just gotten back in to town and had to work late several days this week, we decided to eat out for his birthday dinner. I couldn't let his entire birthday go by without something homemade. So late at night on his birthday eve I made him a coconut birthday cake for him to enjoy on his big day.

Coconut Cake with Buttercream Frosting
Cooking Light December 2006

Igredients

• Cake:
• Cooking spray
• 1 tablespoon cake flour
• 2 1/2 cups cake flour (about 10 ounces)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups sugar
• 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/4 cup egg substitute
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup light coconut milk
• 1/4 teaspoon coconut extract
• 
  Frosting:
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 5 large egg whites
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 teaspoon coconut extract (optional)
• 3 tablespoons toasted flaked sweetened coconut

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare cake, coat 3 (8-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray; line bottoms of pans with wax paper.

Lightly coat wax paper with cooking spray; dust pans with 1 tablespoon flour.

Lightly spoon 2 1/2 cups flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt, stirring with a whisk. Place 2 cups sugar and 6 tablespoons butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed for 2 minutes or until well blended.

Add egg substitute and eggs to sugar mixture; beat well.

Add flour mixture and coconut milk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon extract.

Spoon batter into prepared pans. Sharply tap the pans once on countertop to remove air bubbles.

Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on wire racks; remove from pans. Remove wax paper; discard. Cool cakes on wire racks. (I don't bake enough so I have never purchased wire racks - I had to use trivets. I am pretty sure that defeats the purpose, but oh well!)

To prepare frosting, combine 1 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook 3 minutes, without stirring, or until a candy thermometer registers 250°. Combine egg whites, cream of tartar, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a large bowl; using clean, dry beaters, beat with a mixer at high speed until foamy. Pour hot sugar syrup in a thin stream over egg whites, beating at high speed until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes.

Reduce mixer speed to low; continue beating until egg white mixture cools (about 12 minutes).

Beat 1/4 cup butter until light and fluffy; stir in 1/4 teaspoon extract, if desired. Fold in 1 cup egg white mixture. Fold butter mixture into remaining egg white mixture, stirring until smooth.

Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spread with 1 cup frosting. (I put strips of wax paper on my cake plate when I did the icing in order to keep it clean. Once I was finished icing the cake completely, I removed the wax paper and had a perfectly clean cake platter!)

Repeat twice with cake layers and 1 cup frosting, ending with cake layer; spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Toast coconut.

Sprinkle iced cake with toasted coconut.

Chill until set.