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Aunt Lois' Coconut Cake

Source of Recipe


Greg Atkinson






List of Ingredients



• 1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature but not melted (plus some for the pans)
  
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
  
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
  
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
  
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
  
• 2-1/4 cups cake flour (plus some for the pans)
  
• 2 tsp baking powder
  
• 1 tsp salt
  
• 1 cup coconut water, or a combination of coconut water and milk (see note)
  
• Fluffy White Icing (recipe follows)
  
• Freshly grated meat from one whole coconut, about 3 cups (see note)
  






Instructions



1. Rub the bottom and sides of two 9-inch cake pans with butter, then sprinkle the pans with flour and shake off the excess.
   
   
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition; then beat in the vanilla and almond extracts.
   
   
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add about a third of this mixture to the butter mixture, along with one-third of the coconut water. Beat until smooth; scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Repeat this with the remaining thirds of flour and water.
   
   
4. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans. In an oven preheated to 350º F, bake 25 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and springs back when pressed lightly in the center. Cool the cakes for 5 minutes in the pans, then remove from the pans and cool completely on racks.
   
   
5. When cool, place one cake round on a cake plate and cover with Fluffy White Icing. Top with second cake layer and frost the top and sides. Cover the top and sides with freshly grated coconut.
   
   Makes one 2-layer cake, to serve 12.
   
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   FLUFFY WHITE ICING
   
   • 1 cup sugar
   • 1/3 cup water
   • 1/3 cup light corn syrup
   • 3 egg whites
   • 1 tsp vinegar or lemon juice
   • 1/2 tsp salt
   • 1 tsp vanilla extract
   
   In a fairly large saucepan over high heat, stir the sugar, water and corn syrup until the mixture comes to a vigorous boil. Watch closely so it doesn't boil over. Reduce heat to lowest setting and cook, undisturbed, for 3 minutes.
   
   While syrup is cooking, whip egg whites with vinegar or lemon juice and salt on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer until they just start to hold soft peaks. With the motor running, stream in the hot syrup and continue whipping until the frosting is very smooth and glossy. Stir in vanilla extract and spread over cooled cake layers. (Makes about 3 cups.)
   
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   NOTE: "Start with a fresh coconut. Extract the "coconut water" (the clean white liquid from the center) by poking 2 holes in the eyes of the coconut and shaking out the liquid. Make sure the juice is fresh and sweet; if the water is absent or sour, the coconut will not be a good one. The recipe uses the water. Then, while the cake is baking, break open the coconut with a hammer, extract the meat from the shell, peel off the brown skin with a vegetable peeler, and grate the meat through the largest holes of a cheese grater or through the grater attachment of a food processor."