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Coconut Cake

Source of Recipe

From "Barefoot Contessa at Home" by Ina Garten


Recipe Introduction

"One of the signature dishes at Barefoot Contessa was coconut cupcakes and the recipe is in my first book, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. So many people emailed me to ask if it could be made into a cake that I made some adjustments and included it here. It seems to be everyone's favorite birthday cake."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ ¾ pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pans
â—¦ 2 cups sugar
â—¦ 5 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
â—¦ 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
â—¦ 1 ½ teaspoons pure almond extract
â—¦ 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pans
â—¦ 1 teaspoon baking powder
â—¦ ½ teaspoon baking soda
â—¦ ½ teaspoon kosher salt
â—¦ 1 cup milk
â—¦ 4 ounces sweetened shredded coconut

For the frosting:
â—¦ 1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
â—¦ ½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
â—¦ ¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon pure almond extract
â—¦ 1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
â—¦ 6 ounces sweetened shredded coconut


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, then line them with parchment paper. Grease them again and dust lightly with flour.

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 almond extracts and mix well. The mixture might look curdled; don't be concerned.

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 the dry ingredients. Mix until *just* combined. Fold in the 4 ounces of coconut with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter evenly into the two pans and smooth the top with a knife. Bake in the center of the oven for 45 to 55 minutes, until the tops are browned and a cake tester 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 confectioners' sugar and mix until just smooth (don't whip!).

To assemble, place one layer on a flat serving plate, top side down, and spread with frosting. Place the second layer on top, top side up, and frost the top and sides. To decorate the cake, sprinkle the top with coconut and lightly press more coconut onto the sides. Serve at room temperature.

Serves 10 to 12