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Snowy White Coconut Cake

Source of Recipe

"New England Open-House Cookbook" by Sarah Leah Chase


Recipe Introduction

"While coconut may seem like a tropical ingredient, the pristine whiteness of this lovely cake reminds me of the snow-capped mountains and trees that make up the winter landscape at some of our favorite ski resorts in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. I used to feature this recipe in my cooking classes and to this day I continue to get requests from people who have lost or misplaced their copy and just have to make it for a special birthday celebration. For a total nor'easter effect, the coconut cake may be served without the accompanying raspberry coulis, but I usually serve it with the deep red coulis from Valentine's Day on."

List of Ingredients

For the sponge cake:
â—¦ 1 cup cake flour
â—¦ â…” cup sugar
â—¦ 1¼ teaspoons baking powder
â—¦ Pinch of fine sea salt
â—¦ ¼ cup vegetable oil
â—¦ 1 large egg
â—¦ ¼ cup water
â—¦ ½ teaspoon pure almond extract
â—¦ 4 large egg whites

For the coconut cream:
â—¦ 1½ cups whole milk
â—¦ 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
â—¦ ½ cup sugar
â—¦ ¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
â—¦ 4 large egg yolks
â—¦ 3 cups shredded sweetened coconut
â—¦ 1½ cups heavy (whipping) cream

For the raspberry coulis:
â—¦ 2½ cups fresh or frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed if frozen
â—¦ ¾ cup sugar
â—¦ 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
â—¦ 3 tablespoons cassis (black currant liqueur)


Recipe

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350° F.

Make the sponge cake:
Place the cake flour, â…“ cup of the sugar, and the baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Place the oil, egg, water, and almond extract in a small bowl and whisk to mix. Add this mixture to the flour mixture, stirring to make a smooth batter. Place the egg whites in a medium-size bowl and, using an electric mixer, beat them on medium-high speed until they begin to hold stiff peaks. Slowly beat in the remaining â…“ cup of sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until all has been added. Continue beating until the meringue is glossy and holds stiff peaks, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Fold one-fourth of the meringue into the cake batter to lighten it, and then gently fold the rest into the batter until just evenly incorporated.

Pour the batter into an ungreased 9-inch springform pan.
Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the springform pan, release the clasp to remove the side of the pan, and invert the cake onto a wire rack to cool. Ease the bottom of the pan off the cake after inverting it onto the rack.

Make the coconut cream:
Place the milk and vanilla in a medium-size saucepan and let come to a boil over medium-high heat, then remove the pan from the heat. Place ¼ cup of the sugar and the flour and egg yolks in a small bowl and whisk until blended. Whisk â…“ cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture, whisking until smooth. Whisk the egg yolk mixture into the saucepan and return it to the stove. Let the mixture come to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, and continue cooking and stirring until the mixture thickens to a custard, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the custard to a clean medium-size mixing bowl, stirring every now and again, until cooled to room temperature. Once cooled, stir in 1 cup of the coconut. Chill the custard in the refrigerator until cold, at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.

Place the cream and the remaining ¼ cup of sugar in a mixing bowl and, using an electric mixer, beat the cream on medium-high speed until it holds stiff peaks. Fold 1 cup of the whipped cream into the cold custard and set the remaining whipped cream in the refrigerator, covered, until you are ready to assemble the cake.

To assemble the cake, slice the cake horizontally into 3 equal layers. Place the bottom layer, cut side up, on a large round serving plate. Spread half of the coconut cream over the cake and top it with the middle layer. Spread the rest of the coconut cream over this layer and top it with the remaining layer, cut side down. Spread the reserved whipped cream on top and around the side of the cake. Sprinkle and press the remaining 2 cups of coconut onto the top and side of the cake. Store the cake in the refrigerator, loosely covered with plastic wrap, until ready to serve.

Make the raspberry coulis:
Place the raspberries, ¾ cup of sugar, lemon juice, and cassis in a blender and purée until smooth. Strain the seeds from the coulis by passing the purée through a fine sieve. Store the coulis in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 5 days.


Serves 12 or more