- 1
Ingredients
- Frosting:
- 3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
- 1 T. plus 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 cup packed sweetened, shredded coconut
- 2 2/3 cups sugar
- 4 large whole eggs, plus 4 large egg whites
- 1 T. pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups unsweetened coconut milk
- Coconut Curls, for garnish (requires 1 medium coconut-see below for directions)
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 2 T. light corn syrup
- 6 large egg whites
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two 9x9x2-inch cake pans; line the bottom with parchment paper. Butter parchment, and dust with flour, tapping out excess; set aside. Into a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Pulse shredded coconut in a food processor until finely chopped. Stir chopped coconut into the flour mixture until combined; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scrapping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the whole eggs, egg whites, and vanilla; beat until fully incorporated. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in two parts, alternating with the coconut milk and beginning and ending with the flour; beat until combined after each addition.
Divide batter between prepared pans, and smooth with an offset spatula. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until cakes are golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the centers comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool 30 minutes. Invert cakes onto the rack; peel off parchment. Reinvert cakes and let them cool completely, top sides up.
Using a serrated knife, trim the tops of the cake layers to make level. Place one layer on a cake plate, and spread top with 1 ½ cups frosting. Place other cake layer on top, cut side down. Using an offset spatula, spread remaining frosting over entire cake, swirling to cover in a decorative fashion. Sprinkle entire cake with coconut curls, bending and curling as desired. Cake can be kept in the refrigerator, covered with a cake dome, for up to 3 days.
For frosting: in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer, set over a saucepan of simmering water, combine sugar, corn syrup, ¼ cup water, and the egg whites. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture registers 160°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 2 minutes.
Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat the mixture on high speed until glossy and voluminous, about 5 minutes. Beat in the vanilla. Use immediately.
For coconut curls: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Open coconut “eyes” and strain milk through a fine sieve into a bowl; reserve for another use or discard.
Place the coconut on a timed baking sheet, and bake for 30 minutes, or until coconut shells begins to crack. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
Wrap coconut in a clean kitchen towel; holding the coconut with one hand, hit it with a hammer in the same place several times to crack the outer shell and split the coconut into several large pieces.
Separate coconut flesh from the shell, and use a vegetable peeler to remove dark outer skin. Rinse the coconut in cold water, then use the vegetable peeler to take off long, thick strips from the outer (cut) edges. Use immediately, or store, layered between damp paper towels in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for up to 6 hours.