Coconut Lemon Curd Cake (CS)

By hmp13

Ingredients

• Lemon Curd:
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 stick butter
• 2 large eggs
• Cake:
• 2 1/2 cups cake flour (measure, then sift)
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 5 large egg whites
• Frosting:
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1/2 stick butter, softened
• 4 cups icing sugar
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 16 ounces sweetened coconut flakes

Preparation

Step 1

Make the lemon curd: boil the lemon juice, sugar and butter in a medium saucepan. Whisk the eggs together in a large bowl. Pour ½ cup of the lemon mixture into the eggs and whisk together. Add the egg mixture bake into the pan with the remaining lemon mixture. Cook on low heat, stirring, until thick, and then strain (use the finest strainer that you can find). Cover and cool in the refrigerator until ready to assemble the cake.

Make the cake: preheat the oven to 350. Lightly grease and flour an 8-ounce round cake pan. Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the butter and oil and mix until small pea sized balls form. Add the milk and vanilla and mix until smooth.

In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites until medium peaks form. Fold the whipped whites into the batter (you should not be able to see any whites, and the batter should look light and fluffy).

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let the cake cool, then unmold.

Make the frosting: in the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and cream cheese until soft. Add the icing sugar, blending in 1 cup at a time. Add the milk slowly, as needed, and mix until the frosting is smooth and creamy.

Assemble the cake: slice into 3 layers with a long serrated knife. Reserve the bottom layer. Place another layer on a serving plate. Using a pastry bag, pipe circles of lemon curd on the top using half the curd. Place a second cake layer on top of the first and repeat with the remaining lemon curd. Top with the reserved bottom layer.

Refrigerate for 10 minutes to allow the cake to set. Ice the outside with frosting. Gently apply coconut to the top and sides of the cakes. The frosting will act as a glue to hold the coconut.