America's Test Kitchen Coconut Layer Cake

Name: America's Test Kitchen Coconut Layer Cake
Prep time: 2 h
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: 1 9 inch 4 layer cake, 12-20 serving(s)
Ingredients: 1 large egg; 5 large egg whites; 3/4 cup cream of coconut; 1/4 cup water; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 teaspoon coconut extract; 2 1/4 cups cake flour (9 ounces); 1 cup granulated sugar; 1 tablespoon baking powder; 3/4 teaspoon salt; 8 ounces sweetened coconut (about 8 ounces); 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces softened but still cool; 4 large egg whites; 1 cup granulated sugar; 1 pinch table salt; 1 lb unsalted butter, each stick cut into 6 pieces, softened but still cool; 1/4 cup cream of coconut; 1 teaspoon coconut extract; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Submitted by septfair

"I have not tried this yet but I am adding because I plan on trying it and wanted to have it here for safe keeping. I saw this episode a while back and the cake looked wonderful."

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photo by Elyelle A.

Ready In:: 2hrs 30mins
Ingredients:: 19
Yields:: 1 9 inch 4 layer cake
Serves:: 12-20

ingredients

cake
1 large egg
5 large egg whites
³⁄₄ cup cream of coconut
¹⁄₄ cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract
2 ¹⁄₄ cups cake flour (9 ounces)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
³⁄₄ teaspoon salt
8 ounces sweetened coconut (about 8 ounces)
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces softened but still cool
buttercream frosting
4 large egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
1 pinch table salt
1 lb unsalted butter, each stick cut into 6 pieces, softened but still cool
¹⁄₄ cup cream of coconut
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

directions

1. For the Cake: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans with shortening and dust with flour.
2. Beat egg whites and whole egg in large measuring cup with fork to combine. Add cream of coconut, water, vanilla, and coconut extract and beat with fork until thoroughly combined.
3. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Mix on lowest speed to combine, about 30 seconds. With mixer still running on lowest speed, add butter 1 piece at a time, then beat until mixture resembles coarse meal, with butter bits no larger than small peas, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes.
4. With mixer still running, add 1 cup liquid. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 45 seconds. With mixer still running, add remaining 1 cup liquid in steady stream (this should take about 15 seconds). Stop mixer and scrape down bowl with rubber spatula, then beat at medium-high speed to combine, about 15 seconds. (Batter will be thick.).
5. Divide batter between cake pans and level with offset or rubber spatula. Bake until deep golden brown, cakes pull away from sides of pans, and toothpick inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes (rotate cakes after about 20 minutes). Do not turn off oven.
6. Cool in pans on wire racks about 10 minutes, then loosen cakes from sides of pans with paring knife, invert cakes onto racks and then re-invert; cool to room temperature.
7. While cakes are cooling, spread shredded coconut on rimmed baking sheet; toast in oven until shreds are a mix of golden brown and white, about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring 2 or 3 times. Cool to room temperature.
8. For the Buttercream: Combine whites, sugar, and salt in bowl of standing mixer; set bowl over saucepan containing 1 1/2-inches of barely simmering water. Whisk constantly until mixture is opaque and warm to the touch and registers about 120 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 2 minutes.
9. Transfer bowl to mixer and beat whites on high speed with whisk attachment until barely warm (about 80 degrees) and whites are glossy and sticky, about 7 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-high and beat in butter 1 piece at a time. Beat in cream of coconut and coconut and vanilla extracts. Stop mixer and scrape bottom and sides of bowl. Continue to beat at medium-high speed until well-combined, about 1 minute.
10. To Assemble the Cake: Follow illustrations in chart below. Cut into slices and serve. (Wrap leftover cake in plastic and refrigerate; bring to room temperature before serving.).
ASSEMBLING THE CAKE.
1. With a long serrated knife, cut both cakes in half horizontally so that each cake forms two layers.
2. Put a dab of icing on a cardboard round cut just larger than the cake. Center one cake layer on the round.
3. Place a large blob of icing in the center of the layer and spread it to the edges with an icing spatula.
4. Hold the spatula at a 45-degree angle to the cake and drag it across the surface to level the icing. Repeat steps 3 and 4 with remaining cake layers.
5. To ice the sides of the cake, scoop up a large dab of icing with the tip of the spatula and spread it on the sides with short side-to-side strokes.
6. Sprinkle the top of the cake with coconut. Then press the coconut into the sides, letting the excess fall back onto a baking sheet.

Questions & Replies

This is not the original ATK coconut cake recipe, which included Coco Lopez sweetened coconut cream.

limpet55

Reviews

Corrections: Cake has 12 tablespoons of unsalted butter which is the last thing added to the batter. Butter needs to be waxy consistency. And the Butter Cream frosting is missing an ingredient, unsalted BUTTER, one whole pound. Creme of Coconut 3/4 cup goes in the batter. 1/4 cup goes in the frosting. Frosting also gets Vanilla & Coconut extract 1 teaspoon each. I made this for a birthday cake and it turned out beautifully. However, I took this cake in my car and the weather was cold. The cake frosting has so much butter in it, it is very temperature sensitive. Too cold and the butter sets hard and I can imagine that in warm weather the cake would just melt. Too much butter for me! The cake part was a little skimpy. It either didn't rise enough or the recipe needs to be increased a bit. It was a little skimpy for splitting into 4 layers and barely made it. Consistency and taste was excellent. The coconut was toasted. I think that I may prefer my coconut soft, tender, untoasted. I had about 1/3 cup of Creme of Coconut left over. What do you do with that? Taste balance was good. I would just like more loft and more moist and tender. Less butter.

JanetLikesPie
I saw the episode on America's Test Kitchen where they presented this recipe...the host said it was one of the best cakes he ever tasted on the show,,so that definitely piqued my interest. My sister LOVES coconut cake and was having a party. I told her that I found this recipe ,but had NOT tried making it yet, so do I DARE make it for her party without experimenting first?? My sis said "GO for it!"...so I did (with fingers crossed!).. First...must say it did take a long time to prepare - between separating all the eggs, & the many steps involved ..I don't have a thermometer and worried about the frosting.....which I didnt like the look of (not smooth and velvety..& not very solid, .but figured it would be covered up with the toasted coconut, so I persevered!).. DEFINITELY sitting in the fridge overnight helped firm up the frosting. SO GLAD I DID...the cake was a BIG hit with everyone at the party..and NOT one piece was left! My sister said it was FABULOUS and exactly the kind of cake and frosting she would have picked....And that it tasted even BETTER than some fancy restaurant 's coconut cake that she remembered fondly..Wish I took a picture of my cake...some thought it came from a very expensive bakery-it looked so professional. The toasted coconut gave it a nice look & crunchy taste. And the cream of coconut in the cake and frosting, doesn't overpower the taste, but gives it a true infusion of coconut flavor that a COCONUT cake should have (& not just flaked coconut on top of frosting like some cakes have). Patience paid off in spades -- I got compliments galore all evening!...and my sis said "you realize you're gonna have to make this again for me!" SOOOO glad I found the full recipe here..it's definitely a keeper! THANK YOU.

LINDA S.
I spread homemade strawberry jam on the cut layers and I can't image the cake without it. Husband loved the cake. I thought it was just OK.

Disque
This has to be by far the absolute best coconut cake!! The only change that made was I cut the butter in the frosting to 3 sticks of butter. Delicious!! If I could give it more stars for the rating, I would. I’m about to make this cake again today. Thank you for posting this recipe. LP

lauriegp
This cake turned out rich - extremely rich. I guess I should have seen it, considering the amount of butter used in the recipe. I'm guessing my choice of extracts had something to do with the flavor leaving room for improvement, but I also wonder if another type of filling between the layers would have improved the flavor. The cake got a lot of compliments when I served it, but I probably will not use this recipe again - at least not without some serious modifications.
Elyelle A.

see 2 more reviews

Tweaks

I did not slice the 2 layers in half horizontally. Rather, I filled the middle with a coconut cream (same as I make for a pie), and then made a half batch of the icing. The cake is delicious. I'll probably bake the batter in a Bundt pan, next time, and maybe drizzle with a glaze.

Disque