Lemon Coconut Cake

What You'll Need

For the Cake:

• Three cups cake flour
• 3/4 cups sugar
• One Tbsp baking powder
• One half tsp salt
• 12 Tbsp (Six oz.) unsalted butter, softened
• One egg + four large egg whites
• One cup unsweetened canned coconut milk (see note)
• One Tbsp vanilla extract
• Three cups unsweetened flaked coconut, divided

For the Frosting:

• Two cups (16 oz.) unsalted butter, room temperature
• One Tbsp vanilla extract
• Five cups powdered sugar
• One quarter cup milk

For the Lemon Curd:

• One half cup fresh lemon juice (~Three lemons)
• One Tbsp lemon zest (~One lemon)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• Three large eggs
• Six Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces

How to Make It

For the Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour (3) 8" round cake pans; set aside.
2. In the bowl of a countertop mixer, combine all of the dry ingredients (cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt). Stir until well combined.
3. Add the butter, egg and egg whites; mix until well combined. (Tip: Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula occasionally to ensure batter is well mixed.)
4. Add half of the coconut milk to the bowl; mix until well combined. Repeat with the remaining coconut milk and the vanilla extract.
5. Mix for 2-3 minutes on medium speed, or until batter is fluffy and well mixed.
6. Divide batter evenly into (3) 8” round pans.
7. Bake at 350° for 25-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
8. Allow cakes to cool in pans and then transfer to a cooling rack until fully cooled.

For the Frosting

9. Using a countertop mixer, cream the butter on medium speed for 2-3 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
10. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition until fully absorbed.
11. Add the milk and mix on medium speed until well combined. (Note: If the frosting is too thick or thin, just add a bit of additional milk or powdered sugar.)
12. Whip the frosting for another 3-4 minutes on high speed.

For the Lemon Curd

13. Using a medium saucepan, whisk together the lemon juice, zest, sugar and eggs. Add the pieces of butter and place pan over medium-low heat.
14. Cook, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon (~7-8 minutes).
15. Let cool and then refrigerate until firm.

To Decorate Cake

16. Place the first layer of cake on a large plate and spread a generous layer of Frosting on top. Spread ½ cup of coconut flakes evenly on top of the frosting.
17. Repeat with the second layer of cake, spreading another ½ cup of coconut flakes on top of the Frosting. (Tip: When frosting the inner layers, make sure to save enough Frosting to cover outer edge of cake.)
18. Frost outer edge of cake with the remaining Frosting. (Tip: This will get covered with flaked coconut, so it doesn’t need to look perfect!)
19. Gently press remaining coconut flakes into outer edge of cake.
20. Using an offset spatula, spread the lemon curd evenly across top of cake.
21. Serve cake either chilled or at room temperature.

healthy breakfast, healthy appetizers, healthy soups, Healthy Food, healthy diet, healthy desserts, easy desserts, melamine dinnerware, dinnerware made in usa, white dinnerware, healthy snacks recipes, snack recipes, culinary school, culinary arts schools, best culinary schools, top culinary schools, Culinary Institute, Breakfast, Pastry, Cooking Classes