Southern Coconut Cake

A slice of coconut cake on a white plate with a fork.

5 from 1 vote

This three-layer Southern coconut cake is fluffy, moist, and incredibly delicious. Made with shredded coconut, coconut milk, and coconut extract.

Prep Time40

Cook Time23

Total Time1 3

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Julie Maestre

Ingredients

Cake

1 cup unsalted butter softened at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
5 large egg whites room temperature
1 teaspoon coconut extract
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk canned
½ cup sour cream
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut flakes

Frosting

1 cup unsalted butter softened at room temperature
2 (8 oz) cream cheese softened at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon fine salt
1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 cups sweetened shredded coconut flakes for decorating

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare three 8-inch baking cake pans by lightly greasing the pans, then line with parchment paper, and then grease the parchment paper.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed for 3-5 minutes or until light and fluffy.
Add in the egg whites and beat until combined for about 1-2 minutes. Add vanilla extract, coconut extract, and sour cream and mix. Scape down the sides of the bowl.
Add in the dry ingredients and coconut milk. Beat on low until incorporated. Fold in the shredded coconut flakes. Whisk by hand if needed to ensure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. Batter will be a little thick.
Evenly distribute the batter between the prepared pans. Using a scale will ensure accurate amounts. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Place pans on a wire rack and cool completely before removing from pans. Cakes must be completely cooled before frosting.

FOR THE FROSTING

Beat together the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until creamy and smooth, or about 2 minutes.
Add the sifted powdered sugar and vanilla extract, heavy cream, and salt. Mix on low until incorporated, and then turn to high speed and beat for 3 minutes. Add more powdered sugar if the frosting is too thin, and more heavy cream if too thick.
Refrigerate if not frosting cake right away. Remove from the fridge about 20 minutes prior to frosting a chilled cake.

DIRECTIONS FOR ASSEMBLING CAKE

Once cakes are completely cooled, use a serrated knife to slice off the dome center of the cake. When leveling cakes, you don’t need to cut off the entire dome, but just enough to let it sit flat. You can fill in the uneven areas or gaps with extra frosting once you stack your cake.
Place a dollop of frosting on your turntable. Then place the cake board exactly centered in the middle of the turntable. Place another dollop of frosting on your cake board. Center your first cake layer in the very center of the cake board. The frosting serves as a glue to keep your cake from moving while frosting.
Spoon about ¾ cup of frosting on top of your first cake layer. Using your icing spatula, spread the cream cheese frosting from the center of the cake towards the edges, making the frosting as level as possible. Frosting should be about ¼ inch thick.
Stack the next cake layer upside down on top of the first layer, making sure it’s centered and level. I like to place the second and third cakes upside down because the bottom is completely flat and makes for a more level cake. You can press the cake in the areas where it is uneven to make it lower if needed. Repeat with another layer of frosting.
Add the last layer of cake upside down. To crumb coat the cake, add a dollop of frosting on top and spread it out in a very thin layer, pressing the frosting from the center to the edges. Spread some frosting on the sides of the cake in a very thin layer, until all the bare spots are covered.
Take your bench scraper and hold it perpendicular to the sides of the cake to scrape the frosting in an even layer until smooth, as you spin the turntable. If there are any gaps, add a little more frosting and scrape the sides again. Use the bench scraper to smooth the top of the cake as well.
Spin the cake around to check that the cake is level and straight along the sides. You can adjust the cake with the bench scraper if needed and smooth the sides again.
Place the crumb coated cake in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to allow the frosting to chill and set, and no longer sticky.

Notes

Be sure to use room temperature ingredients. Room temperature butter and cream cheese allow for the ingredients to fully incorporate, rather than have chunks.
Mix the cream cheese frosting on low speed for a couple of minutes at the end in order to get out any extra air so that it can easily frost a cake.
Once you add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mix until just barely combined. Overmixing can create a tough cake.
Check for doneness a few minutes before recommended baking time is up because different ovens can run different temperatures.
Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting.

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