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Pastry Chef April Franqueza's Coconut Cake
Enjoy a taste of the Inn at home with Pastry Chef April Franqueza's beloved Coconut Cake recipe.
"Growing up, one of my favorite traditions was eating coconut cake every year on my birthday. Today, I love being able to share a piece of this family tradition with our guests at High Hampton. Here's my favorite recipe for you to make at home!" - Chef April Franqueza
Cake Ingredients:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to the touch
- ½ cup coconut oil
- 2 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ tablespoons Kosher salt
- 1 ¼ cups egg white
- 2 tablespoons coconut extract
- 1 ¼ tablespoons vanilla paste or extract
- 3 ¾ cups White Lily all-purpose flour
- 1 ¾ cups coconut milk
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
Buttercream Ingredients:
- 2 cups unsalted butter, softened to the touch
- 2 ¼ cups confectioners’ sugar
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla paste or extract
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- 1 12-ounce bag of shredded, unsweetened coconut
Baking the Cake:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Measure your granulated sugar with the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the softened butter, coconut oil and sugar mixture until fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Then add the egg whites, coconut extract and vanilla. You can combine the coconut milk and heavy cream in one measuring cup, then alternate adding the White Lily flour and the coconut milk and heavy cream mixture. Ensure that you are scraping down the sides of the bowl. The mixture will look light and fluffy when finished. Butter and flour your baking pans, then evenly divide the batter amongst three 8-inch pans. Bake the cake layers for 25 minutes. Insert a toothpick in the center after 25 minutes and, if it comes out clean, remove the cake from the oven. If it is wet, give the cakes 2-3 more minutes, and repeat this process until the toothpick comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in the pan for 45 minutes, then remove to finish cooling on a wire rack. While you have your oven on and hot, evenly pour coconut on a baking sheet, and toast it for 2-3 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Allow to cool on the tray.
Making the Frosting:
Ensuring that your butter is soft to the touch, place it in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and mix on medium until smooth and creamy, then gradually add the confectioners’ sugar and salt while mixing on low, scraping down the sides as needed. Mix on medium for a minute, then on high speed to fully combine and aerate. Lastly, add the buttermilk and vanilla while the mixer is running on low, until fully combined. The buttercream should be light and fluffy. if the buttercream appears too stiff, mix on medium-high speed for a few more minutes, or add a few more tablespoons of buttermilk.
Frosting the Cake:
Ensure that the cake layers have completely cooled (you can even bake the cake layers the day before, allowing them to cool, then wrapping them overnight). It can be helpful to trim the tops of the layers to make them a little shorter and completely flat across this top. Use an ice cream scoop to scoop even portions of buttercream in between each layer, which will help with stacking. Working in sections when trying to ice the sides can also be helpful. Ice one 3-inch section from top to bottom first, then move on to the section next to it, instead of trying to work your way around all at once.
Ice the cake layers as desired, then sprinkle (or generously coat) the cake with the cooled shredded coconut.
