Coconut Lemon Cake + a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer Giveaway
Classic, fluffy, gorgeous, snow-ball, southern Coconut Cake: vanilla butter cake filled with puckery lemon curd and topped with marshmallow-y boiled frosting and flaked coconut. There's a reason this is a southern institution in the dessert world!
Ingredients
For the Vanilla Butter Cake:
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 large eggs separated
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 cup milk
- 1 /2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Boiled Frosting:
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 4 egg whites
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
To Garnish:
- 2-3 cups flaked coconut sweetened or unsweetened
Instructions
To Make the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 2 (9-inch) round cake pans and set aside.
- Beat the butter in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer at medium speed until fluffy. Add the sugar and beat well. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well to incorporate after each addition.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Add one third of the mixture to the butter and beat on low until well combined. Add 1/2 of the milk, beat 'til well combined. Repeat with another 1/3 of the flour mixture, then the other half of the milk and the vanilla extract, then the remaining third of the flour mixture, beating well after each addition and scraping the bowl down as needed.
- Beat the egg whites and salt to stiff peaks. Stir 1/3 of the egg whites into the cake batter, to lighten it. Then fold in the remaining egg whites.
- Divide the batter between the two cake pans. Smooth the tops. Bake for 30-38 minutes, or until a straw inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean and the cakes springs back when pressed lightly in the center with your fingertip.
- Cool in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes before turning out onto the rack to finish cooling completely.
- When the cakes are absolutely cooled, you can trim them to level them. Place three or four strips of parchment or waxed paper over a cake plate to protect the plate while frosting and garnishing the cake. Place a trimmed, level cake in the center of the cake.
- Add the lemon curd to the center of the cake and spread to within 3/4-inch of the edges. Place the second trimmed, leveled cake over the first. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour to help it set up.
To Make the Boiled Frosting:
- Combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Stir it constantly until it clears, then remove the spoon from the pan and heat to boiling. Do not stir it, but bring the mixture to 240°F on a candy thermometer or instant read thermometer. While it is boiling up to temperature, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar to soft peaks. When the syrup is up to temperature and the egg whites are at soft peaks, keep the mixer running at low speed and slowly drizzle in the syrup, beating constantly. Turn the speed up to high and whip to stiff peaks.
To Frost and Garnish the Cake:
- After removing the plastic wrap, pile the boiled frosting on top of the cake and spread around the sides using an offset spatula. While rotating the cake plate, even the icing on the top and sides. Press handfuls of the flaked coconut against the sides and sprinkle it evenly over the top. The cake can be sliced and served immediately, or refrigerated, lightly covered, before serving.
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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