Toasted Coconut Cherry Cake
Recipe adapted from Epicurious (Epicurious.com)
Ingredients
Cake:
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ¾ cups sugar
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup canned sweetened cream of coconut (such as Coco López)*
- 4 large eggs, separated
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup dark sweet cherries, quartered
- Pinch of salt
- Cream cheese frosting (recipe below)
- 4 cups sweetened shredded coconut
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup canned sweetened cream of coconut (such as Coco López)*
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Butter and flour two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 2-inch-high sides or 2 5”x10” loaf pans (shown).
- Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in medium bowl to blend.
- Using an electric mixer, beat sugar, butter and sweetened cream of coconut in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla extract.
- On low speed, beat in dry ingredients and then buttermilk, each just until blended.
- Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites with a pinch of salt in another large bowl until stiff but not dry.
- Fold beaten egg whites into batter.
- Gently fold in cherries.
- Divide cake batter between prepared pans.
- Bake cakes until tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
- Cool cakes in pans on rack 10 minutes.
- Run a small sharp knife around pan sides to loosen cakes. Turn cakes out onto racks and cool completely.
- Place 1 cake layer on the cake plate. Spread 1 cup Cream Cheese Frosting over cake layer. Sprinkle 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut over.
- Top with the second cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of the cake.
- Sprinkle remaining coconut over the cake, gently pressing into sides to adhere.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Beat cream cheese in a medium bowl until fluffy.
- Add butter and beat to blend.
- Add sugar, sweetened cream of coconut and vanilla extract and beat until well-blended.
*Canned sweetened cream of coconut is available in the liquor section of most supermarkets nationwide.
Note: Coconut Layer Cake can be prepared up to 1 day ahead. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours before serving.