My Truly White~ White Cake Recipe just keeps on giving!
It has become the base for so many spinoff recipes!
This Classic Coconut Layer Cake is one beautiful example!
With just two simple recipes you can have this rustic yet elegant cake
By adding shredded coconut to the cake batter
I have transformed yet another recipe into something completely new and awesome!
I’m not gonna lie though,
Before I decided to make this cake, I honestly said to myself:
“Who in the world likes to eat Coconut Cake?”
It’s terribly sweet and even I am not sure I want all that dang coconut in one bite!
Ummmm……
I ATE THE WHOLE PIECE and still wanted more.
This cake is not too sweet at all!
And I even used sweetened flake coconut for the outside coating!
Of course you can opt for unsweetened coconut in both the cake and the batter for a less sweet version
The combination of coconut cake, coconut buttercream and sweet flaked coconut coating is out of this world amazing!
You must try this recipe and if you are not into building an entire layer cake
Just make the sheet cake style instead!
By baking all the batter into a 9″ x 13″ cake pan you can have one single sheet cake layer of Coconut Cake!
It also bakes into cupcakes, but just not high domed ones
Which is a good thing for cake layers since we never have to trim them
But we all like cupcakes with a slight crown and this cake recipe doesn’t do that very well.
What it does do very well though, is convert the naysayers to vegan baking!
You will turn some heads with this Classic Coconut Layer Cake!
Notes for Success:
When measuring cornstarch I cannot stress enough that a kitchen scale is the best way to go.
Cornstarch is a very difficult ingredient to measure consistently with a volume spoons measure, so while I list both measures below I cannot stress enough how the grams measure with a scale is going to give you the best results.
A heavy hand in measuring cornstarch could result in a dry cake.
I am using aquafaba as the egg replacer here but you can use 2 Tbs flax meal reconstituted with 6Tbs water instead mixing with the same method as described
Be sure to turn the oven temperature down to 300°F as noted below in the recipes or you could have a dry over baked cake before the center is even baked through
For the most coconut flavor in this cake, coconut milk is the way to go, but any plant milk will work just fine
Surprisingly the sweetened flake coconut was not a bad idea here!
I thought the cake would be too sweet but it was perfect
Of course it is your option to use unsweetened if you prefer
I am using Coconut Extract & Coconut Flakes from Olive Nation~ They have extended a discount code to YOU if you want to grab some of their awesome high quality baking ingredients!
Type GVB20 at checkout on their website here at Olive Nation. com
For more awesome Coconut Recipes click the links below!
This recipe is for 2-8" cake layers or 3-7" layers
- Vegan Butter 8 tablespoons (113g)
- Coconut Oil 8 Tablespoons (113g)
- Granulated Sugar 1½ cup (300g)
- Coconut milk 1 cup (237ml) *any plant milk will be fine
- Coconut Extract 2 teaspoons (10ml)
- All Purpose Flour 5 Tablespoons (40g)
- Cake Flour 3 cups cup (360g)
- Baking Powder 3½ teaspoons
- Salt ¾ teaspoon
- Cornstarch 1 Tablespoon (8g)
- Aquafaba ¾ cup (177ml)
- Shredded Flakes Coconut * sweetened or unsweetened your option 1½ cups
- 1 recipe your favorite buttercream * I am using the American Style Buttercream
- 2 teaspoons coconut extract
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease & parchment line your cake pan(s)
- Combine the softened vegan butter with the granulated sugar and mix on high speed with the paddle attachment for 2 minutes until light and fluffy, then add the coconut oil and mix for another 2 minutes.
- Be sure to scrape the bottom & sides of the bowl from time to time.
- Combine the extract and plant milk set it aside.
- Combine the aquafaba with the cornstarch and whisk together so there are no lumps, it will get slightly frothy too, this is good.
- Once the butter mixture is creamed, add the aquafaba/cornstarch to it and change the attachment to the whisk attachment, whip on high speed to emulsify & the mixture will get very silky and smooth
- Meanwhile sift the flour with the salt and baking powder and add ⅓ of that to the creamed mixture, blend just until combined then add half of the plant milk
- Blend just until combined then add another ⅓ of the dry ingredients and then the remaining liquid and last the remaining dry ingredients.
- Be sure to scrape the sides & bottom of the bowl and whip it on high for 10 seconds to blend well
- Add the coconut and mix to combine.
- Divide the batter evenly between your pans and bake immediately in the preheated oven that has been set to 350°F
- After the first 10 minutes lower the temperature to 300° and bake for another 20-25 minutes or when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean
- The total bake time should be about 25-35 minutes
- Cool in the pans and the turn them out onto a cooling rack to cool completely
- Meanwhile prepare the buttercream icing of your choice and add the coconut extract at the last stage of mixing
- Assemble the cake with the coconut buttercream filling & icing then add flaked coconut all over the cake for garnish or decorate as you wish
For longer storage keep refrigerated for up to 1 week wrapped to prevent drying
Bring to room temperature before serving by leaving the cake out on the counter for at least 1 hour before serving.
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