MAIDA HEATTER'S COCONUT LAYER CAKE
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 1/2 2.5 2.5cups CUP_USVolumesifted cake flour
- 1 1 1tablespoon TABLESPOON_USVolumebaking powder
- 1/4 .25 .25teaspoon TEASPOON_USVolumesalt
- 1/4 .25 .25pound POUNDWeight(1 stick) butter
- 1 1 1teaspoon TEASPOON_USVolumevanilla extract
- 1 1/2 1.5 1.5cups CUP_USVolumesugar
- 2 2 2eggs
- 1 1 1cup CUP_USVolumemilk
- 1 1 1large orange, zest finely grated
- A few spoonfuls melted, strained apricot preserves
Fluffy White Icing
- 4 4 4egg whites
- 1 1/4 1.25 1.25cups CUP_USVolumelight corn syrup
- 2 2 2tablespoons TABLESPOON_USVolumewater
- 2 1/2 2.5 2.5cups CUP_USVolumeconfectioners' sugar
- Pinch salt
- 1 1 1teaspoon TEASPOON_USVolumevanilla extract
- 1/4 .25 .25teaspoon TEASPOON_USVolumealmond extract
- 8 8 8ounces OUNCE_USVolume(3 to 4 cups) grated, toasted coconut (8 - 10 ounces)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Adjust the rack to the center of the oven. Butter 2 (9-inch) round layer-cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper. Butter the paper and dust all over lightly with flour. Set aside.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside. In large bowl of electric mixer, beat the butter to soften a bit. Add the vanilla and sugar and beat for a few minutes. Add the eggs and milk and beat until smooth. On the lowest speed, add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary, and beating only until smooth after each addition. Remove from the mixer and stir in the orange rind.
- Divide the batter between the prepared pans. Tilt and shake the pans gently to level the batter. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cakes come away from the sides of the pans and tops spring back when lightly touched.
- Remove from the oven. Let stand for about 5 minutes. Cover with racks or cookie sheets and invert. Remove pans and papers. Cover with racks and invert again to cool right side up.
- When the layers have cooled completely, place 4 strips of waxed paper or baking parchment around a cake plate, and place 1 layer on the plate, upside down. Spread with a thin layer of smooth preserves, reserving some for the second layer.
- Make the Fluffy White Icing: Mix all of the ingredients except for the vanilla and almond extracts in the top of a large double boiler; it must have at least an 8 to 10-cup capacity. Place over hot water on moderate heat. Beat with an electric mixer at high speed for 5 to 6 minutes, until the mixture stands in peaks when the beaters are lifted. Immediately, in order to stop the cooking, transfer to the large bowl of an electric mixer. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and beat at high speed for about 5 minutes more, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl almost continuously with a rubber spatula, until the mixture is smooth and very thick. Use immediately.
- Spread a third of the icing on the bottom layer. Sprinkle with a third of the coconut. Put on the second layer, right side up, so that the 2 cake bottoms meet in the middle. Spread the top with the remaining apricot preserves. Use another third of the icing to ice around the sides of the cake. Use the remaining third of the icing to ice the top of the cake. Quickly spread with a long, narrow metal spatula to smooth the top and sides.
- With the palm of your hand, press another third of the coconut onto the sides and sprinkle the remaining coconut evenly over the top. Remove the paper strips, pulling each out by a narrow end.
ABOUT THIS RECIPE
My dear friend Maida Heatter made me the best coconut layer cake ever when I visited her for my Food Network TV show. As Maida says, "Fresh coconut, freshly grated, is a rare treat. If possible, use it. Fresh coconut is moist. If you use canned coconut, use the moist type and the most finely shredded." This recipe comes from her acclaimed "Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts" (Andrews McMeel, 1999) and appears here with her kind permission. Thank you, Maida!