Perfect Coconut Cake

This perfect coconut cake is insanely moist and tender! You will love it because it is soft and fluffy and full of coconut flavor.

I love coconut cake. My mom, husband and Big E love coconut cake. I feel a wee-bit boring, but this is my birthday request nine years out of ten. I've been tinkering with coconut cakes for many years now and I finally feel like I can share this perfect coconut cake!

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It's no secret that I love coconut; oatmeal coconut chocolate chip cookies and chocolate coconut bites are two of my favorite recipes. I'm pretty sure my love came from my mom as she is a big coconut fan too. In fact, most of the photos in this post are the coconut cake I made for my mom's birthday this past year.❤️

Ina Garten is one of my all-time food idols and the inspiration for this cake started with Ina's coconut cake.

WHAT MAKES THIS THE PERFECT COCONUT CAKE?

• Cake flour is used to create a moist and soft crumb. You can find cake flour in the baking aisle. If you don't have access to cake flour, you can make your own. Measure 1 cup of all-purpose flour, then remove 2 Tablespoons. Add in 2 Tablespoons of corn starch and sift together three times to evenly distribute the corn starch through the flour.
• A mixture of egg whites and whole eggs. The egg whites help keep the crumb soft and fluffy, while the egg yolks add fat and moisture.
• Sour cream adds additional moisture.
• Buttermilk helps to create a tender crumb. If you don't have buttermilk on hand you can make it yourself. Pour 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar in a glass measuring cup, add milk to equal one cup and stir.
• Sweetened shredded coconut adds a little moisture and tons of flavor!

HOW TO MAKE COCONUT CAKE

For this recipe you want all your wet ingredients at room temperature. Plan to set your butter, eggs, sour cream and buttermilk out a minimum of 1 hour prior to starting; maybe longer depending on the temperature of your kitchen. We want room temperature ingredients because they emulsify together much better and help to ensure a moist, soft and fluffy cake.

Start by preparing your cake pans. I find I have the best results when I butter and then add a parchment round to the bottom of the pan. Butter the parchment paper and dust with flour. Set the pans aside while you prepare the batter.

Then whisk the dry ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

Creaming the butter and sugar together gives us the foundation for this cake batter. Let them beat together for about five minutes until light and fluffy.

Next, beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the egg whites. Mix until incorporated, then add the sour cream, vanilla and coconut extracts and mix well. The mixture may look curdled, but don't let it concern you.

With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture and buttermilk in alternating additions, beginning and ending with the dry. I break mine into ½ dry, buttermilk, final ½ dry. Stop and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Be careful not to over mix your batter. Fold in the coconut with a spatula.

Finally, distribute the batter evenly between the three prepared baking pans. I always weigh each pan to make sure they are even. Then bake and fully cool prior to frosting.

WHAT FROSTING IS RIGHT FOR COCONUT CAKE?

Cream cheese frosting is often what people frost a coconut cake with. My favorites are either a coconut Swiss meringue buttercream or white chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream. I'm including the coconut buttercream recipe today. The key ingredient to getting a fabulous coconut flavor in buttercream is using coconut milk powder.

Coconut milk powder can be found at many grocery stores or you can order it from Amazon. I do find that the coconut milk powder can settle and get a little bit clumpy, so I recommend sifting it so you don't end up with any clumps in the buttercream.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

• Once the cakes are cool, level with a large serrated knife or cake leveler, if needed.
• Place one layer on a serving plate, cake stand or a cardboard cake round, topside up. Spread with an even layer of buttercream. Gently place the second layer on top of the buttercream and spread with another even layer of buttercream. Gently place the third layer on top. If you wish to add jam or ganache; I suggest piping a dam of frosting around the outside of the cake layers and spreading the filling evenly on the cake. The dam is used to keep the filling from spilling out the sides of the cake.
• Lightly frost the cake to create a crumb coat. This does not have to be perfect, it is meant to lock all the crumbs into the thin layer of frosting. Chill cake for 30 minutes to set the crumb coat.
• Frost with remaining buttercream, smoothing evenly over the top and sides of the cake. Decorate with swirls of frosting around the top edge of cake, if desired. Wilton 1M is my favorite tip.
• You can also add some toasted coconut, if desired. Spread coconut in an even layer over a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes, or until lightly golden. Stop to stir every two minutes.

Decorating cakes has become a passion of mine over the last several years so my cakes have a more finished look to them. I consider myself more than a beginner, but still far from a professional. Cake decorating is extremely humbling for me and takes me a LONG time. This perfect coconut cake is so amazingly moist, soft and tender and no one is going to care what it looks like once they take a bite! Be kind to yourself and decorate to the best of your ability.

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