Easter Layer Cake Recipe | The Nibble Webzine Of Food Adventures

RECIPE: Double Coconut Easter Layer Cake

March 24, 2016 at 8:42 am · Filed under Cookies-Cake-Pastry, Easter, Recipes

Top: A classic Easter cake with coconut “grass” and Easter eggs. Bottom: You can tint the batter different colors for a surprise. Photo courtesy Reynolds Kitchens.

Coconut cake has become an Easter tradition. Adults and children alike are tickled pink by the green coconut “grass” and Easter egg candies.

This recipe from Reynolds Kitchens is “double coconut,” made with coconut layers as well a coconut frosting.

RECIPE: DOUBLE COCONUT EASTER LAYER CAKE

Ingredients

For the Cake

3-1/4 cups of flour

1-/34 cups of sugar

1 tablespoon of baking powder

1 cup of room temperature unsalted butter

1-1/4 cups of canned coconut milk

8 egg whites

1 teaspoon of coconut extract

Pinch of salt

1 cup of sweetened shredded coconut

Optional: food color

For the Frosting

12 ounces of softened creamed cheese

1 pound of room temperature unsalted butter

1-1/2 teaspoons of coconut extract

1 pound of sifted powdered sugar

4 cups of sweetened shredded coconut

Green food coloring

Garnishes: small Easter egg candies

Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, in a standing mixer with the paddle attachment.

2. WHISK together the egg whites and shredded coconut in a separate bowl. Add in the coconut extract and then the egg whites and shredded coconut mixture in 3 batches into the butter-sugar mixture.

3a. MIX the flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl and add into the creamed butter-sugar mixture, while alternating with the coconut milk but beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Be sure to stop and scrape the sides of the bowl often.

3b. If you want to tint the layers, divide the batter into thirds and tint two of the three with a different pastel color.

4. DISTRIBUTE the cake batter evenly into 3 cake pans. Bake the cake in the oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown and firm in the center. Cool the cake pans on a rack for 10 to 15 minutes.

5. WHIP the butter and cream cheese in a standing mixer with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Mix in the coconut extract and powdered sugar until completely blended.

6. TOSS together in a slider storage bag 1-1/2 cups of the shredded coconut and 4 to 6 drops of green food coloring, until the coconut becomes green. Frost the cooled coconut cake in layers with a small amount of frosting. After each layer has been frosted, sprinkle on ½ cup of shredded coconut and press into the frosting before adding on the next layer of cake.

7. FROST the entire outside and top of the cake and use the remaining shredded white coconut to coat the outside of the cake.

8. FINISH the top of the layered coconut cake by sprinkling on the green coconut shreds, but take care to not get any of the shreds around the outside. Garnish the top of the cake with assorted Easter egg candy and chocolate.

LAKER CAKE BAKING TIPS

These tips for creating the perfect layer cake are from Reynolds Kitchens:

Start by carefully reading the recipe. Baking is scientific, and requires ingredient precision to achieve the best results. For example, if you combine all your ingredients and later realize your eggs needed to be beaten separately, your cake could come out mealy.

Cool the layers upside-down. When the layers are done baking (a toothpick can be inserted and removed cleanly), flip them upside down onto a cooling rack so the cake tops are flat. Otherwise, your cakes may cool with a rounded top, which must be leveled with a long serrated knife.

Use applesauce to lighten the calories. Substitute plain applesauce evenly for vegetable oil in the recipe. The applesauce will maintain the cake’s moisture and flavor but will decrease the unwanted fat and calories.

FROSTING TIPS

Icing a cake is easier on a pedestal. Photo courtesy SugarSweetBakery.

Allow the cake to cool entirely prior to frosting. A warm cake will cause the frosting to melt into a messy, thin layer on top and virtually no frosting on the sides.

Use a generous amount of frosting between layers and ensure that it is evenly distributed. If you are filling with custard, fruit purée or jam, first create a barrier of frosting around the top rim of the layer, to keep the filling from spilling out of the cake.

Place the cake on its pedestal prior to frosting. First use 4 to 5 pieces of wax paper to completely covering the pedestal, allowing some to hang over the pedestal sides. Frost the cake and remove the wax paper.

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