coconut cake

Sometimes it is difficult to tell how a recipe is going to work out unless you try it out. I saw this coconut cake recipe and it was described as: "an impossible tender coconut cake mounded with a billowy cloud of coconut-imbued unsweetened whipped cream and then a generous crowing of sweet coconut flakes. The taste is a gentle explosion of coconut flavor, accentuated with a light spray of sugar." Great description right? Well, in reality the cake did not live up to the way it was described! Not that the cake was not good, the cake was okay but not great. The cake was very dense, perhaps I screw up somewhere in the preparation or was it intentionally dense? But I have to say that the whipped cream and coconut topping was excellent. Will I make this cake again? Maybe I will give it another try and see the outcome.

Batter

2 cup flour

3 large eggs

2/3 cup canned cream of coconut

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup desiccated unsweetened grated coconut

2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 stick unsalted butter (8 oz)

Coconut whipped cream topping

1/1/2 cups heavy cream

1/4 cup coconut cream

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Equipment

one 8 by 2 inch round cake pan

Fist whisk the egg whites, 3 tablespoons of the cream of coconut, the vanilla until combines and set aside. In the food processor, process the sugar and coconut until the coconut is powder fine. In a bowl mix the coconut mixture, flour, baking powder, and salt then beat it together on low speed for 30 seconds. Add the butter and the remaining cream of coconut.

Beat on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Raise the speed to medium and beat for 1 1/2 minutes.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg white into 2 parts, beating for 30 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients an strengthen the structure.

Using a silicone spatula, scrape the batter into the pan.

Smooth the surface evenly and then put a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until a wire cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake start to come away from the sides of the pan.

Remove the cake form the oven and un-mold the cake. let it cool on a wire rack.

In a mixing bowl, combine the heavy cream and coconut cream. Whip the mixture starting on low, gradually raising the speed to medium high as it thickens, only until the cream mounds softly when dropped from a spoon.

Mound the cream on top of the cake Make sure to line the bottom of the cake with paper.

Spread out the whipped cream and not worry about being messy because the paper underneath can be pulled out.

Finishing the cake by even out the whipped cream.