Coconut Cake

Here are two recipes for Coconut Cake, the de rigeur birthday and holiday cake (unless you are Emilio, in which case I have provided a chocolate cake recipe as well).

Double-Coconut Cake from Cooking Light

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour (plus one tablespoon for dusting cake pans)
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 2/3 cups sugar
1/3 c butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 14 oz can light coconut milk
1 tblsp vanilla

Fluffy coconut frosting (see below)
2/3 cup flaked sweetened coconut, divided in half for middle and top of cake

Method
Preheat oven to 350°.

Coat 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray; dust with 1 tablespoon flour.

Combine 2 1/4 cups flour, baking powder, and salt, stirring with a whisk. Place sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (for about 5 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in vanilla.

Pour batter into prepared pans. Sharply tap the pans once on countertop to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on wire racks, and remove from pans. Cool completely on wire racks.

Fluffy Coconut Frosting

Ingredients
4 large egg whites (I recommend using powdered egg whites)
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
Dash of salt
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon coconut extract

Method
Place egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form. (I have to start with a whisk in my mixer bowl, as my Kitchen Aid doesn't reach to the bottom with this little liquid.) Combine sugar and water in a saucepan (I use one or two tablespoons of water); bring to a boil. Cook, without stirring, until candy thermometer registers 238°. Pour hot sugar syrup in a thin stream over egg whites, beating at high speed. Stir in extracts.

Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spread with 1 cup Fluffy Coconut Frosting. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup coconut. Top with remaining cake layer; spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Sprinkle 1/3 cup coconut over top of cake. Store cake loosely covered in refrigerator.

Coconut Cake II
"Jamie's Coconut Cake" from Paula Deen
(According to Food Network, she'll be making this cake on television this Friday- check your listings.)

Ingredients
2(!) sticks butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 cups sifted self-rising flour
1 cup coconut milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Filling:
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
4 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup flaked, sweetened coconut

7-Minute Frosting:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar or 1 tablespoon white corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup water
2 egg whites
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 to 3 cups coconut, flaked and sweetened

Cake Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 3 (9-inch) cake pans.

Using an electric mixer, cream butter until fluffy. Add sugar and continue to cream well for 6 to 8 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour and coconut milk alternately to creamed mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Add vanilla and continue to beat until just mixed. Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Level batter in each pan by holding pan 3 or 4-inches above counter, then dropping it flat onto counter. Do this several times to release air bubbles and assure you of a more level cake. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until done. Cool in pans 5 to 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto cooling racks.

Filling:
Stir together sugar, sour cream, milk, and coconut in a bowl until well blended. Add first cake layer onto pedestal. Using the wrong end of a wooden spoon, poke holes approximately 1-inch apart until entire cake has been poked. Spread a third of filling mixture on cake layer. Top with second layer, repeat process. Top with last layer and repeat process again.

Cook's Note: As each layer is stacked, stick them with toothpicks to prevent cake from shifting.

Frosting:
Place sugar, cream of tartar or corn syrup, salt, water, and egg whites in the top of a double boiler. Beat with a handheld electric mixer for 1 minute. Place pan over boiling water, being sure that boiling water does not touch the bottom of the top pan. Beat constantly on high speed with electric mixer for 7 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Frost the top and sides of the cake. Sprinkle top and sides of cake with coconut.

Velvet Chocolate Cake
From Scharffenberger Chocolate

Ingredients
8 oz Scharffen Berger 70% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup minus 1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup strong coffee, kept warm but not hot
3 eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar

Method
(Double this recipe for a 9 inch pan or larger. This makes a relatively flat flourless cake.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Butter or spray an 8-inch round pan (not spring-form) with vegetable oil spray. Line bottom with a parchment circle. Have a larger pan ready to serve as a water bath.
Melt the chocolate gently over hot water. Keep warm.
Whip the cream with 1 tbs of sugar until the mixture forms soft peaks. Set aside.
Whip eggs on high speed in a stand mixer until double in volume. Gradually add the 1/4 cup sugar to the eggs, 1 tbs at a time. Continue whipping until the eggs have fully tripled in volume and are light and fluffy. They should have some body.
Pour the coffee into the chocolate and stir until combined. Fold the eggs into the chocolate in three additions, working quickly to incorporate each addition. Fold in cream.

Pour the batter into the parchment-lined pan. Place it in the larger pan. Fill the outer pan with hot water so that it reaches halfway up the side of the cake pan.

Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the cake still jiggles in the center when gently shaken. Cool completely on a rack. To unmold, slide small knife or spatula around the edges of the cake to loosen from pan. Cover the top of the pan with a sheet of waxed paper. Place a plate upside-down over the paper and invert pan and plate together. Remove cake pan and parchment liner. Place a serving platter on the bottom of the cake and turn right-side up.

Slice and serve with creme anglaise or whipped cream.

Makes 7-8 servings. Keeps up to four days at room temperature, wrapped tightly in plastic.