Is it wrong that I post two desserts in a row? Maybe. But I have a very good reason: yesterday my second child turned fourteen and requested a coconut cake in honor of his southern dad. I decided to make an authentic, classic southern Coconut Cake — the kind of tall, white, fluffy cake that shows up at holidays and family gatherings. Even with southern relatives and a husband from Virginia, I admit I felt a little daunted tackling such a traditional cake.
I turned to Southern Living’s 1995 Best of Southern Living Cookbook for the cake and frosting method, but I made my own lemon curd for the filling. Lemon curd is my comfort zone, and I wanted a bright, real lemon curd between the layers of this vanilla butter cake rather than a simpler filling.
Once the layers were baked and I started assembling, my confidence returned. This cake is a joy to make — and it absolutely benefits from using a stand or hand mixer. My KitchenAid made the job effortless: it whipped the egg whites that were folded into the batter, and it whipped the egg whites and boiled-syrup frosting to a fluffy, marshmallow-like peak. Whipping that frosting by hand would have worn me out.
When the cake was finished I stepped back and thought, “I did my grandma proud.” I couldn’t resist bribing the birthday boy to let me cut into it — his bribe was permission to eat the slice I cut for him, and he happily accepted. His reaction was priceless: he admired the cake with delighted exclamations and ate his large wedge with the enthusiasm of a true cake lover.
Fueled by cake and sugar, he spent the next hour sledding down our steepest hill and declared twelve inches of new snow “almost as pretty as the cake.” I, for one, would be perfectly happy sledding down a hill covered in that frosting.
Coconut Lemon Cake
Rebecca Lindamood
Ingredients
For the Vanilla Butter Cake:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 large eggs, separated
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Boiled Frosting:
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 4 egg whites
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
To Garnish:
- 2–3 cups flaked coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
Instructions
To Make the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9-inch round cake pans and set aside.
- Beat the butter in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer at medium speed until fluffy. Add the sugar and beat well. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Add one-third of the flour mixture to the butter and beat on low until combined. Add half the milk and beat to combine. Repeat with another third of the flour, the remaining milk and vanilla, then the last third of flour, beating and scraping the bowl as needed.
- Beat the egg whites with the salt to stiff peaks. Stir one-third of the egg whites into the cake batter to lighten it, then gently fold in the remaining egg whites.
- Divide the batter between the two prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake 30–38 minutes, or until a straw inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake springs back when lightly pressed.
- Cool in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn out to finish cooling completely. When fully cooled, trim the cakes to level if needed.
- Place one trimmed layer on a cake plate. Spoon lemon curd into the center and spread to within 3/4 inch of the edge. Place the second layer on top, cover with plastic wrap, and chill at least one hour to set.
To Make the Boiled Frosting:
- Combine sugar, water, and corn syrup in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the mixture clears, then remove the spoon and bring to a boil without stirring. Heat to 240°F on a candy or instant-read thermometer.
- While the syrup heats, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar to soft peaks. With the mixer running at low speed, slowly drizzle the hot syrup into the egg whites. Increase speed and whip until the frosting reaches stiff, glossy peaks.
To Frost and Garnish the Cake:
- Remove the plastic wrap from the chilled cake. Pile the boiled frosting on top and spread it around the sides with an offset spatula, turning the cake plate to even the icing.
- Press handfuls of flaked coconut onto the sides and sprinkle it evenly over the top. The cake can be served immediately or refrigerated, lightly covered, before serving.
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided as a courtesy. Calculate nutrition using the exact ingredients you use if needed.
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