Recipe: Double Coconut Cake with Fluffy Coconut Frosting (using coconut milk)

DOUBLE COCONUT CAKE

1 tablespoon cake flour (for dusting pans)
2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 2/3 cups sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 (14 ounce) can light coconut milk*
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Fluffy Coconut Frosting (recipe follows)
2/3 cup flaked sweetened coconut, divided use

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; set aside.

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 degrees F 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.

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 milk, found with the Asian foods in the supermarket, makes this cake moist and rich

FLUFFY COCONUT FROSTING

4 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 dash salt
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon coconut extract

Place egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form; set aside.

Combine sugar and water in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook, without stirring, until candy thermometer registers 238 degrees F. Pour hot sugar syrup in a thin stream over egg whites, beating at high speed. Stir in extracts.

Makes 1 (2-layer, 9-inch) cake
Source: Cooking Light magazine, December 2001