Coconut Cake

Charlie and I went to a fundraiser in Los Angeles a couple years ago.  The Coconut Cake knocked my socks off.  So much so that I went behind the counter and asked the chef if he ever shared recipes.  He was so kind.  I highly recommend ACM catering if you ever need someone.  He scaled down the recipe thankfully since I don't plan on making cake enough for 300 people.  =) The great thing about this cake is that the coconut is on top.  So for those in your family who don't like coconut, just put the coconut flakes on half of the cake and leave the rest plain.  Still delicious. 

Yield: one cake or 18 regular cupcakes
3 – 9’ cake pans

Ingredients
¾ cup shortening
1 ½ cups sugar
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
2 cups sifted cake flour
¼ cup all-purpose flour
4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
3 stiffly beaten egg whites
1 teaspoon lemon extract
½ teaspoon lemon extract
1- 14 ounce bag shredded coconut flakes

VANILLA BUTTER CREAM

1 pound unsalted butter
¾  cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
1 cup egg whites
1 pound unsalted butter
2 tablespoons good quality vanilla extract

SIMPLE SYRUP

½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup water

Preheat oven to 350°F. 

Cake- 
In a table top mixer in bowl attached with a whip, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla. Sift flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl. Sift 1/3 of flour into butter and mix thoroughly scraping bottom and sides of bowl. Add 1/3 of milk and continue to stir. Repeat method alternating until all of milk has been added. Pour batter into a medium bowl. Clean and dry bowl and whip of table top mixer. Fit both to stand.

Add egg whites to bowl and whip until soft peaks form.  Gently fold whites into batter. Pour batter evenly into baking pans. Place pans on middle rack of oven and bake until tops are light-golden brown and spring back to touch. Remove pans from oven and cool on rack. Invert cakes on cake board, being cautious not to break edges.

Butter Cream-
Place sugar and water into a small saucepot and put on stovetop over medium heat.

Let sugar mixture cook until a light syrup consistency forms. In electric mixer bowl attached with whip, add whites and beat on high speed until soft peaks form. Turn mixer to slow and add syrup in slow stream.

Quickly return mixer to high speed and whip egg-sugar mixture until cool to touch. Add butter in pieces until incorporated. Continue to let butter cream whip until light and fluffy. Add vanilla. 

Simple Syrup-
In small saucepot, mix sugar and water together and stir. Cook until sugar is dissolved. Cool.

Assembly-
Invert cake skin-side up on 9- inch cake circle. Brush top thoroughly with syrup.  Be careful not to over brush. Cake should be moist and not saturated. With a bent-arm spatula, spread approximately 1 cup of butter cream over first layer of cake. Top with second layer of cake and cream. Repeat method with third layers.

Evenly spread cream around sides of cake using metal spatula. Place coconut into a medium bowl and break up any small lumps with fingers.  With cake on a pedestal, press coconut into cake covering sides and top completely. Brush off extra coconut and reserve for later use. Serve.