Coconut Lemon Cake

Submitted by Gone Fishin

"This is the best cake I have ever had. I fixed it for Thanksgiving last year when I went to a neighbors house for the day. I am going to her house Easter tomorrow and she asked me to make it again. I guess it was a hit. It came from Southern Living Magazine October 2007"

 

• Ready In: 1hr 10mins
• Ingredients: 18
• Yields: 3 9 inch round cakes
• Serves: 12

ingredients

• 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 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

• lemon filling (use 1 2/3 cups)

• 1 cup sugar
• 1⁄4 cup cornstarch
• 1 cup boiling water
• 4 egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 1⁄3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons butter

• cream cheese frosting (use 3 cups)

• 1⁄2 cup butter, softened
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 (16 ounce) package powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

directions

1. Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating after each addition.
2. Combine flour and baking powder; add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in 1 teaspoons vanilla.
3. Beat egg whites at high speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form, fold about one-third of egg whites into batter; fold in remaining egg whites. Spoon batter into 3 greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans.
4. Bake at 350°F for 18 to 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.
5. Spread Lemon Filling between layers. Spread Cream Cheese Frosting on top and sides of cake. Sprinkle top and sides with coconut; garnish, if desired.
6. Lemon Filling.
7. Combine sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan; stir in 1 cup boiling water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar and cornstarch dissolve (about 3 minutes). Gradually stir about one-fourth of hot mixture into yolks; add to remaining hot mixture, stirring constantly with a wire whisk. Stir in lemon juice.
8. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in butter. Cool, stirring occasionally.
9. Yield 1 2/3 cup.
10. Cream Cheese Frosting.
11. Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add powered sugar, beating at low speed until blended, stir in vanilla.

Reviews

[Susiecat too]

Well, I have mixed thoughts about this recipe. If I could break the rating into sections, I would give it 5 stars for flavor, but only 3 stars for assembly of ingredients, and poor instructions. First problem: Since the coconut was listed with the cake ingredients, and not with the frosting, or separately as a topping, I assumed that the 2 cups of coconut were supposed to be in the cake batter, but was perplexed because it wasn't in the description, so I wasn't sure where to add it. I added it into the batter just before folding in the egg whites. It turned out to be a delicious coconut-white cake, very moist and sweet. Delicious even plain! (I tasted the bits I trimmed off the domed sides to make them flat for stacking.) Secondly, the cornstarch-based lemon filling is too runny to use as a filling, even when completely chilled. I have a recipe for lemon curd that is egg-based, rather than cornstarch based, and I think if I make this cake again I will use my own lemon curd. The filling never got really thick, even when completely cool, so ran out the sides of the cake. That made frosting it near impossible, because the frosting couldn't adhere to the cake with the lemon filling oozing out the sides. And I followed the directions for making the lemon filling as they were written. Next, the lemon flavor is very mild, so for those who like lemon to be brightly flavored, I would add lemon zest to the mixture too, not just the 1/3 cup of juice. The cream cheese frosting is yummy as is. So, assembly was a nightmare, all really because the lemon filling was more like lemon sauce. It leaked out, and was gooey and prevented the cake from being frosted properly. So, all said and done, if I was tasting it with a blindfold, it would get 5 stars all around, because the flavors are very good, though I'd like the lemon to stand out a bit more. So I compromised with the 3-star rating I would give for the difficulties I had, and came up with my 4-star final rating. I'll definitely make the cake batter part again, though, because it was outstanding. Made for PAC Fall 2008.