Jean's Coconut Cake

Sweet Diva's Note:

My Aunt Joyce used to make the most amazing Coconut Cakes....I've never tasted one that compared to hers. I make one every so often in search of one that is as good and found this recipe on www.newitalianrecipes.com. It's still not Aunt Joyce's, but it's almost as good! I found that with each day that passed after making it, it got better and better (I kept it in the fridge!!), so next time I'll definitely plan on making it one or two days ahead of time. ** I "guesstimated" the time it takes to make this, since I didn't really time myself. I actually made the filling one evening, stuck it in the fridge and made the rest of the recipe the next day. My "guesstimate" includes a 2 hour chilling time for the filling.

• Total Time: 2 hrs 40 mins
• Prep Time: 2 hrs
• Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 10-12

Yield: 1.0 cake

Filling

• 1 ¼ cups heavy cream
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons coconut cream
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon milk
• ½ cup unsalted butter , softened
• 1 cup coconut , shredded

Cake

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 4 eggs
• ¾ cup unsalted butter , cut into small pieces, softened
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk

Frosting

• 6 ounces cream cheese , softened
• ½ cup unsalted butter , softened
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 lb confectioners' sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Syrup and Garnish

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup water
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup coconut , shredded (Frozen coconut is great if you can find it where you live. We think it might be a "Southern coastal")

Directions:

1. Prepare the filling:.
2. Place the heavy cream, sugar, and coconut cream in a heavy saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer.
3. Stir the cornstarch and the milk together in a small bowl until there are no lumps.
4. Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the simmering cream until it's smooth; cook, stirring, for 3 minutes longer.
5. Add the butter and shredded coconut and continue cooking, stirring, for 3 more minutes.
6. Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate until thickened, about 2 hours.
7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
8. Grease three 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with waxed paper.
9. Grease the paper and then flour the pans lightly, tapping out any excess.
10. Prepare the cake:.
11. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Reserve.
12. Place the sugar and eggs in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer for 1 minute.
13. Gradually add the butter, vanilla, and milk and continue beating for 2 minutes.
14. Add the reserved dry ingredients and beat for 1 minute.
15. Scrape the batter evenly into the prepared pans and bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean.
16. Cool the cakes in the pans on a rack for 20 minutes. Un-mold the cakes, carefully peeling off the waxed paper and allow them to cool completely on the rack.
17. Jean punches holes in the cake when it's still warm so the icing cane seep into the interior. It's not necessary to do this for an incredible coconut cake, but it does add sweetness and moistness to the cake part itself.
18. Prepare the icing:.
19. Place the cream cheese and the butter in a bowl and beat with a mixer until creamy. Add the remaining icing ingredients; beat until smooth and soft.
20. Prepare the syrup:.
21. Place the sugar, water and vanilla in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
22. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally
23. Remove from heat and brush the top of each cake layer with the syrup using a pastry brush. (You don’t have to use all the syrup).
24. Assemble the cake:.
25. Place one cake layer on a serving platter.
26. Spread it with half of the reserved filling and top with another layer of cake.
27. Spread the cake with the remaining filling and top with the last cake layer. Ice the top and sides of the cake with the icing and then sprinkle the top with ½ cup shredded coconut.