Snowy Coconut Cake With Pineapple Lime Cream Cheese Filling

Submitted by Pinay0618

"I love to bake cakes for friends and co-workers. In searching for something different to fulfill a request for "something tropical", I ran across this at Ladies' Home Journal."

 

• Ready In: 2hrs 10mins
• Ingredients: 17
• Serves: 10

ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened, plus additional for pans
• 3 cups cake flour, plus additional for pans
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cream of coconut
• 1⁄4 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1⁄2 teaspoon coconut extract
• 1 1⁄4 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large whole eggs
• 3 large egg whites
• 12 ounces cream cheese, not whipped
• 3⁄4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh lime zest
• 2 1⁄2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1⁄2 cup chopped drained canned pineapple chunk
• 5 1⁄2 ounces flaked coconut

directions

1. Make cake: Preheat oven to 325°F and line the bottom of 2 buttered 9x2-inch round cake pans with parchment. Butter paper and dust pans with flour, knocking out excess flour.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
3. Whisk together cream of coconut, milk, and extracts in a bowl.
4. Beat together butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add whole eggs and egg whites, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, until combined well. On low speed, beat in flour mixture and cream of coconut mixture alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture, until just combined (do not overbeat).
5. Pour batter evenly into the prepared cake pans (about 2-3/4 cups per pan) and smooth tops. Bake cake layers in middle of oven until golden and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer pans to racks and let cool for 5 minutes. Run a small knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Peel off paper, then reinvert layers right side up and cool.
6. Make Frosting and Filling: Beat cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy. Beat in butter and lime zest until smooth. Slowly beat in confectioners' sugar on low speed until smooth for frosting. Transfer 1 cup of frosting to a bowl and fold in pineapple for filling.
7. Place 1 cake layer on a serving platter and spread top evenly with filling. Refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes. Top with second layer, then spread top and sides with frosting. Chill cake until frosting is slightly firm. Coat top and sides of cake evenly with coconut flakes. Makes 8 to 10 servings.