Coconut Layer Cake

For Father's Day this year, we are having a BBQ at the casa and my parents are coming over. Since this is also Forrest's first Father's Day, I wanted to make it a little special by making a coconut layer cake. Although it's a funny thing to look at in pictures, because it basically just looks like a hairy white cake - ha!

The recipe is like a chiffon cake where you fold in whipped egg whites into the cake batter at the end - but I messed up and forgot to separate my eggs...but you still end up with a yummy cake, just a little denser than a chiffon cake. The recipe calls for cream cheese frosting and with my mommy brain, I forgot to buy cream cheese so I just made a light lemon and cream flavored buttercream instead. I also was unable to find coconut extract at the local stores so I had to forgo it...all in all though, it was still a tasty cake.

It is suck a pretty cake, I will have to do a little decor with mint and lemon leaves to give it a little color contrast and will retake some photos.

Recipe
3 1/2 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened (3/4 cup)
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs separated, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract
one 14 oz can of coconut milk
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
one 7 oz package of sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottoms of two 9" cake pans with parchment paper.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl then set aside.

In a mixer cream the butter until smooth, then gradually add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolks one at a time and incorporate well. Add the vanilla and coconut extracts.

Turn mixer to low speed and alternatively add the dry ingredients and the coconut milk and beat just until combined.

In another bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until medium firm white peaks form. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the cake batter to lighten it, then gently fold in the remaining egg whites.

Evenly divide the cake batter into the pans and bake for about 30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool for 15 minutes, then remove from cake pans and cool completely.

Frost with your choice of frosting and then cover with sweetened shredded coconut.

ENJOY!