I had been meaning to make this cake for sometime. In fact, I wanted to make it for J’s birthday. If you recall I was in London for my 12-week appointment the day of his birthday. And when I got back to Riyadh I was still wasn’t feeling 100%, then life happened, excuses, excuses, blah, blah, blah.
After we got back from the Maldives I got a burst of energy. I guess I was a bit invigorated from our gorgeous week away, so I decided to make the cake. And it was horrible. A new and different recipe that didn’t require baking powder and I had to fold in the dry ingredients so that the batter wouldn’t fall. I inevitably messed it up. So I decided to make another go at it, but adapt it from a couple different Food52 recipes that I've tried previously and to make this cake my own.
It’s moist and light and, well, wonderful. Without further delay, the recipe…
Toasted Coconut Rum CakE
10-12 servings, depending on your sweet tooth ;)
Cake
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ½ cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
6 tablespoons coconut oil
2 ½ cups cake flour, sifted
2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease two 8 or 9-inch cake pans. Cut out circles of parchment paper and line the bottom of the pans.
With an electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each one. Mix in the vanilla and oil.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With your mixer running on low, add these dry ingedients to the butter mixture, in a few batches, alternating with the milk.
Divide the batter evenly between the pans. Bake the cakes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, around 25 minutes.
Let the cakes cool a bit before turning over and removing the paper. Transfer to a cooling rack or individual plates. Allow to cool completely before cutting each layer evenly, in half, horizontally. Note: you don’t have to cut the cake layers, but the extra layers make it look fancier when you cut into it.
Rum Syrup
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
4 tablespoons rum (whatever brand you like)
Buttercream Frosting
5 egg whites
1 ¼ cups sugar
1 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 ½ cups flaked coconut, toasted
For the syrup: Combine the ½ cup water and ½ cup sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the sugar dissolves then stir in the rum. Let the mixture cool completely before using.
For the buttercream: Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and evenly distribute coconut flakes on the pan. Place in oven for about 15 minutes, checking every five minutes and moving the flakes around to brown evenly. Allow coconut to cool.
Combine the egg whites and 1 1/4 cups sugar in a glass or stainless steel bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk the mixture constantly until the sugar dissolves and is warm/hot to the touch. Remove from the heat and whip on high speed until light and fluffy and the meringue has cooled to room temperature.
Turn the mixer down to medium and add the butter, one tablespoon at a time, until all of the butter is incorporated. Add the extract and a pinch of salt. Turn the mixer up to high to give the frosting a good whip. Reserve ½ cup of frosting. Add 1 ½ cups of the toasted coconut to the remaining buttercream and mix with a spatula.
To assemble: Place one cake layer on a serving plate or pedestal. Brush with, or carefully spoon over, a quarter of the rum syrup and spread a quarter of the toasted coconut frosting over. Repeat with two cake layers. Then top with the final layer, brush with remaining rum syrup and the reserved plain buttercream. Spread the remaining coconut frosting on the side of the cake, and press the reserved toasted coconut flakes around the cake.