Coconut Cake | A Series of Unfortunate Events

(Recipe originally posted Feb. 2017 for Fiction Kitchen Podcast Ep. 54: A Series of Unfortunate Events.)

“Hello hello hello!” a loud voice boomed out, and from behind the door stepped a short, chubby man with a round red face. “I am your Uncle Monty, and this is really perfect timing! I just finished making a coconut cake!”

The cake was a magnificent thing, rich and creamy with just the right amount of coconut.

—A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket

Uncle Monty’s Coconut Cake

---

Ingredients:
Cake
2 Cup Butter, softened
1/2 Cup Shortening
2 Cups Granulated Sugar
1 Cup Coconut Sugar (or no coconut sugar, & 3 Cups or white)
5 Eggs, room temperature
3 Cups Flour
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/2 Cup Whole Milk, room temperature
1/2 Cup Buttermilk, room temperature
2 tsp. Coconut Flavoring
1/2 (14 oz.) Can (so, 6 oz.) Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 Can (14 oz.) Coconut Milk (reserve the solidified cream)
Frosting
Reserved Coconut Cream (from 14 oz. can of coconut milk)
1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
2 Tbsp. Powdered Sugar
1/2 tsp. Coconut or Vanilla Flavoring
Sweetened Flaked Coconut

Directions:
Pre-heat your oven to 350ºF, & grease & flour three 9″ round cake pans.
Cream together the butter & shortening. Slowly add the sugar & mix for about 4 minutes. Add the eggs 1 at a time, until combined.

In another bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, & salt. Whisk together the whole milk, buttermilk, & coconut flavoring in a cup.
Beginning & ending with the flour mixture, alternately mix the flour & milk mixture into the butter/sugar mixture until combined.

Distribute the batter evenly into the 3 pans, & bake on the middle rack for about 30 minutes, rotating the pans at 15mins. Remove from the oven & let the cakes cool in the pans for a few minutes.

Whisk together the sweetened condensed milk & coconut milk. Poke many holes in the tops of the cakes (still in the pans), & then spoon on the coconut milk mixture (about 1/4-1/3 cup each). Let cool until room temperature, & then cover with plastic wrap & put in the fridge for a couple of hours to chill.

Chill a mixing bowl in the freezer while the cakes are chilling in the fridge. Combine the heavy cream, reserved coconut cream from the can of coconut milk, & flavoring, & mix for a few minutes until the mixture begins to thicken. Sift in the powdered sugar & mix until thick like frosting, but not too much so it gets clumpy!

Remove the cakes from the fridge & float the bottom of each cake pan in a dish of very hot water. Run a butter knife around the inside of each pan to make sure the cakes are loosened. Invert one of the cakes onto a large plate or cake platter.

Spread the top of the cake with 1/3 of the cream frosting. Carefully place the second cake on top & spread with half of the remaining cream. Put the last cake on top & spread with the remaining cream. Sprinkle the top generously with coconut flakes.

Note: This recipe is adapted from a white cake recipe on “Add a Pinch”.

* For more food from A Series of Unfortunate Events try my Pasta Puttanesca! *