Layered Coconut Cream Vanilla Cake

I can’t tell you how long I’ve waited to make this cake. It has been on my bake list for months now and laziness has kept me from creating it. It’s been perfect for us the few days leading into our trip – it served as dessert and doubled as breakfast.

*hangs head in shame*

But it was a hectic week so I’m going to pretend that’s totally normal. A and I are pretty much obsessed with anything coconut – I consider myself lucky that he loves it as much as me because I don’t know how we could make it work otherwise. Kidding – but seriously, we pick coconut foods everywhere we go and any dessert with coconut in it, has our name on it. Oddly enough, A’s dad hates coconut.

How about you – are you a coconut lover, hater or tolerator?

LAYERED COCONUT CREAM VANILLA CAKE

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 c flour
1/2 c coconut flour
2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt

1 1/4 c sugar
11 T butter
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 c coconut milk

2 T coconut milk

1 1/2 c heavy whipping cream
6 oz mascarpone cheese
5 T coconut milk
1/2 c powdered sugar

1/2 c shredded coconut

DIRECTIONS
Grease and flour two 8″ pans. Preheat oven to 350F.

Mix flours, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, beat sugar and butter together. Add eggs, one at a time, and whisk well. Add in vanilla.

Add butter mixture and coconut milk to flour mixture, alternating between the two and mixing well between each addition. Once batters are fully incorporated, divide evenly and pour into each pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Cool cakes completely. Poke holes in the top and spread 1 T coconut milk on top of each layer.

In a bowl, whip together cream, mascarpone cheese, coconut milk and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form.

Using half of icing, spread half of cream on the top of the first cake layer and then top with 1/4 c coconut. Place second cake layer overtop and then use the remaining cream to cover the entire cake (top and sides). Sprinkle remaining 1/4 c coconut over cake. Refrigerate for a few hours.

*This makes a dense/heavy cake – if you prefer a lighter/fluffier cake, use this mascarpone cake recipe for the cake part and then continue with this recipe for the remainder of the directions for the cream.