A series of big events has interrupted the garden apartments posting regularity. Thankfully, my mother-in-law's birthday inspired this very special (and somewhat seasonal) birthday cake. Read on for the recipe.
It all started two weeks ago.
John called me to say he'd been in a car accident. He was fine, but the car was not.
After a few days of deliberation we decided to buy a new car.
Have I mentioned that we had also been looking for a new house?
Of course, being the practical people we are, we decided that the house buying would have to be put off for awhile.
But we could still look, right?
Well, as fate would have it, we happened to find that house we'd been looking for all along. . . Three days after buying a new car.
And did I mention that one of my best friends got married in the midst of all of this?
I've been a little bit busy. And it's too bad since this is one of my favorite seasons-- the time of year when new things are popping up at market every week.
And though I may be drowning in paperwork and some serious financial budgeting, I wouldn't be myself if I haven't found some time for cooking.
It was my mother-in-law's birthday last weekend and she firmly informed her son that she did not want to cook for her own birthday.
Fair enough.
This resulted in John and I putting together a menu, prepping most of the dinner at the garden apartment, and then driving it down to Fredericksburg to finish and eat. It was quite a meal, complete with appetizers, a first course, and a main course.
But one of my favorite parts of the evening was the birthday cake I made: this lovely coconut layer cake with a fresh strawberry compote filling, a coconut buttercream frosting, fresh strawberries, and toasted coconut. Yum, yum. The cake uses a combination of coconut milk and shredded coconut for the coconut flavor. The recipe I used did not call for any baking powder or baking soda, so the resulting cake has a dense texture similar to pound cake.
Coconut Layer Cake with Strawberry Filling and Coconut Buttercream Frosting
Cake Recipe adapted from Good Food by Anneka Manning
For the cake:
Melted Butter, for greasing
1 Cup of coconut milk
1 1/2 cups of dried coconut
1 cup of butter, room temperature
1 1/3 Cups of sugar
4 eggs
1 2/3 Cup Cake flour
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
For the strawberry compote
1 Cup of fresh strawberries, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp lemon juice
3/4 Cup of sugar
For the coconut buttercream frosting
3 3/4 Cup Confectioners Sugar
1/2 Cup Butter, room temperature
4-5 TB coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp coconut extract
Optional Topping:
toasted coconut
fresh strawberries
Make the Cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Brush two 10 inch cake pans with melted butter.
Combine the coconut milk and coconut in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl, and allow to cool to room temperature.
Cream the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until pale and creamy (about 3-4 minutes). Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extract.
Add half of the flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture. Then, add the cooled coconut mixture. Finally, add the remaining flour.
Divide the cake batter evenly between the two cake pans and bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Remove from oven, and let stand for ten minutes. Turn the cakes out onto wire racks to cool completely.
Make the strawberry compote
Combine all the ingredients for the strawberry compote in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook for 10-15 minutes, until mixture begins to gel. Set aside and allow to cool.
Make the buttercream frosting
Combine all the ingredients for the buttercream frosting in a large bowl. Mix together with electric beaters until smooth and creamy. If too thick, add more coconut milk to the mixture until the consistency is correct.
Assemble
Place one cooled cake on a large platter. Spread the strawberry compote on top, then cover with the other cake. Spread the coconut buttercream frosting over all the cake smoothly. If desired, cover with toasted coconut and top with fresh strawberries.
