sugar & creme: . Coconut Cake for Daddy .

Happy Father's Day, to all you awesome DADS out there!

We baked something yummy for our #1 dad/ my #1 husband..... a coconut cake! It was his request, of course. I was quite taken back by his choice because this is the first time he's ever asked for it. "Coconut cake? Really?? Hmmm, ok!" A great chance to try something new~

So I looked up a recipe and found one called Majestic's Coconut Cake from the Majestic Cafe in Virginia. The recipe was featured in a newspaper article and it sounded delicious. I'm not one for coconut cake but after reading the article, I was sold.

I must admit though that I somehow went wrong with the cake because mine came out dense instead of having a fluffy texture like the article stated. The taste was awesome nonetheless. Especially the filling....oh the FILLING WAS DIVINE! <-- can you tell I'm serious? I wrote it in caps! lol.

I also wanted to add a more personal touch. Instead of a 9-inch, 3 layer cake, I used 8-inch pans and baked five 1-inch high cakes. The 5 layers are a symbol for the 5 years my husband has been a dad. A darn good one too:)

I also used gel food coloring to create a gradation from light blue to dark blue (which actually turned into turquoise because of the yellow tinge in the cake batter. Or maybe it was the brand I used. Its ok because I thought the turquoise looked waaaaay better:) So that when you cut into the white cake, you find a colorful surprise inside! Plus I saw some pictures done with pink food coloring and of course I wanted to try it out!

Oh and this cake tastes even better the next day...and the next and the next! If it lasts that long anyway~

Majestic's Coconut Cake

Ingredients and Preparation:

To make the filling:

2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1¼ cups whipping cream
½ cup sugar
4 ounces unsalted butter
2¼ cups sweetened flaked coconut
¼ cup sour cream

Stir the cornstarch, water, and vanilla in a small bowl to dissolve the cornstarch.
In a heavy saucepan set over medium-high heat, bring the cream, sugar, and butter to a boil.
Add the cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil.
Remove from heat and stir in coconut.

Cool the mixture completely.

Mix in sour cream, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

To make the cake:

3½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pans
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ tsp salt
2¼ cups sugar
12 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pans
5 large eggs
11⁄3 cups whipping cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ cup coconut milk

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Butter and flour 3 9-inch round cake pans. (If you like you,could use 8-inch pans, like I did. Your cake will just have more layers.)

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt until blended.

In a stand mixer, beat the sugar and butter until blended.
Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
Beat in the cream and vanilla, then the coconut milk.
Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture.
Divide the batter equally among your cake pans. (If you plan on coloring your cake, now's a good time to do it.) Start off by adding a little bit of food coloring to the first pan then adding a little more to the next pan and so on to the next if you want to go for color gradation look.
Bake until a tester (such as a knife or skewer) inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 35 minutes.
Let cool.

To make the frosting:

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
4 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut, toasted

In a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter to blend.
Beat in the confectioner’s sugar and vanilla extract.
Fold in the toasted coconut.

Assembling the cake:

2 cups sweetened flaked coconut, toasted
Half of a 3½-ounce can coconut milk mixed with 2 cups simple syrup

Place 1 cake round on a plate.
Brush with the coconut-milk mixture, then top with half of the filling.
Place a second cake layer atop the filling, brush with the coconut milk/syrup, and top with the remaining filling.
Place the third cake layer atop the filling and spread frosting over the top and sides of the cake.
Pat the toasted coconut on the top and sides of the cake, pressing gently so it sticks.
Cover and refrigerate.

Let the cake stand 3 hours at room temperature before serving.