michael-in-phoenix
Well-known member
I've been eyeing this recipe for awhile and decided to make it. It's from Southern Living. The original recipe can be found at the link. This is my edited copy.
Coconut-Almond Cream Cake
If the tops of the layers are a little rounded, level them with a long knife. The cake is tall and level layers stack more securely.
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 cup sliced almonds
Parchment paper
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
5 large eggs
1 cup whipping cream
1/3 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon almond extract
Coconut-Almond Filling
Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting
1. Preheat oven to 325°. Bake coconut in a single layer in a shallow pan 6 minutes. Place almonds in a single layer in another shallow pan; bake, with coconut, 7 to 9 minutes or until almonds are fragrant and coconut is lightly browned, stirring occasionally.
2. Line 3 (9-inch) round cake pans with parchment paper. Grease and flour paper.
3. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt in a very large bowl.
4. Beat butter at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until creamy; gradually add sugars, beating until blended. Beat 8 minutes or until very fluffy, scraping bottom and sides of bowl as needed. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition (about 30 seconds per egg). Stir in whipping cream and next 3 ingredients.
5. Gently fold butter mixture into flour mixture, in batches, just until combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
6. Bake at 325° for 30 to 32 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely (about 1 hour).
7. Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate. Spread half of chilled Coconut-Almond Filling over cake layer. Top with 1 layer, pressing down gently. Repeat procedure with remaining half of Coconut-Almond Filling and remaining cake layer.
8. Gently spread Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting on top and sides of cake. Press toasted coconut onto sides of cake; sprinkle toasted almonds on top. Garnish, if desired.
Coconut-Almond Filling
Chill: 8 hr. This filling acts as a glue to hold the layers together and works best when chilled, so don't skip that step.
Yield: Makes 3 cups
Ingredients
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/4 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups loosely packed sweetened flaked coconut
1/4 cup sour cream
Preparation
1. Stir together cornstarch, almond extract, and 2 Tbsp. water in a small bowl.
2. Bring whipping cream, brown sugar, and butter to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat, and immediately whisk in cornstarch mixture. Stir in coconut and sour cream. Cover and chill 8 hours.
Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting
Yield: Makes about 3 cups
Ingredients
2 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon cream of coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preparation
Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.
Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until blended.
Increase speed to medium, and beat in cream of coconut and vanilla until smooth.
Here's a photo of my work:
http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t159/Storehouse78/Eldests%20Pics/IMG_3582.jpg
The directions in this recipe were somewhat odd, and definitely different than other basic cake recipes I've used. Specifically, folding the egg batter into the flour a little at time gave me pause. How do you add liquid to a flour mixture "a little at a time" without it clumping and forming little dough balls? I've sprinkled flour into a creamed egg/sugar/butter batter before and folded it in, but never the other way around.
I did it the way the recipe is written and sure enough, it clumped. It looked like lumpy pancake batter when it when into the pans.
It turned out flatter than I like and the cake itself was dry.
There were a few more things that didn't make sense. If I were to make it again, I would use the techniques I know work well and rewrite this recipe.
The flavor was ok. More like an almond cake with coconut frosting, really. Very rich, but considering it came from Southern Living, what was I expecting? Healthy?
It was pretty, and the family loves it.
Michael
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/coconut-almond-cream-cake-10000001851552/
Coconut-Almond Cream Cake
If the tops of the layers are a little rounded, level them with a long knife. The cake is tall and level layers stack more securely.
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 cup sliced almonds
Parchment paper
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
5 large eggs
1 cup whipping cream
1/3 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon almond extract
Coconut-Almond Filling
Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting
1. Preheat oven to 325°. Bake coconut in a single layer in a shallow pan 6 minutes. Place almonds in a single layer in another shallow pan; bake, with coconut, 7 to 9 minutes or until almonds are fragrant and coconut is lightly browned, stirring occasionally.
2. Line 3 (9-inch) round cake pans with parchment paper. Grease and flour paper.
3. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt in a very large bowl.
4. Beat butter at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until creamy; gradually add sugars, beating until blended. Beat 8 minutes or until very fluffy, scraping bottom and sides of bowl as needed. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition (about 30 seconds per egg). Stir in whipping cream and next 3 ingredients.
5. Gently fold butter mixture into flour mixture, in batches, just until combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
6. Bake at 325° for 30 to 32 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely (about 1 hour).
7. Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate. Spread half of chilled Coconut-Almond Filling over cake layer. Top with 1 layer, pressing down gently. Repeat procedure with remaining half of Coconut-Almond Filling and remaining cake layer.
8. Gently spread Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting on top and sides of cake. Press toasted coconut onto sides of cake; sprinkle toasted almonds on top. Garnish, if desired.
Coconut-Almond Filling
Chill: 8 hr. This filling acts as a glue to hold the layers together and works best when chilled, so don't skip that step.
Yield: Makes 3 cups
Ingredients
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/4 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups loosely packed sweetened flaked coconut
1/4 cup sour cream
Preparation
1. Stir together cornstarch, almond extract, and 2 Tbsp. water in a small bowl.
2. Bring whipping cream, brown sugar, and butter to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat, and immediately whisk in cornstarch mixture. Stir in coconut and sour cream. Cover and chill 8 hours.
Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting
Yield: Makes about 3 cups
Ingredients
2 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon cream of coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preparation
Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.
Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until blended.
Increase speed to medium, and beat in cream of coconut and vanilla until smooth.
Here's a photo of my work:
http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t159/Storehouse78/Eldests%20Pics/IMG_3582.jpg
The directions in this recipe were somewhat odd, and definitely different than other basic cake recipes I've used. Specifically, folding the egg batter into the flour a little at time gave me pause. How do you add liquid to a flour mixture "a little at a time" without it clumping and forming little dough balls? I've sprinkled flour into a creamed egg/sugar/butter batter before and folded it in, but never the other way around.
I did it the way the recipe is written and sure enough, it clumped. It looked like lumpy pancake batter when it when into the pans.
It turned out flatter than I like and the cake itself was dry.
There were a few more things that didn't make sense. If I were to make it again, I would use the techniques I know work well and rewrite this recipe.
The flavor was ok. More like an almond cake with coconut frosting, really. Very rich, but considering it came from Southern Living, what was I expecting? Healthy?
It was pretty, and the family loves it.
Michael
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/coconut-almond-cream-cake-10000001851552/