Double Coconut Cake

This cake was specially made for my DIL Kristina's birthday. Kristina had mentioned to me quite some time ago that she wanted a coconut cake. So, in my search for coconut cakes I found this one from Cooking Light.

The frosting is a fluffy meringue flavored with vanilla and coconut extracts (like my Nanny would make for my mayonnaise cake ~without the coconut extract!). The cake is topped with coconut between layers and on the top of the cake.

The butterfly cake dome? That was a gift to Grumpy and I when we were married - from Kristina! We also got a beautiful butterfly salad bowl to match. I love how springy the cake looks in the bright light with colorful butterflies and the white frosting!

Yeah, I did get a little photo happy. I didn't get photos of the inside of the cake because I sent it home with Justin and Kristina. If they happened to get a photo, I'll drop back by this post later and add the sliced pic.

Double Coconut Cake
Cooking Light, December 2001

Cooking spray
1 tablespoon cake flour
2 ¼ cups sifted cake flour * (see note)
2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ⅔ cups sugar
⅓ cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 (14-ounce) can light coconut milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Fluffy Coconut Frosting * (see below)
⅔ cup coconut

Preheat oven to 350°.Coat 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray; dust with 1 tablespoon flour.Combine 2 ¼ cups flour, baking powder, and salt, stirring with a whisk. Place sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (for about 5 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in vanilla.Pour batter into prepared pans. Sharply tap the pans once on countertop to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on wire racks, and remove from pans. Cool completely on wire racks.Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spread with 1 cup Fluffy Coconut Frosting. Sprinkle with ⅓ cup coconut. Top with remaining cake layer; spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Sprinkle ⅓ cup coconut over top of cake. Store cake loosely covered in refrigerator.(Totals include Fluffy Coconut Frosting.)*NOTE: If you do not have cake flour you can substitute all purpose flour. For every cup of all purpose flour you use, remove 2 tablespoons.
Yield: 14 ServingsWW Points: 7
*Fluffy Coconut Frosting

4 large egg whites
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
Dash of salt
1 cup sugar
¼ cup water
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon coconut extract (I did not have coconut extract on hand so I went with all vanilla)

Place egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form. Combine sugar and water in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook, without stirring, until candy thermometer registers 238°. Pour hot sugar syrup in a thin stream over egg whites, beating at high speed. Stir in extracts.