Coconut Custard Cake Recipe |

Coconut Custard Cake Recipe

Hm… what should I say about this recipe (from the Gooey Desserts cookbook)? Maybe it’s just one of my new favorite cake recipes ever!!! It is SUPER moist because of the custard filling and it is also SUPER soft and gooey, a total comfort food. I would only recommend making this cake, however, if you have an accurate thermometer and some time on your hands. If you don’t have an accurate thermometer, GO GET ONE NOW. It is that good! The frosting is very fluffy and is hugely complemented by the toasted coconut, an absolute must! The cake is very soft and the custard filling makes it wonderfully gooey. Not to mention that coconut is just a great flavor in my opinion. It used to be that I couldn’t stand coconut. Even just a month ago, I only liked coconut. I think when that really changed for me was when I went on a trip to Saint Lucia. I had fresh coconut there and I think that made me go coconut crazy. I find it hilarious to go to my recipe index page because then I can see all of my latest ingredient obsessions… strawberries, cream cheese… now coconut. :)

I finished making this cake at ten o’clock one night and my brother clambered out of bed to see it. What was his name for it? Popcorn-Salad Cake! I loved that. Well then, I guess I’ll get on to the Popcorn-Salad Cake Recipe… I’m sure you’re dying to know what the ingredients are!

Coconut Custard Cake Recipe:

For the Cake:

2 2/3 cups flour

1 3/4 cups white sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

4 egg yolks (save the egg whites)

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 cup coconut milk (see the note at the end of the post)

1/2 cup shredded coconut

4 egg whites

For the Coconut Drizzle:

1 cup coconut milk

1 tsp. white

For the Coconut Custard Filling:

1 1/4 cups milk

1 1/4 cups coconut milk

5 eggs yolks (save 3 egg whites for the fluffy frosting)

1/2 cup sugar

3 tbsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/3 cups shredded coconut

For the Fluffy Frosting:

1/2 cup water

1 cup light corn syrup

1 1/2 cups white sugar

3 eggs whites

Directions:

1. For the Cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 round 9 inch cake pans. Line the bottoms of the pans with waxpaper and grease again (waxpaper is very essential. Greasing alone does not work, trust me!!!!) At the end of the post, I can show you what happens to a cake when you don’t use waxpaper. I think you’ll get a kick out of it.

2. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the yolks one at a time and beat until well incorporated. Add vanilla and altetnately add thecoconut milk and the flour. Foild in coconut. Using an electirc mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff… then gently fold them into the batter.

3. Pour the batter into the preparexd cake pans. Bake for about 25 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean. Wait for the cakes to coll for a few minutes before running a knife around the edges of the pans and flipping the cakes onto wire racks to cool them completely. When cooled, cut each cake horizontally.

4. For the Custard: In a medium saucepan, heat the two milks. In a seperate bowl, beat the yolks, cornstarch, and sugar together until smooth. Whisk half of the hot milk intu the yolks, then pour the mixture back into the remaining milk in the pot and slowly bring the yolk/milk mixture to a boil. Boil, whisking constantly, for one minute. The custard will thicken quickly. Immediately remove the custard from the heat and add the coconut and the vanilla. Pour the custard into a bowl and place it in the freezer to cool for 30 minutes, stirring every ten minutes.

5. For the Coconut Drizzle: Mix the milk and the sugar. Using a brush, brush it onto the layers before putting the fully cooled custard filling on.

6. For the Fluffy Frosting: Here’s where a thermometer comes in handy… bring the water, corn syrup, and sugar to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until until the mixture is clear (230- 234 degrees). Remove the mixture from the heat. Meanwhile, beat the egg whites until stiff.

Stiff Egg Whites

With the whisk attatchment on an electric mixer, beat the egg whites again as you add the hot mixture. Continue beating the mixture for 5 minutes.

7. Follow the directions on your bag of shredded coconut on how to toast the coconut. Toast as much coconut as desired, enough to top the cake’s frosting (better to toast more than not enough).

8. To assemble: Spread the custard over each cake layer and frost with the fluffy frosting. Sprinkle the toasted coconut generously over the cake.

9. My brother is the king of the song that I have linked here. He sometimes goes around the house, belting out the refrain in an absolutely perfect voice and making it exeptionally dramatic: http://youtu.be/VLz5fSWq_jY

The Refrain’s Lyrics:

Someone left the cake out in the rain!

And I don’t think I can take it…

’cause it took so long to bake it!

And I’ll never have that recipe AGAIN!

Note:

1. If you don’t have any coconut milk on hand, it takes literally 30 seconds to make! All you have to do is blend 1 cup of milk and 1/2 cup coconut together in a blender for 30 seconds. Next, strain it, and you now have one cup of coconut milk!!! Simple as that. :)

2. This is what a cake looks like if you forget to put waxpaper on the bottom of the pan. That’s right. Yep. Lesson learned? Good!