Southern Living Coconut Cake With Marshmallow Frosting Food

COCONUT CAKE WITH COCONUT CREAM FROSTING

Steps:

• Prepare the Cake Layers: Preheat oven to 325°F. Coat 3 (8-inch) round cake pans with baking spray, and set aside. Beat butter with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add lemon zest (if using), vanilla, and coconut extract; beat just until combined, about 30 seconds.
• Sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating on low speed just until combined after each addition.
• Beat egg whites with an electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form (don't overbeat, or they will be dry), about 2 minutes. Fold about one-third of beaten egg whites into cake batter; fold in remaining egg whites in 2 additions. Spoon batter evenly into prepared cake pans (about 2 ⅓ cups batter per pan).
• Bake cakes on middle rack in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in center of cakes comes out clean, 23 to 25 minutes. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans; place directly on wire racks. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Prepare the Coconut Cream Frosting: Beat butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating on low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Increase mixer speed to medium-high; gradually add cream of coconut, vanilla, and coconut extract, beating until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Transfer 3 tablespoons of the frosting to a small bowl; stir leaf green food coloring to reach desired shade of green. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a small round tip. Transfer 1 tablespoon of the frosting to a separate small bow; stir in super red food coloring to reach desired shade of red. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a small round tip. Let remaining frosting stand, covered, at room temperature until ready to use or up to 1 hour.
• Assemble the cake: Place 1 layer on a serving plate or a cake stand. Spoon 1 cup Coconut Cream Frosting into a ziplock plastic bag. Snip a ½-inch tip off 1 bag corner. Pipe a ring of frosting just inside the top edge. Spread with half of desired filling (if using the Whipped Chocolate Ganache Filling, spread with 1 cup filling), spreading to edge of piped frosting. Repeat process once with 1 additional Cake Layer, frosting, and filling. Top with remaining layer. (If using ganache filling, reserve any remaining for another use.) Spread cake top and sides with a thin layer of the remaining frosting. Refrigerate, uncovered, 1 hour. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Gently pat coconut around bottom edge of cake and about 1 inch up sides. Sprinkle coconut on top of cake. Pipe green frosting in a garland pattern around sides of cake; pipe red frosting on garland to resemble berries. Insert Peace Dove Cookies into top of cake.

COCONUT CAKE WITH 7-MINUTE FROSTING

Steps:

• For the cake:
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil 2 (9-inch) cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper. Oil the parchment paper and then flour the pan. Set aside.
• Place the flour, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
• Combine the coconut milk and coconut cream in small bowl and set aside.
• Place the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer and using the paddle attachment, cream on medium speed until fluffy, approximately 1 minute. Decrease the speed to low and gradually add the sugar slowly over 1 to 2 minutes. Once all of the sugar has been added, stop the mixer and scrape down the sides. Turn the mixer back on to medium speed and continue creaming until the mixture noticeably lightens in texture and increases slightly in volume, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the coconut extract.
• With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture alternately with the milk mixture to the butter and sugar in 3 batches, ending with the milk mixture. Do not over mix.
• In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Fold the egg whites into the batter, just until combined. Divide the batter evenly between the pans and bang the pans on the counter top several times to remove any air and to distribute the batter evenly in the pan. Place in the oven on the middle rack. Bake for 40 minutes or until the cake is light golden in color and reaches an internal temperature of 200 degrees F.
• Cool the cake in the pans for 10 minutes then remove and transfer to a cooling rack. Once the cakes have cooled completely cut across the equator of each to form 4 layers. Place the 1/3 cup coconut water into a small spritz bottle and spray evenly onto the cut side of the 4 layers. If you do not have a spritz bottle you may brush the coconut water on with a silicone pastry brush. Allow to sit while preparing the frosting.
• For the frosting:
• Bring 1 quart of water to a boil in a 4-quart saucepan over high heat. Decrease the heat to medium to maintain a steady simmer. In the meantime, place the egg whites, sugar, coconut water, cream of tartar and salt into a medium size-mixing bowl. Place the bowl over the simmering water and immediately begin beating with an electric hand mixer set to low speed. Beat for 1 minute and then increase the speed to high and continue to beat for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and beat in the coconut and vanilla extracts for 1 minute. Allow the frosting to sit for 5 minutes before using.
• Place approximately 3/4 cup of the frosting on the first layer of cake, sprinkle with 1/2 cup coconut and top with the next layer. Repeat until you reach the top layer. Frost the top and sides of the cake and sprinkle with the remaining coconut. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

COCONUT SHEET CAKE WITH MARSHMALLOW-CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9-by-13-by-2-inch cake pan with baking spray with flour. Line the cake pan with parchment paper and coat the parchment with the baking spray.
• Whisk the coconut milk, eggs, oil and vanilla together in a large measuring cup until smooth. In
• the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, chopped coconut, baking powder and salt. Mix on low for 30 seconds to combine.
• With the mixer still on low, begin adding the cubed butter and mix until no pieces of butter remain and the mixture looks like cornmeal, 2 to 3 minutes; it should hold together when squeezed.
• With the mixer still on low, add half of the liquid ingredients and mix to combine. Scrape the bowl and paddle with a rubber spatula. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 20 seconds. Reduce the speed to low and add the remaining liquids. Mix just until combined. Scrape the bowl and give the batter a few folds with your spatula.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs, 32 to 34 minutes. Cool the cake on a wire rack completely before frosting.
• For the marshmallow frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape the bowl and then add the cream cheese and beat on medium speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl again and add the salt, vanilla and confectioners' sugar and mix on low until combined. Scrape the bowl and paddle. Mix on medium speed until completely smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the marshmallow creme and then mix on high speed for 1 minute.
• Spoon the frosting over the cooled cake and spread it evenly. Sprinkle with the flaked coconut and serve. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers for up to 2 days, making sure to bring the cake back to room temperature before enjoying.

SOUTHERN LIVING'S LEMON COCONUT CAKE

Steps:

• Beat 1 cup butter at medium speed with electric mixer until fluffy; gradually add 2 cups sugar. Add 4 egg yolks one at a time, blending well after each.
• Combine flour and baking powder. Add this alternatively to mixture with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Add vanilla.
• Beat egg whites at high speed until peaks form. Gently fold in egg whites into batter mixture. Spoon into three greased and floured pans.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes until done. Cool on wire racks for ten minutes. Remove cakes from pans and cool on wire racks.
• Spread lemon filling between layers. Spread cream cheese frosting over all and cover top and sides with coconut. Garnish with lemon slices.
• For lemon filling: Combine 1 cup sugar, cornstarch and boiling water in medium pan. Cook while stirring until dissolved. Temper eggs. Then add eggs to cooked mixture. Whisk in lemon juice and rind. Cook whisking constantly until mixture is thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in butter. Cool completely. (Do not stir once cooled as fillings made with cornstarch will breakdown and liquefy if stirred; just spoon on).
• For cream cheese frosting: Beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar. Stir in vanilla.