Snowy Coconut Cake

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Yield:
1 10-inch cake

Thanks to the coconut flavor, this cake will whisk you away to a warmer, tropical climate.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sifted cake flour, (not self-rising)

  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar

  • 12 large egg whites

  • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar

  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

  • ¼ teaspoon salt

  • ¼ teaspoon pure coconut extract

  • Coconut Cream

  • 1 ½ cups dried unsweetened flaked coconut

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees, with rack in lower third. Sift together flour and 1/2 cup sugar into a bowl. Sift again.

  2. Put egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer; beat on medium speed until frothy. Add cream of tartar, lemon juice, salt, and extract; beat until soft peaks form. With mixer running, gradually add remaining cup sugar. Raise speed to medium-high; beat until stiff peaks form.

  3. Gently transfer egg-white mixture to a large, shallow bowl; sprinkle one-third of the flour mixture over top. Using a large whisk, gently fold flour mixture into batter. Sprinkle remaining flour mixture over whites in two batches; fold until combined (do not overmix). Transfer batter to a 10-inch tube pan with a removable bottom; run a knife through batter to eliminate air bubbles. Smooth top.

  4. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean and top is springy to the touch, 45 to 50 minutes. If pan has legs, invert and stand it on them. (Alternatively, invert pan over a narrow-necked heavy bottle.) Let cake cool completely, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

  5. Run a knife around edges of cake; lift out of pan. Using a serrated knife, cut cake in half horizontally; place bottom on a serving platter. Spread 2 cups coconut cream on bottom layer; set other half on top, and coat with remaining coconut cream. Top cake with coconut. Refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours.

Cook's Notes

The cake can be baked up to 2 days ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Wait until the day you serve the cake to fill and frost it with coconut cream.

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