coconut cake

My family fell in love with the toasted coconut-vanilla buttercream combination from Martha Stewart's Spring Chick cupcakes, so I decided to try it out in full-cake-form. For the cupcakes, I just used a boxed yellow cake mix, but, this time, I made a homemade coconut cake. The cake was super moist and full of flavor.

Coconut Cake

For cake:
From Barefoot Contessa, Food Network
3 sticks butter, room temperature
2 c. sugar
5 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. pure almond extract
3 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. milk
4 oz. sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, then line with parchment paper. Grease them again, and dust lightly with flour.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light yellow and fluffy. Crack the eggs into a small bowl. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl once during mixing. Add the vanilla and almond extract, and mix well. The mixture might look curdled; don't be concerned.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk to the batter in three parts, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Fold in the coconut with a rubber spatula.

Pour the batter evenly into the 2 pans and smooth the top with a knife. Bake in the center of the oven for 45 to 55 minutes, until the tops are browned and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool on a baking rack for 30 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto a baking rack to finish cooling.

For frosting:
3 sticks butter, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. confectioners sugar

For decorating:
6 oz. sweetened shredded coconut, toasted

Beat frosting ingredients with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Frost cake, then cover with toasted coconut.