|
|
Coconut Layer Cake
|  | |
Makes one 9-inch, 3-layer cake, 12 to 14 servings.
Cake mix
10 whole eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
Lemon syrup
½ cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
1 cup fresh lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon
Boiled icing
2 cups granulated sugar
½ cup water
2 tbsp. corn syrup
6 egg whites (about 1 cup)
Juice of 2 lemons
Cake coating
3 cups shredded unsweetened coconut (available in health-food stores)
Preheat the oven to 325°. Line three 9-inch cake pans with parchment (see Note) or lightly oil them and dust with flour.
Using an electric mixer set on high speed, whip the eggs with the sugar until the mixture triples in volume, about 7 to 8 minutes. (This is important, as the batter must be light and airy.) Fold the flour into the egg-sugar mixture in three separate additions, working gently but making sure the flour is completely incorporated.
Divide the batter evenly among the three prepared pans, spreading it with a metal cake spatula. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, until the cake layers are golden and pulling slightly away from the pan. Remove the pans from the oven and let cool in the pans.
To make the lemon syrup, combine the sugar, water, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is syrupy. Set aside to cool until ready to assemble the cake.
To make the boiled icing, combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for approximately 7 minutes, until the mixture reaches the "soft-boil" stage, or 230° on a candy thermometer. To test, drop a teaspoon of the boiling sugar mixture into a cup of cold water; if it forms a soft ball in the water, the temperature is right.
About a minute before the boiling corn syrup mixture is ready, in an electric mixer using the whip attachment, whip the egg whites on high speed about 4 minutes, until stiff but not grainy. With the machine still running, pour in the hot corn syrup mixture and continue beating. Add the lemon juice and beat 2 minutes more. The icing should be smooth and fluffy with a slight sheen. As soon as the icing is ready, the cake should be assembled.
To assemble the cake, put the bottom layer on a cake plate and brush with the cooled lemon syrup to lightly moisten (do not oversoak). Using a metal cake spatula, spread about a sixth of the icing evenly over the surface of the cake layer. Repeat the process with the second and third layers. Then frost the sides and top of the cake with the remaining icing.
Put the coconut in a bowl. Hold the cake plate in one hand over the bowl and use the other hand to press the coconut against the sides of the cake. Sprinkle the top with coconut. Serve with fruit sauces.
Note: I always use parchment paper when baking and highly recommend keeping a box of it as standard equipment in your kitchen. The need to grease and flour a cake pan or cookie sheet is eliminated when it is lined with parchment, and baked goods can be removed easily. Parchment is also useful to line the baking sheet on which you place pies and tarts in the oven; it catches any leaks or spills and makes cleanup faster and easier.
|
| |
|
