I’m no stranger to fresh, grated coconut—growing up, it was ground into Indian chutneys or sprinkled over savory vegetable dishes at least weekly. But added to a cake?
This was my first thought as I watched an episode of Milk Street’s My Family Recipe, on which Milk Street’s kitchen recreates the long-lost family recipes of viewers who write in. Home cook Karen Clay asked for help with her late grandmother Margaret’s special occasion Coconut Layer Cake.
It’s a towering, dazzling thing, four layers high, enrobed in fluffy white frosting and freshly grated coconut. In my experience, cakes that are that tall and laden with that much frosting need to be dense to support all that weight. Not so here. This cake is almost ridiculously light, a physics-defying feat of aeration that stands tall, sturdy and proud but retains a light, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
The Milk Street kitchen, with the help of baking expert Cheryl Day, cracked the code—all we have to do is follow the recipe.
This was my first thought as I watched an episode of Milk Street’s My Family Recipe, on which Milk Street’s kitchen recreates the long-lost family recipes of viewers who write in. Home cook Karen Clay asked for help with her late grandmother Margaret’s special occasion Coconut Layer Cake.
It’s a towering, dazzling thing, four layers high, enrobed in fluffy white frosting and freshly grated coconut. In my experience, cakes that are that tall and laden with that much frosting need to be dense to support all that weight. Not so here. This cake is almost ridiculously light, a physics-defying feat of aeration that stands tall, sturdy and proud but retains a light, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
The Milk Street kitchen, with the help of baking expert Cheryl Day, cracked the code—all we have to do is follow the recipe.
Here are a few tips to nail the cake at home, and watch Rose Hattabaugh make it on Instagram.
Tip #1: Track down the right ingredients, especially cake flour and fresh coconut.
Finely milled cake flour is "weaker" than all-purpose flour, which means it has less protein in it—and therefore less potential to form gluten. Generally, it’s a safeguard against over-mixing and the secret to a light, tender crumb. A plush, airy texture was one of our kitchen’s goals for Karen’s family cake, so cake flour fit the bill—and is worth tracking down here. You can use all-purpose if it’s all you have, but you may end up with a slightly denser texture.
Fresh coconut is worth the work here, smashing the woody shell and all. The fresh stuff is moist and complex, much more so than the dry grated version that comes off a supermarket shelf, and it makes a noticeable difference. I recently tried the cake with a third option I had on hand, frozen grated coconut I thawed on the counter, and it worked beautifully.
Tip #2: This is not the time to feel shy about butter.
There is a... good amount of butter in this recipe. Baking is more science than it is art—this is not the time to go making substitutions or cutting back on butter in the cake or frosting. Treat it as the recipe dictates. Plan ahead and bring the butter to room temperature, so that it whips and aerates correctly.
If you go rogue, chances are high that you’ll miss out on the ethereally light texture of the cake and the balanced, not-too-sweet flavor of the frosting. The salty, creamy taste of the butter keeps the coconut flavor nuanced, rather than letting it skew into sugary piña colada territory.
Tip #3: Don’t stress about your frosting skills.
No need to bone up on your cake decorating skills—thanks to the final coating of coconut, this cake is pretty forgiving. Load coconut over any imperfections and no one will be the wiser.
Tip #4: To serve, use a serrated knife.
Did you know this one? A serrated knife is ideal for layered cakes that have texture to them—in this case, grated coconut sandwiched between the cake layers and around the outside. A serrated knife slips through the layers without crushing them. Try the Japanese-designed Seseragi Bread Knife or our Milk Street Tri-Edge Knife for this job.
Tip #5: Save it for a group or special occasion.
Far be it from me to tell you when to bake, but with the sheer size and effort of producing this showstopper, it is not a snacking cake for one (we’ve got a whole collection of one-bowl numbers I’d nominate for casual baking, like our Spanish Almond Cake). So far, it’s been worth saving this one for company; the ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ alone are worth it. I haven’t attempted halving the recipe yet—in for a penny, in for a pound—but you could, theoretically, scale the cake down.
That being said, it’s the perfect holiday cake. Dramatic, feeds a crowd, covered in lush, snowy frosting. Stick a bottle brush tree on top, and call holiday dessert sorted.
Ready to try this recipe at home?
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