Coconut Cake is a Party Unto Itself

Lots of people have mixed feelings about coconut. I can assure you, if they ate the coconut cake recipe that I make, they would change their minds. Actually, frankly they would change their mind about coconut if they were to drink a really good Pina Colada, but this post is not about that.

Coconut layer cake. Wow. Well, I give in and here is the true trick. You know how coconut cake is so pretty, with is bower of shredded coconut? You gotta toast that bower. Put the coconut shreds on a baking sheet and put it in the oven stirring every now and then until its a lovely mixture of golden tan and white. Toasting the coconut caramelizes the sugar and makes “little white worms” (as my dad, a coconut hater, calls it) into a totally different delicious thing all together. The lush butter cream frosting that glues the whole cake together is pretty kick butt too.

Best of all, if you are like me and cannot frost a cake to save your life, you can hide all your frosting goops and gobs under the coconut. It will be our little secret.

The reason why I am making this cake is for my close friend Jenny’s wedding party tonight. I am so flattered she asked me to make it because she is a really talented baker. Jenny, I hope this coconut cake ushers in many, many years of happiness for you and the husband. Congratulations.

PS I know you want the recipe for my kick butt coconut layer cake. OK, I’ll give. It is the Cook’s Illustrated recipe. But I can’t give it to you because its not on line and I don’t want to type it in. But you can get it from the Cooks Illustrated Baking Guide.