Coconut Cake with Coconut Butter Cream

Cake is a sweet celebration of life — and this Coconut Cake doesn’t disappoint

—

"A party without cake is just a meeting."

~ Julia Child

Have your cake and eat it too! After a guest who comes in every Friday to grab dessert tried my coconut cake — the rest was history. She declared it her favorite and made me promise to make it more often. So of course, I knew I had to share it with you.

Serves 12-16 slices

Requires (2) 9” cake pans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Dry Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 2 tsp baking soda, sifted

Wet Ingredients:

• 2 cups coconut milk
• 1 cup unrefined coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp coconut extract

Cake Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350
2. Line and spray your pans
3. Optional: Sprinkle a little sugar around the pan, this keeps cake a bit moister
4. In one bowl mix all dry ingredients
5. In another bowl mix all wet ingredients
6. Add wet to dry, mix together just enough that all is wet; don’t over-mix, this will cause a dense cake
7. Pour batter equally into both pans
8. Bake for 30 minutes
9. Test center with toothpick; continue baking if needed
10. Cool cake before frosting 

Frosting Ingredients:

• 1 cup softened vegan butter
• 1 lb. powdered sugar
• 1 Tbsp coconut extract
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting Directions:

1. Place butter in a mixer
2. Mix softened butter for 1-2 minutes and then start to add in powdered sugar slowly
3. Add extract and let it mix for at least 5 minutes (the longer you mix the fluffier it will become)

Note:

• If butter is too soft, it won’t become fluffy
• Keep an eye on it while mixing after the 7-8 minutes mark to make sure it is not breaking, separating or getting too soft

Assemble

One layer, frost, second layer frost, add shredded coconut on top

(Then hide the cake so there’s a piece left for you!) Ha.

—Lea Haas, Owner, The Garden Cafe Woodstock