A very pretty cookbook called Honey & Oats: Everyday Favorites Baked with Whole Grains and Natural Sweeteners landed in my mailbox recently courtesy of Sasquatch Books. Though there are many, many appealing recipes in the book, I just could not resist giving this Coconut Cake a try. Made with coconut milk and covered with a vanilla maple frosting and toasted coconut flakes, this cake had my name all over it.

This cake is easy to make but it’s also a real stunner. Make it for a celebration! Or for no reason at all.

I used regular all-purpose flour because that’s what I had in the house. Next time, I’ll experiment by including some coconut flour. Something else to try: use softened coconut oil instead of butter.

My cake came out a bit dense and I believe it’s because I overbeat the batter. Watch out you don’t do the same if you want your cake to be more fluffy. Be sure to store the cake in the refrigerator if you won’t be serving it right away; leftovers should be kept covered in the refrigerator, too.

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Recipe for Coconut Cake

Author Jennifer Katzinger recommends serving this moist cake with a glass of iced green tea.

Ingredients

For the cake:

*2 1/2 cups light spelt flour or 1 cup einkorn flour and 1 1/2 cups light spelt flour
*2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
*1/2 teaspoon salt
*1/2 cup 1 stick butter, at room temperature
*3/4 cup maple syrup
*3 large eggs
*1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
*1 teaspoon pure almond extract I omitted this and added more vanilla extract
*1 1/4 cup coconut milk
*1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

For the filling:

*1/2 cup maple syrup
*1/2 cup sour cream
*2 tablespoons whole milk
*1/4 cup unsweenened flaked coconut
*1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract

For the frosting:

*1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream
*2 8-ounce packages cream cheese
*1/2 cup maple syrup
*1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
*1/2 cup toasted large-flaked coconut

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease and and lightly flour two 9-inch round cake pans.
2. To make the cake, in a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl using an electric mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium to high speed until creamy. Gradually add the maple syrup, beating on medium speed until well combined, scraping the bowl every so often. Beat in the eggs, vanilla, and almond extract. Add the dry ingredients alternately with with coconut milk in two additions. Continue beating on low speed until your batter reaches the ribbon stage, about two minutes. Fold in the shredded coconut. Spoon the batter into the prepared pans. Bake until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the cake in the pans for 10 minutes. Remove the pans to wire racks to cool for 10 minutes. Turn the cakes out of the pans onto the racks to continue cooling for 3 hours before frosting.
3. To make the filling, in a medium bowl, thoroughly combine all the ingredients. Using the wrong end of a wooden spoon, poke holes about 2 inches apart in one of the cakes, covering the entire surface. Spread the filling on the cake.
4. To make the frosting, in a large bowl using an electric mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the cream cheese until smooth, and then blend in the maple syrup and vanilla. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture using a spatula. Frost and decorate the top and sides with the frosting and then the coconut.