Description
A light and fluffy coconut cake with a cloud-like texture, topped with creamy coconut cream cheese frosting and toasted coconut flakes for the perfect tropical dessert.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 large (100 g) egg whites whipped to stiff peaks, can sub with 2 whole large eggs
- ¼ cup (57 g) unsalted butter room temperature, cubed
- ¼ cup (60 g) vegetable oil
- 1 ¾ cups (210 g) cake flour
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon (8 g) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (240 g) canned coconut milk
- ½ teaspoon coconut extract
- 4 oz (113 g) cream cheese room temperature
- ¼ cup (56 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ teaspoon coconut extract
- ⅕ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoon (10 g) coconut milk
- 1 ½ cups (180 g) powdered sugar
- ½ cup (50 g) sweetened coconut flakes
- Lemon curd on the side (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a square baking pan with nonstick spray. If you want to remove cake from the pan before serving, line the pan with parchment paper, leaving the ends out to use as a sling to pull the cake out.
- Separate eggs and place whites in a clean medium bowl. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer with whisk attachment to whisk egg whites to stiff peaks.
- In a large bowl combine cake flour, granulated sugar, kosher salt, and baking powder. Add cubed softened butter and oil and mix on low speed until it’s the texture of coarse breadcrumbs or wet sand.
- Add coconut milk and coconut extract into the mixed dry ingredients and combine on medium speed for about one minute. There will still be some lumps in the batter.
- Add one third of the whipped whites into your batter and mix in well. Add the rest of the egg whites and fold gently until there are only a few small white streaks left.
- Pour the batter into your prepared pan. Smooth the top with a spatula. Unlike a lot of cakes, this is a delicate batter, so do not tap on the counter to remove air bubbles.
- Bake in a 350° oven for 24-28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to completely cool on a rack.
- For frosting: Combine cream cheese and butter in a large bowl. Combine with a handheld mixer on low, slowly increasing to high speed, until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add coconut extract, kosher salt, and 2 teaspoons of coconut milk. Mix just until combined.
- Add powdered sugar, ½ cup at a time, beating on low speed until just combined before adding more. After all the sugar is added, increase speed to high, and beat until smooth and fluffy.
- If the frosting seems too thin, add more powdered sugar, a couple of tablespoons at a time. If it seems too thick, add more coconut milk, one teaspoon at a time.
- Use an offset spatula, or butter knife, to spread the frosting on top of the cake. Sprinkle sweetened coconut flakes on top of the frosting, slice, and serve.
Notes
- The nutritional and caloric information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It does not assert or suggest that readers should or should not count calories, and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s or doctor’s counseling.
- This is a delicate batter, so do not tap the pan on the counter to remove air bubbles as you would with other cakes.
- Make sure egg whites are whipped to stiff peaks for the best cloud-like texture.
- Adjust frosting consistency by adding more powdered sugar if too thin, or more coconut milk if too thick.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 28 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 385
- Sugar: 42g
- Sodium: 285mg
- Fat: 16g
- Saturated Fat: 12g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 58g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 6g
- Cholesterol: 35mg
Keywords: coconut cake, cloud cake, coconut cream cheese frosting, tropical dessert, light cake, fluffy cake