Favorite Coconut Cake

Kezia graduated from high school Saturday. I was there. I am her grandmother in the way that woman at the demonstration said — in all the ways that matter. She walked across a stage at Bryant-Denny and received her diploma and found me in the crowd with her eyes, which is the thing graduates do when they have someone in the crowd who they need to find. She found me. I found her. That was the transaction and it was complete.

Afterward there was a family gathering at her grandmother Clara's house. I brought the caramel layer cake — a whole cake, the kind that takes a Saturday to make right. Kezia tasted it and said, is this the one we made together the first time? I said yes. She said, I remember the timing on the caramel. I said, I know you do. She said, I'm going to make this someday for someone who needs it the way I needed things. I said, yes. That's exactly it. That's the whole reason for learning.

Four months until she leaves for culinary school. I am beginning to think about what to give her for the road. Not advice — she has absorbed more than she knows and she will find it available when she needs it. Something for the kitchen. I have been thinking about this for two months and I think I know. I have another cast iron, smaller than Bernice's big one — a ten-inch that I have been seasoning since last September without knowing why. Now I know why. It is Kezia's. I have been making it for her the way I made one for CJ and Shanice. The kitchen passes forward through the cast iron.

The caramel cake is Kezia’s cake — the one she remembers, the one she’ll make someday for someone who needs it. But when I think about what I want to leave her with as she heads toward culinary school and a kitchen of her own, I keep coming back to this coconut cake, because it lives in the same spirit: it takes time, it takes attention, and it tells the person eating it that they were worth every minute of both. This is the kind of cake you learn to make when someone teaches you that cooking is an act of love on purpose.

Prep Time: 40 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes | Servings: 12

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, separated
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut, divided
For the Frosting:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon coconut extract
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 cups sweetened shredded coconut, toasted, for finishing

Instructions

Prepare your pans. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans, then line bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until light and very fluffy, about 4 to 5 minutes. Don’t rush this step — it builds the structure of the cake.
Add the egg yolks and extracts. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla and coconut extracts and mix until combined.
Combine the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Alternate the dry and wet. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk in two additions (begin and end with flour). Mix just until incorporated after each addition — do not overmix.
Fold in coconut. Stir in 1/2 cup of the shredded coconut gently by hand.
Whip and fold the egg whites. In a clean bowl with clean beaters, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. Gently fold them into the batter in two additions, keeping as much air as possible.
Bake the layers. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the edges pull slightly from the pan. Cool in pans 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Toast the coconut for finishing. Spread 2 cups of shredded coconut on a baking sheet and toast at 350°F for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring once, until golden. Watch it closely — it goes fast. Let cool.
Make the frosting. Beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing on low. Add the coconut extract and heavy cream, then beat on medium-high until light and fluffy.
Assemble the cake. Place the first cake layer on your serving plate. Spread a generous layer of frosting over the top and sprinkle with some of the remaining plain shredded coconut. Repeat with the second layer. Place the third layer on top and frost the top and sides of the entire cake.
Finish with toasted coconut. Press the toasted coconut all over the top and sides of the frosted cake. It takes patience and a gentle hand — press it in lightly so it holds. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before slicing to let everything set.

Nutrition (per serving)

Favorite Coconut Cake — The One You Make for Someone Who Needs It