I'm not much of a cake lover, especially of the regular, birthday-cake variety. I much prefer wet cakes, filled with gooey ingredients like applesauce or fruit. As a matter of fact, I always liked my mother's cakes more when she considered them a failure, when they didn't rise sufficiently to meet her standards. Despite this aversion to cakes in general, this recipe looked interesting with its lime flavored, custard-like filling. A friend, who loved coconut cakes, declared this one the best ever.
Flush with having conquered the recipe the first time, I dared to contribute this cake to my family's traditional Easter dinner. It looked great and tasted even better but I didn't cook the icing long enough and by the time I had travelled 75 miles to the farm, the layers were sliding all over the place. Finally I had to stabilize the whole thing with borrowed toothpicks. It made for a great laugh among my nephews and nieces.
This cake takes some time to make but there's nothing complicated about it. Just be sure to cook the icing long enough for it to hold everything in place and cool the cake layers and icing thoroughly before proceeding further. That is, unless you want to give your guests a great laugh.
For the cake
1 C packed sweetened flaked coconut
2 1/4 C cake flour (not self-rising)
3 t double acting baking powder
1/4 t salt
1/2 C vegetable shortening (use Crisco) at room temperature
1 1/4 C sugar
3 large eggs, separated, the whites at room temperature
1 t vanilla
1 C whole milk
1/4 t salt
1/4 t cream of tartar
For the filling
3/4 C sugar
2 T cornstarch
1/4 C fresh lime juice
2 T fresh lemon juice
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 T unsalted butter, softened
3/4 C packed sweetened flaked coconut.
For the icing
1 1/2 C sugar
2 T light corn syrup
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/2 t cream of tartar
3/4 t vanilla
Make the cake
1. Line the bottoms of 2 greased 8 x 12-inch round cake pans with rounds of wax paper and grease and flour the pans, shaking out the excess flour. Spread the coconut in a jelly roll pan, toast it in a preheated 350 degree oven, stirring once or twice, for 7 minutes, or until it is golden, and let it cool.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the shortening, beat in 3/4 C sugar and beat the mixture until it is light and fluffy. Beat in the yolks, 1 at a time, and the vanilla and add the flour mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with flour, and beating until the batter is smooth.
3. In another large bowl with the electric mixer, beat the egg whites with the salt until they are foamy, add the cream of tartar, and beat the whites until they hold soft peaks. Beat in the remaining 1/2 C sugar, a little at a time, and beat the meringue until it holds stiff glossy peaks.
4. Stir the coconut and 1/4 of the meringue into the batter to lighten it and then fold in the remaining meringue gently but thoroughly.
5. Divide the batter between the prepared pans and bake the layers in the middle of the preheated 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Let the layers cool in the pans on racks for 10 minutes, invert them onto the racks and let them cool completely.
Make the filling
1. In a small heavy saucepan, whisk together the sugar, the cornstarch, the salt, the lime juice, the lemon juice, and the egg until the mixture is combined and bring the mixture to a rolling boil over moderately high heat, whisking constantly. (The mixture will thicken as it cooks.) Whisk in the butter and let the filling cool.
Assemble the cake
1. Split each cake layer in half horizontally with a long serrated knife and brush off any loose crumbs. On a cake plate, arrange 1 of the cake layers, cut side up and spread it with one third of the filling, leaving 1/2 inch border. Sprinkle the filling with 1/4 C of the coconut and top the coconut with another cake layer, cut side down. Continue to layer and fill the cake in the same manner with the remaining filling and coconut.
Make the icing
1. In a saucepan combine the sugar, the corn syrup and 1/3 C of water, bring the mixture to a boil, covered, over moderate heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved. Continue to boil the syrup, uncovered, until it registers 240 degrees on a candy thermometer.
2. While the syrup is boiling, in a heat-proof bowl with an electric mixer, beat the whites with a pinch of salt and the cream of tartar until they are frothy. As soon as the syrup reaches 240 degrees, add it to the whites in a thin, stream, continuing to beat the whites while the syrup is being added. Beat in the vanilla and beat the icing until the bowl is no longer hot. (If the icing is too stiff, beat in 1-2 hot water, or enough to form a fluffy, spreadable icing.)
3. Spread the icing over the side and top of the cake and cover the cake with the coconut. Garnish the cake with the lime slices, arranged decoratively around the edge of the cake plate.
Flush with having conquered the recipe the first time, I dared to contribute this cake to my family's traditional Easter dinner. It looked great and tasted even better but I didn't cook the icing long enough and by the time I had travelled 75 miles to the farm, the layers were sliding all over the place. Finally I had to stabilize the whole thing with borrowed toothpicks. It made for a great laugh among my nephews and nieces.
This cake takes some time to make but there's nothing complicated about it. Just be sure to cook the icing long enough for it to hold everything in place and cool the cake layers and icing thoroughly before proceeding further. That is, unless you want to give your guests a great laugh.
For the cake
1 C packed sweetened flaked coconut
2 1/4 C cake flour (not self-rising)
3 t double acting baking powder
1/4 t salt
1/2 C vegetable shortening (use Crisco) at room temperature
1 1/4 C sugar
3 large eggs, separated, the whites at room temperature
1 t vanilla
1 C whole milk
1/4 t salt
1/4 t cream of tartar
For the filling
3/4 C sugar
2 T cornstarch
1/4 C fresh lime juice
2 T fresh lemon juice
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 T unsalted butter, softened
3/4 C packed sweetened flaked coconut.
For the icing
1 1/2 C sugar
2 T light corn syrup
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/2 t cream of tartar
3/4 t vanilla
Make the cake
1. Line the bottoms of 2 greased 8 x 12-inch round cake pans with rounds of wax paper and grease and flour the pans, shaking out the excess flour. Spread the coconut in a jelly roll pan, toast it in a preheated 350 degree oven, stirring once or twice, for 7 minutes, or until it is golden, and let it cool.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the shortening, beat in 3/4 C sugar and beat the mixture until it is light and fluffy. Beat in the yolks, 1 at a time, and the vanilla and add the flour mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with flour, and beating until the batter is smooth.
3. In another large bowl with the electric mixer, beat the egg whites with the salt until they are foamy, add the cream of tartar, and beat the whites until they hold soft peaks. Beat in the remaining 1/2 C sugar, a little at a time, and beat the meringue until it holds stiff glossy peaks.
4. Stir the coconut and 1/4 of the meringue into the batter to lighten it and then fold in the remaining meringue gently but thoroughly.
5. Divide the batter between the prepared pans and bake the layers in the middle of the preheated 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Let the layers cool in the pans on racks for 10 minutes, invert them onto the racks and let them cool completely.
Make the filling
1. In a small heavy saucepan, whisk together the sugar, the cornstarch, the salt, the lime juice, the lemon juice, and the egg until the mixture is combined and bring the mixture to a rolling boil over moderately high heat, whisking constantly. (The mixture will thicken as it cooks.) Whisk in the butter and let the filling cool.
Assemble the cake
1. Split each cake layer in half horizontally with a long serrated knife and brush off any loose crumbs. On a cake plate, arrange 1 of the cake layers, cut side up and spread it with one third of the filling, leaving 1/2 inch border. Sprinkle the filling with 1/4 C of the coconut and top the coconut with another cake layer, cut side down. Continue to layer and fill the cake in the same manner with the remaining filling and coconut.
Make the icing
1. In a saucepan combine the sugar, the corn syrup and 1/3 C of water, bring the mixture to a boil, covered, over moderate heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved. Continue to boil the syrup, uncovered, until it registers 240 degrees on a candy thermometer.
2. While the syrup is boiling, in a heat-proof bowl with an electric mixer, beat the whites with a pinch of salt and the cream of tartar until they are frothy. As soon as the syrup reaches 240 degrees, add it to the whites in a thin, stream, continuing to beat the whites while the syrup is being added. Beat in the vanilla and beat the icing until the bowl is no longer hot. (If the icing is too stiff, beat in 1-2 hot water, or enough to form a fluffy, spreadable icing.)
3. Spread the icing over the side and top of the cake and cover the cake with the coconut. Garnish the cake with the lime slices, arranged decoratively around the edge of the cake plate.
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