It feels like it’s been ages since I’ve posted a cake recipe. As much as I love winter, the weeks following the anticipation and business of the holidays but before the beginning of spring are often difficult for me. Everything in me moves a little slower and feels a few ticks below normal. To combat the winter blues I made this bright, citrusy cake. It’s a simple coconut cake with a cooked flour (stay with me here) white chocolate buttercream. I’ve never made a cooked flour buttercream and strange as it sounds, it is so fluffy, creamy and surprisingly smooth. I filled the cake with lime and Aiya Matcha curd and topped it with coconut flakes and lime and matcha shortbread crumbles. While I’m not ready to give up my vitamin D drops just yet, this cake was just the perfect little dose of spring.
Thanks so much to Aiya Matcha for their generous partnership. I’m endlessly grateful to the brands I have the opportunity to work with! Aiya is offering 10% off any of their products with the coupon code ‘ohhoneybakes’ through 2/8/17, go check out their site for organic, sustainably grown matcha as well as loose leaf teas and tea accessories.
coconut cake
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Serves: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1½ sticks (12 tbsp) unsalted butter
- 1 c (200g) sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract
- ½ c whole milk, at room temperature
- 1½ c (180g) all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 oz sweetened, shredded coconut
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter 2 x 6 inch pans, line them with rounds of parchment paper, then dust with flour and tap out the excess.
- Beat the butter and sugar with a mixer (a hand mixer or stand mixer will work perfectly) until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes.
- Crack the eggs into a small bowl then add to the mixing bowl one at a time while mixing on low speed. Scrape the sides of the bowl down and mix until incorporated.
- Stir the vanilla extract and almond extract into the milk in a small bowl. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in another bowl, then alternate adding the wet and dry ingredients to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix just until combined after each addition. Add the coconut and mix by hand until evenly distributed.
- Pour the batter into the pans, smoothing with the back of a spoon. Bake for 20 minutes, rotate the pans, then bake for an additional 3-5 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Place on cooling racks for 10 minutes then run a knife around the edges of the cake to loosen them from the pans and turn out onto the racks to come to room temperature before icing. Can be made 1 day ahead, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature.
white chocolate buttercream
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Serves: 3 c
Ingredients
- 3 ounces good white chocolate, coarsely chopped
- ¾ cups sugar
- 3 tbsp all purpose flour
- ¾ cups whole milk
- 3 tbsp heavy cream
- 1½ sticks (12 tbsp) unsalted butter, soft but cool, cut into small pieces
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- ½ tsp vanilla bean paste
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Using either a double boiler or a microwave, gently melt the white chocolate and set it aside to cool.
- In a medium heavy-bottom saucepan, whisk the sugar and flour together. Add the milk and cream and cook over low to medium heat, whisking occasionally until the mixture begins to thicken then whisking constantly until it comes to a boil, about 20 minutes.
- Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on high speed until cool. Reduce the speed to low and add the butter a piece at a time; mix until thoroughly incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy.
- Check the white chocolate to be sure it is still smooth (if your kitchen is freezing like mine you may have to warm it a little until it is smooth again) Add the vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste, salt and melted white chocolate and continue mixing until combined.
- If the frosting is too soft, put the bowl in the refrigerator to chill slightly, then beat again until it is a spreadable consistency. If the frosting is too firm or if you find the white chocolate has given it a grainy texture, set the bowl over a pot of simmering water and beat with a wooden spoon until it is the proper consistency. Beat with the mixer until smooth. Can be made 3 days in advance, bring to room temperature and rewhip before using.
lime and matcha curd
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Serves: 1.5 c
Ingredients
- ⅓ c fresh lime juice
- ½ c plus 2 tbsp sugar
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, cubed
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 whole egg
- 1 tsp lime zest
- 2 tsp sifted matcha powder, or more to taste
Instructions
- Bring about an inch of water in a large saucepan to boil, then reduce to low and simmer. Combine the lime juice, egg yolks, whole egg and sugar in a metal bowl that fits snugly into your saucepan. The bottom of the bowl should be above the water, not in it to prevent cooking the eggs.
- Gently whisk until mixture reaches 170 degrees or until it has thickened and coats the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Stir in butter pieces until combined. Sift matcha powder with a very fine sieve into the curd and stir well, then strain the mixture and stir in the lime zest. Allow the curd to cool then cover with a layer of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd to keep a skin from forming.
- Curd will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days or frozen (in a ziplock or container) for 3 months.
lime and matcha shortbread crumbles
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Serves: about 15 cookies
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter
- ½ tsp lime zest
- ¼c (50 g) sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1 c (120 g) all purpose flour
- 1½ tsp matcha powder, sifted
Instructions
- Place the butter and zest in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream on medium-low speed until smooth, about 3 minutes.
- Add the sugar and salt and mix on medium-low speed for about 2 minutes or until fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Add the vanilla bean paste and mix on low speed for about 30 seconds to distribute evenly. Add the flour and matcha in 2 additions, mixing on low speed for 15 to 30 seconds after each, or until just combined. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to incorporate any flour that may have settled there.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and scatter crumble-size bits of the dough onto the cookie sheet. Bake for 5 minutes, then use a spatula to turn the crumbles so they don't brown on the bottoms. Bake for about 3 more minutes or until done, then place the pan on a cooling rack until the crumbles are at room temperature.
- Break apart as needed and use to decorate the top of the cake. I used about ⅓ of the dough to make the crumbles (to save the chilling time) and made used the rest to make cookies (directions here). If you're assembling the cake just before serving you could also sprinkle some crumbles between the cake layers for a little crunch.
Cake recipe adapted from Ina Garten, buttercream recipe adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking. Shortbread recipe adapted from Thomas Keller.
Hi Tiffany,
Sounds great and I am going to make this cake for a baby shower. 🙂
Just a questions: After the curd and the buttercream been in the freezer, is it a quick way of defrost them or should we just leave in the fridge for couple of days till it is completely defrosted?
Thank you for sharing all the amazing recipes.
Hi Stephanie! This will be so good for a baby shower! If you leave them on the counter they’ll defrost in a few hours, or you can put them in the fridge about a day ahead. Bring the buttercream to room temperature and whip for a few minutes until it’s smooth and creamy. Please let me know if you have any other questions and I hope you love it!