Triple Coconut Cake

Ingredients

• For the Cake:
• 16 ounces plain or toasted Sugar (about 2 1/4 cups; 455g)
• 4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter  soft but cool
• 4 ounces virgin coconut oil
• 3 large eggs room temperature
• 1 TBS vanilla extract
• 2 2/3 Cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 Cups coconut flour
• 18 ounces ( 2 1/4 Cups) unsweetened, full-fat coconut milk well stirred, leftovers reserved for ganache
•  
• To Finish:
• 1 recipe creamy coconut frosting below
• 1 recipe caramelized white chocolate ganache below  
• 7 ounces (195g) sweetened coconut flakes, lightly toasted

Directions

1. For the Cake: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat to 350°F (180°C). Lightly grease three 8-inch anodized aluminum cake pans and line with parchment.   If you don’t have three pans, it’s okay to bake the cakes in stages; the batter will keep at room temperature until it's needed.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine sugar, baking powder, salt, butter, and virgin coconut oil. Mix on low speed to roughly incorporate, then increase to medium and beat until fluffy and light, about 5 minutes. Halfway through, pause to scrape the bowl and beater with a flexible spatula.
3. With the mixer still running, add eggs one at a time, letting each fully incorporate before adding the next, then dribble in vanilla. Pause mixing and sift together the all-purpose and coconut flours, then resume mixing on low. Sprinkle in about 1/3 of flour mixture, then drizzle in 1/3 of coconut milk. Repeat with remaining flour and coconut milk, working in thirds as before.
4. Scrape bowl and beater with a flexible spatula and resume mixing on medium speed for about 3 seconds to ensure everything is well combined. The batter should look creamy and thick, registering between 65 and 68°F (18 and 20°C) on a digital thermometer.
5. Using a flexible spatula, fold batter once or twice from the bottom up, then divide evenly between prepared cake pans (about 20 ounces or 565g each, if you have a scale). Stagger pans together on oven rack and bake until puffed, firm, and pale gold, about 35 minutes. If your oven heats very unevenly, pause to rotate the pans after about 20 minutes. Alternatively, bake 2 layers at once and finish the third when they’re done.
6. Cool cakes directly in their pans for 1 hour, then run a butter knife around the edges to loosen. Invert onto a wire rack, peel off parchment, and return cakes right side up. (Covered in plastic, the cakes can be left at room temperature for a few hours.) Prepare the frosting.
7. For the Crumb Coat: Level cakes with a serrated knife  and set scraps aside for snacking. Place 1 layer on a heavy cast iron turntable. If you like, a waxed cardboard cake round can first be placed underneath, secured to the turntable with a scrap of damp paper towel. Top cake layer with exactly 1 cup frosting, using an offset spatula to spread it evenly from edge to edge. Repeat with second and third layers, then cover sides of cake with another cup of frosting, spreading it as smoothly as you can. Refrigerate cake until frosting hardens, about 30 minutes, and repeat if desired for a thicker coat. Meanwhile, prepare the ganache as directed.
8. To Finish: Place the chilled and crumb-coated cake on a wire rack nested in a half sheet pan. Pour lukewarm ganache over the top,  working from the center out to ensure even coverage. If needed, use a clean offset spatula to nudge the ganache along, or rap the pan against the countertop to create vibrations that will level the ganache. Once ganache has stopped flowing, cover top and sides of cake with toasted coconut flakes.
9. To Serve: Let cake sit at room temperature for at least an hour before serving, or until it reaches an internal temperature of about 72°F (22°C). Cut with a chef’s knife to serve and cover the exposed edges with leftover buttercream to keep the cake moist. Under a cake dome, the cake will keep for 3 days at room temperature.
   
   Creamy Coconut Frosting
   
   

   Ingredients

   • 6 ounces egg whites (2/3 cup), from 5 to 6 large eggs
   • 12 ounces turbinado sugar (about 1 3/4 cups)
   • 3/4 teaspoon (3g) kosher salt; use half as much if iodized
   • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
   • Scraped seeds from 1 Tahitian vanilla bean
   • 16 ounces unsalted butter (4 sticks), softened to about 65°F
   • 4 ounces virgin coconut oil (about 2/3 cup)
   • 1 teaspoon (5ml) Tahitian vanilla extract.

   Directions

   1. Fill a wide pot with at least 1 1/2 inches water, with a thick ring of crumpled tinfoil placed on the bottom to act as a "booster seat" that will prevent the bowl from touching the bottom of the pot. Place over high heat until steaming-hot, then adjust temperature to maintain a gentle simmer. Combine egg whites, turbinado sugar, salt, cream of tartar, and vanilla seeds in the bowl of a stand mixer. Set over steaming water, stirring and scraping constantly with a flexible spatula, until egg whites reach 185°F (85°C). This should take only 10 to 12 minutes, so if mixture seems to be moving slowly, simply turn up the heat. Once ready, transfer to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whip at high speed about 10 minutes, until meringue is glossy, stiff, and cool to the touch, around 90°F (32°C).
   2. With mixer still running, add butter, 1 or 2 tablespoons at a time, followed by coconut oil. Initially, the volume of the meringue will decrease; it may even seem soupy along the way, but as the cool butter is added, the mixture will begin to thicken and cool. In the end, the buttercream should be thick, creamy, and soft but not runny, around 72°F (22°C). Mix in vanilla extract on low speed until well combined.
   3. Use buttercream right away, or transfer to a large zipper-lock bag, press out the air, and seal. Buttercream can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks and frozen for up to several months. (The main issue with longer storage in the freezer is odor absorption, not spoilage.) Rewarm to 72°F and re-whip before using.
   4. Troubleshooting: If warmer than 74°F (23°C), the buttercream will be soft and loose; pop it in the fridge for 15 minutes and re-whip to help it thicken and cool. If colder than 68°F (20°C), the buttercream will be firm and dense, making it difficult to spread over cakes and slow to melt on the tongue, creating a greasy mouthfeel. To warm, briefly set over a pan of steaming water, just until you see the edges melting slightly, then re-whip to help it soften and warm.
      
      Caramelized White Chocolate Ganache
      

      Ingredients

      • 8 ounces heavy cream or full-fat coconut milk (1 cup; 225g)
      • 12 ounces ( 2 cups) caramelized white chocolate
      • Salt, to taste (optional)

      Directions

      1. In a 2-quart stainless steel saucier, warm cream over medium heat until steaming-hot. Meanwhile, place caramelized white chocolate in a medium bowl. When cream begins to bubble around the edges, remove from heat and pour over chocolate. Let stand 30 seconds, then whisk gently to combine. If you like, season to taste with a pinch of salt. Let stand at room temperature until 74°F (23°C), about 30 minutes, stirring from time to time to ensure it cools evenly. Use as a sauce or glaze for cake.
      Recipe and picture from Serious Eats!!!