Coconut Cake

This is one of the best coconut cakes I've eaten. It is so good! Another keeper recipe from "Kiss My Bundt" by Chrysta Wilson. 

Messy, that's me. I can never get the batter into the bundt pan without any drips onto the sides or centre of the pan. I spilled some batter into the centre of the hole when I was transferring the batter to the pan  :o)

Only half a cake?

A friend was around when I baked this. As soon as the cake came out from the oven, she wanted to try it, as it smells really nice! Well, we waited about 15 minutes, and could not wait any longer! She took a slice, goes "Wow" and ended up taking half the cake home with her. That's where the missing half went!

This cake is really moist, soft, crumbly and delicious! I did make a few changes. While this recipe does not call for coconut flakes, I added in about 3/4 cup of sweetened coconut flakes which I wanted to use up. I guess the coconut flakes gives a crumbly texture to the cake, but it is so good, I would suggest not to skip the coconut flakes, it makes a wonderful addition to the texture and taste of the cake. Instead of using the quantity of milk and coconut milk as given in the recipe, I switched the quantity the other way round (see recipe below). The coconut milk I used is "Cholestorel Free", I wonder if that's possible, but that's what printed on the pack! Next, I do not have coconut extract, so I use my own homemade rum-vanilla extract, mmm....  smells heavenly.  And as usual, the amount of sugar would usually be the first ingredient that I would adjust. I only use 180gm instead of 1-3/4 cup (320gm) as stated in the recipe, and the sweetness is just right. The cake gets a little bit more sweeter the next day. This is one of the cakes that gets really good after sitting overnight.

It's a good thing that my friend took half of the cake, otherwise I'll be eating more than I should! This is really good with a cup of tea.

I'm sharing this with :

Hearth and Soul at Mom's Sunday Cafe
Sweet Tooth Friday at Alli n Son
Bake with Bizzy at Bizzy B. Bakes
Full Plate Thursday at Miz Helen's Country Cottage

Coconut Cake
(adapted from "Kiss My Bundt" by Chrysta Wilson)
2-1/2 cups flour
2-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1-3/4 cup sugar (I use 180gm)
3 eggs, at room temperature
1-1/2 tsp vanilla (I use 2 tsp homemade rum vanilla extract)
3/4 tsp coconut extract, (optional) * (I omit this)
3/4 cup whole milk * (I use 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup coconut milk (I use 3/4 cup)
3/4 cup sweetened coconut flakes (my addition)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Sift flour and baking powder and salt together. (Mix in coconut flakes). Set aside.
3. Beat butter with an electric mixer until soft, about 2 minutes.
4. Slowly add the sugar. Mix for about 2 minutes.
5. Crack eggs into a separate bowl and add to batter one at a time. Then beat on medium speed for an additional 2 minutes.
6. Mix vanilla, coconut extract (optional) and the two milks together.
7. Beginning and ending with the flour, mix 1/3 of the flour into the wet mixture, then 1/2 of the milk, alternating until all ingredients are mixed.
8. Transfer batter to cake pan than have been coated with a baker's cooking spray that includes flour (or greased and floured), filling until cavity is about 3/4 full.
9. Bake cake until an inserted toothpick or cake tester comes out clean - about 40 minutes for a big bundt.
10. Invert cake onto a cooling rack or serving plate. If cake resists, cool in the pan for 15 minutes before inverting. (If cake still resists, cool an additional 15 minutes in the pan). Cool completely before frosting at least 1 hour for a big bundt.

* Coconut extract is optional but it will intensify the coconut flavour of the cake. For a more rich and exotic cake, you can omit the whole milk and use an additional 3/4 cup of coconut milk instead.