Six-Layer Coconut Cake with Mango Filling

Hello Everyone! I was inspired by my recent trip to Thailand on this recipe.  One of the best things I ate was this mango sticky rice which was made with sweet coconut milk and mango (at Supatra River House in Bangkok). All I can say is delicious!! So since Earl's birthday was this weekend, I decided to search the web for a recipe that incorporated all the flavors into one cake.Bingo! I found something (love modern technology).   This cake is a little time consuming, but it is definitely worth the effort.   The flavor is delicious! Enjoy the rich coconut cake with a creamy mango filling topped with light whipped cream.   The cake does come out a bit dense so it probably helped that I used a 9 inch pan instead of the 8 inch pan it called for since the layers came out much thinner. But Earl and my father, had no complaints about the final product.  They loved it because they could have it with a big glass of milk.  I actually spoke to Faye about the cake and we have added it to our list of “Perfecting the Recipe”, keep you all posted in the future. But for now, enjoy it!  You will definitely be pleased.

Six-Layer Coconut Cake with Mango Filling (an adaption from Kaitlyn in the Kitchen)

CAKE

• 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt (I used  regular salt)
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups unsweetened coconut milk
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract ( I used 3 )
• 6 egg whites

FILLING

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 cup mango nectar
• 4 egg yolks
• 3 teaspoons of vanilla
• 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons

TOPPING

• 2 cups large, unsweetened dried coconut flakes (Used sweetened shredded coconut)
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar ( I used  31/2 tablespoons, I like frosting sweeter)

Directions

1. Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. Lightly oil and flour three 9-inch round cake
3. In a Kitchaid or Mixing bowl, Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt at low speed
4. Add the butter cut into small pieces, coconut milk, water and vanilla  to the flour mixture.  Mix at high setting for about 3 minutes
5. In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer beat the egg whites until soft peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Once egg whites are done, Fold half of them into the batter (lightly, to not breakdown the fluffiness of the egg white), then fold in the remaining whites until well incorporated. Divide the batter among the cake pans. Bake for about 30 minutes. Cakes should be cooked from the middle, check with tooth pick or fork, should come out clean. Cakes will appear a golden brown on top.Cool the cakes in the pans on a rack for 15 minutes, then carefully removing them from their pans and let cook on a rack. ( I used spatula to help me remove them from their pans without breaking the cakes)..  Let them cook about 1 ½ hours. 

Filling

7. While cake is cooking, In a saucepan, whisk the sugar and cornstarch. Whisk in the mango fruit nectar, egg yolks and vanilla and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick, 5 minutes. Remove from the heat; whisk in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it is well blended. (Mixture will look like lemon pudding). Scrape the filling into a glass bowl or ceramic bowl, press a sheet of plastic wrap on the surface and refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.

Building Cake

8. Using a serrated knife, cut each cake in half horizontally to create 6 layers. Set one layer on a cake plate. Spread with 6 tablespoons of the filling. Repeat with the remaining 5 cake layers and filling, ending with a layer of cake. Refrigerate until firm, 30 hour.

Frosting and Coconut topping

9. Spread the coconut on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes, stirring once, until lightly toasted (you  really need to watch  this, once it starts toasting it cooks up really , really fast and can burn.  I toss one whole batch out. See picture to how it should look). Let cool for about 15 minutes.. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the cream with the sugar until medium-firm peaks form.

9. Frost the top and side of the cake with the whipped cream and coat with the coconut. Refrigerate for  30 minutes before serving.