Peach Coconut Cake 2020-12-08T18:13:55+00:00

Project Description

Peach Coconut Cake

Peach Coconut Cake

Author: Chef Belinda

Coconut cake was my mother’s favorite, but she only made it once a year—and that was on her birthday. I would sit and watch intensely as she cracked open the coconut, reserved the coconut milk to add to the cake, and then take what seemed like forever grating the fresh coconut flesh to finish off the cake frosting. The finished cake was a thing of beauty and truly a labor of love. Now, every year, I make a coconut cake in memory of my mother. And although I do take a few shortcuts, it’s still a labor of my love for her!

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1 tablespoon baking powder

  • 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1 cup milk

  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

  • 2 cups sugar

Filling

  • 3 peaches, peeled and diced

  • 1⁄4 cup sugar

  • 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch

  • 1 1⁄2 tablespoons peach brandy or schnapps

Cake

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 2 (9-inch) or 3 (8-inch) cake pans with nonstick baking spray and insert parchment sheets.

  2. Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a measuring cup, combine the milk and vanilla. Set both aside.

  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter until it turns pale yellow. Add the sugar and continue beating until thoroughly mixed. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition and scrape down the sides of the bowl.

  4. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, 1 cup at a time, alternating with the milk. Scrape down sides again. Pour into prepared pans.

  5. Bake for 30–35 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 20 minutes; then invert onto wire racks and let cool completely. Remove parchment sheets.

Filling

  1. Combine the peaches, sugar, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat, and let simmer for 15 minutes.

  2. In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and brandy. Add to peaches, stir, and simmer until thick. Let cool.

Frosting

  1. Add the butter and vanilla into the bowl of a stand mixer; cream until thoroughly combined and pale yellow. Lower speed and slowly add the sugar until incorporated. Increase mixer speed and beat until smooth. At this point, the frosting may appear a little stiff or dry. Add milk, a little at a time, until frosting is at the proper spreading consistency.

  2. To assemble the cake, use a serrated knife to cut off any domes or humps on your cooled cakes. Put 1 layer on a cake plate and spread with filling, staying about 1⁄2 inch from the edges of the cake. If you have 3 layers, repeat with a second layer and more filling, topping with the third layer. Do not put filling on the top layer.

  3. Frost the top of the cake and then the sides. Finish the cake by covering top and sides with shredded coconut. Garnish with additional sliced peaches if desired

Tip:

To prevent the peach filling from spilling over the side of the cake, I use a piping bag fitted with a number 12 piping tip filled with enough of the frosting to pipe a bead around the edge of each filling layer.