To make a Snow White Coconut Layer Cake I doused my super-popular Velvety Soft White Cake with plenty of coconut rum syrup. The cake is filled and iced with a special coconut-rum frosting. This cake is as delicious as it is pretty.
I posted a recipe for Dreamy Coconut Cake the very first year I was blogging. I still love the pairing of coconut cream cheese frosting and tangy passion fruit curd. It’s a delicious flavor combination that I also used to make Coconut Macaroon Easter Eggs.
I was considering updating the fairly awful photos in the Dreamy Coconut Cake post, but, ya know, I just felt like creating a new Coconut Cake. This time I decided to use my Velvety Soft White Cake as the base instead of Vanilla Butter Cake.
I love my vanilla cake, but the white cake recipe has become the most popular page on Baking Sense. Clearly folks really love a good white cake recipe.
Instead of pairing the cake with cream cheese frosting, I made a version of Ermine Frosting. Ermine frosting is an old fashioned recipe that I’ve recently rediscovered.
The frosting starts by making a pudding base. Then you add that base to whipped butter. I adore Italian Meringue Buttercream, but I know there are folks who find it too buttery. Ermine frosting is not as buttery as Italian Meringue Buttercream, and not as sweet as American Buttercream.
For plenty of coconutty flavor, I switched out the whole milk in the frosting for coconut milk. I also added coconut milk to the syrup. I don’t put shredded coconut into the cake batter or between the layers of cake because I don’t like the texture inside the cake. If you want more shredded coconut you can sprinkle some on each layer as you build the cake.
Of course a little (optional) rum make everything taste better. (Remember, alcohol enhances other flavors!)
I found a bottle of Coconut Rum in the back of the liquor cabinet. I bought it years ago for a specific recipe and appreciated the opportunity to use it up, since no one in the house is going to drink it. Frankly, I like the flavor of dark rum better. You can use whichever rum you prefer, or none at all.
With the white cake, layers of white frosting and a coating of white coconut flakes, a slice of this cake is very striking.
Snow White Coconut Cake
Ingredients
- 1 Recipe Velvety Soft White Cake baked in two 8" cake pans and cooled to room temperature.
Coconut Rum Syrup
- 1/3 cup (3 oz, 85g)granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (4 oz, 118 ml) water
- 2 tablespoons (1 oz, 30 ml) dark rum or coconut rum (optional)
- 1/4 cup (4oz, 113g) coconut milk
Coconut Rum Frosting
- ½ cup (4 oz, 113g) all purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups (12 oz, 340g) sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups (12 oz, 375 ml) coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons (1 oz, 29ml) dark rum or coconut rum (optional)
- 1 ½ cups (12 oz, 340g) unsalted butter, room temperature
Finish
- One 7 oz package of sweetened coconut flakes
Instructions
Syrup
- Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan and heat over medium high heat until all the sugar is dissolved. Remove the syrup from the heat. Add the rum and coconut milk and cool to room temperature.
- The syrup can be made several days ahead and refrigerated
Make the frosting
- Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a small saucepan, whisk to combine. Slowly whisk in the coconut milk until smooth. Heat the mixture over medium low, whisking constantly, until it begins to boil.
- Continue to cook and stir for 2-3 minutes until it thickens to a pudding-like texture. Immediately remove from the heat. Transfer to a small bowl, stir in the vanilla and the rum, cool to room temperature.
- Cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add the pudding, a tablespoon at a time, until completely incorporated. Switch to the whisk attachment and whip the buttercream until it’s light and fluffy.
Assembly
- Trim the browned edges and slice off the domed top of each cake layer. Split each cake in half horizontally so you have 4 layers.
- Set aside one half of the frosting for icing the cake, use the rest of the frosting for filling the cake.
- Place the first cake layer on the serving platter and brush generously with the coconut-rum syrup. Scoop 1/3 of the filling onto the layer and spread evenly. Repeat with the syrup and filling for the next 2 layers. Place the last layer on the cake and brush with syrup.
- Use the reserved frosting to ice the cake with a thin "crumb coat", then refrigerate until firm. Use the remaining icing to frost the top and sides of the cake. Coat the entire top and sides of the cake with the coconut flakes.
- Serve at room temperature. Leftovers should be refrigerated.
Notes
The cake should be stored in the refrigerator. Take it out 1-2 hours before serving so it can come to room temperature before serving.
You might also like:
Coconut Easter Eggs
Dreamy Coconut Cake
Better Carrot Cake
Vanilla Layer cake
Lemon Mousse Cake
Velvety White Cake
Lauri M.
Hi Eileen, can you color the coconut for this cake? And how do you do that? It’s a week away from Easter and I thought it might look nice with some color. Thank you.
Eileen Gray
Hi Lauri, I don’t see any reason you can’t tint the coconut. I would put the coconut in a bowl and squirt a drop of gel food color onto the coconut. Start with less than you think you need since you can always add more. Use your fingers to toss the coconut and distribute the color. Use your fingertips to rub the color in. Depending on the effect you’re going for, you could also tint the icing. I tinted some crystal sugar green for St. Patrick’s day using this exact technique. Gel color would work best since liquid color might make the coconut too sticky. If you make the cake I’d love to see a photo!
Lauri M.
Thank you, Eileen. Going to see if I have time. Looks like a busy week. May plan one for Mother’s Day.
Happy Easter!
Eileen Gray
Happy Easter to you too. Also, this cake freezes really well. So if you want to work ahead you can bake the layers, double wrap in plastic and freeze. Defrost then finish putting the cake together. The cake in the photos was in the freezer for several weeks before I put the cake together.
Kay!
Beautiful and it’s really making me hungry! Love the frosting idea also. How would I make a double layer 12×18 sheet cake using this recipe? I have an event coming up and would love to try this. Thanks for your help!
Eileen Gray
Hi Kay. A 12×18 is a half sheet size pan. One batch the of the white cake should fill a half sheet pan. I would suggest you double both the cake and icing recipes to make a 2 layer 1/2 sheet cake.
kay
Good idea! Thank you so much Eileen, I will definitely try this!
Lauri M.
OH MY GOODNESS!!!! This is AWESOME!!!!!!! cake. Made it for Easter and just thinking about it makes me taste it in my mouth making me want to eat the rest of it. Took it to family and they said hands down it is a keeper. Love the fact that I could slip in my other baking while the syrup and frosting starter cooled. I used rum in the syrup and coconut rum in the frosting. Instead of coloring the coconut, I left it white, putting it up the sides of the cake and just along the top rim about an inch wide. I then accented it with pastel sprinkles. I even mixed them in on the sides of the cake and it looked so Eastery. Everyone needs to try this recipe! Thank you, Eileen!
Eileen Gray
Wow, that sounds really pretty. I love this cake too. I’ll admit that I gave away the entire cake but kept one slice for myself because I like it so much. I’m so glad you liked it.