The Study Elf

When I was in college, I used to love getting "care packages" in the mail from my parents. It was always so much fun to open the box and find out what kind of yummy treats and other surprises Mom or Dad had sent to get me through exams. So, in that same spirit, I decided to do some baking for friends of ours who are currently enduring the stress of law school exams.

After looking through numerous recipes, I decided to make a coconut cake. I had never made one before, but it seemed to turn out pretty well. See below for the recipe:

Cake:
3/4 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups white sugar
5 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup milk
4 ounces sweetened shredded coconut

Frosting:
1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 pound confectioner's sugar, sifted
6 ounces sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and grease 2 round cake pans.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed for 3-5 minutes until light yellow and fluffy. Crack the eggs into a small bowl. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl once during mixing. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well. The mixture might look curdled, don't be concerned.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flower, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk to the batter in 3 parts, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Fold in the 4 ounces of coconut with a spatula.

Pour the batter evenly into the cake pans and smooth the top with a knife. Bake in the center of the oven for 45-55 minutes, until the tops are browned and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool on a baking rack for 30 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto the baking rack to finish cooling.

For the frosting, combine the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and almond extracts together with an electric mixer on low speed. Add the confectioner's sugar and mix until just smooth.

Once cool, place 1 cake layer on a plate (top side down) and spread with 1/3 of the frosting. Place the second layer on top (top side up) and frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. To decorate, sprinkle the top with coconut and lightly press more coconut onto the sides. Voila!