Hubs' birthday was on Monday. Since we were out the whole day (and night) on Sunday, I had to wake up slightly earlier on Monday to bake him his birthday cake.
He loves coconut, so I thought I should try to make him a cake with coconut milk; and found this Southen (Manhattan) Coconut Cake recipe in the latest book I purchased, Rose's Heavenly Cakes by Rose Levy Beranbaum.
Rose's way of preparing the batter is very much different from the conventional method I'm used to. Instead of beating the butter and the sugar first, she uses two-stage mixing technique (Step 4, 5, 6 in the attached recipe), which results in a finer and more velvety crumbs.
Her cakes (2nd time I'd followed her technique and recipes from her book) do feel very light and spongy, which is different from the 'grainy' cakes that I'm used to. It taste very much like the sponge cake you get from the shops.
Unlike most other American cook book authors, Rose has been very considerate in puting all her measurement in US measurement as well as its equavalent in metrics, which I find extremely useful. Save me all the hassle of doing the conversion myself.
There was also an accompanying frosting for the cake, but since it's a work day for me, and the steps and ingredients were more than 3, I didn't have time to make it, and just left it plain.
♥Recipe for Southern (Manhattan) Coconut Cake♥
Adapted from Rose's Heavenly Cakes by Rose Levy Beranbaum
Make 1 9inch cake
You'll need :
(the measurement is a bit odd because the original recipe calls for making 2 9 inch cakes so the frosting can be sandwitched and applied all around. Since I wasn't going to make any frosting, I only baked 1 cake and cut half all the measurements)
3 large egg whites
164g coconut milk
3/4 tsp pure vanilla extra
3/4 tsp coconut extract (I didn't put this since I had none)
200g cake flour
200g superfine sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
114g unsalted butter
Method
1) Line and grease 9 inch cake pan
2) Preheat oven to 175 C
4) Mix the liquid ingredients - in a medium bowl, whisk the egg whites, 1/4 cup of the coconut milk, the vanilla, and coconut extract just until lightly combined
5) Use a standmixer attached with flat beater, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt for low speed for 30s. Add the butter and the remaining coconut milk. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Raise the speed to medium and beat for 1 1/2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
6) Starting on medium low speed, gradually add the egg white mixure in 3 parts, beating on medium speed for 20s after each addition to incorporate the ingredients and stregthen the structure.
7) Scrape the batter into prepared pan, and smooth the surfaces evenly.
8 ) Bake the cake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a wire cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
9) Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10mins, then invert the cake onto wire rack to cool completely.
My 3 years old asked me, "Why you didn't put cream on Daddy's cake? Why you didn't make him any handy manny things?" (As hubs is the Handy Manny in our house).
Maybe next year, when I have more time, I'll put some decorations.
Hubs was smiling ear to ear when the girls sang him Happy Birthday song in their sweetest voice.
Maybe because I didn't use fresh coconut milk (the recipe actually calls for 'canned' coconut milk) but used coconut milk in a carton instead, and nor did I put in any coconut essence (since I don't have any), the cake just tasted like a very light sponge cake with no coconut milk fragrance. If I were to make it again, I'll definitely use fresh coconut milk.
The girls and hubs do like the cake very much. That's all that matters.
He loves coconut, so I thought I should try to make him a cake with coconut milk; and found this Southen (Manhattan) Coconut Cake recipe in the latest book I purchased, Rose's Heavenly Cakes by Rose Levy Beranbaum.
Rose's way of preparing the batter is very much different from the conventional method I'm used to. Instead of beating the butter and the sugar first, she uses two-stage mixing technique (Step 4, 5, 6 in the attached recipe), which results in a finer and more velvety crumbs.
Her cakes (2nd time I'd followed her technique and recipes from her book) do feel very light and spongy, which is different from the 'grainy' cakes that I'm used to. It taste very much like the sponge cake you get from the shops.
Unlike most other American cook book authors, Rose has been very considerate in puting all her measurement in US measurement as well as its equavalent in metrics, which I find extremely useful. Save me all the hassle of doing the conversion myself.
There was also an accompanying frosting for the cake, but since it's a work day for me, and the steps and ingredients were more than 3, I didn't have time to make it, and just left it plain.
♥Recipe for Southern (Manhattan) Coconut Cake♥Adapted from Rose's Heavenly Cakes by Rose Levy Beranbaum
Make 1 9inch cake
You'll need :
(the measurement is a bit odd because the original recipe calls for making 2 9 inch cakes so the frosting can be sandwitched and applied all around. Since I wasn't going to make any frosting, I only baked 1 cake and cut half all the measurements)
3 large egg whites
164g coconut milk
3/4 tsp pure vanilla extra
3/4 tsp coconut extract (I didn't put this since I had none)
200g cake flour
200g superfine sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
114g unsalted butter
Method
1) Line and grease 9 inch cake pan
2) Preheat oven to 175 C
4) Mix the liquid ingredients - in a medium bowl, whisk the egg whites, 1/4 cup of the coconut milk, the vanilla, and coconut extract just until lightly combined
5) Use a standmixer attached with flat beater, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt for low speed for 30s. Add the butter and the remaining coconut milk. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Raise the speed to medium and beat for 1 1/2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
6) Starting on medium low speed, gradually add the egg white mixure in 3 parts, beating on medium speed for 20s after each addition to incorporate the ingredients and stregthen the structure.
7) Scrape the batter into prepared pan, and smooth the surfaces evenly.
8 ) Bake the cake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a wire cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
9) Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10mins, then invert the cake onto wire rack to cool completely.
My 3 years old asked me, "Why you didn't put cream on Daddy's cake? Why you didn't make him any handy manny things?" (As hubs is the Handy Manny in our house).
Maybe next year, when I have more time, I'll put some decorations.
Hubs was smiling ear to ear when the girls sang him Happy Birthday song in their sweetest voice.
Maybe because I didn't use fresh coconut milk (the recipe actually calls for 'canned' coconut milk) but used coconut milk in a carton instead, and nor did I put in any coconut essence (since I don't have any), the cake just tasted like a very light sponge cake with no coconut milk fragrance. If I were to make it again, I'll definitely use fresh coconut milk.
The girls and hubs do like the cake very much. That's all that matters.
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