Coconut Cake with Coconut Whipped Cream Frosting (เค้กมะพร้าวหน้าครีมกะทิ)

Please don't tell this cake, but the best part of it is the frosting. It is also the frosting which is the reason why I've decided to break the Thai recipe streak with this cake. I'll tell you more very soon why. For now, let's enjoy this cake which is as coconut-y as it gets.

I like my cake eggy and moist, so I use my favorite génoise recipe here with added unsweetened coconut flakes, but you can use any white or yellow cake recipe you want.

Coconut Cake with Coconut Whipped Cream Frosting (เค้กมะพร้าวหน้าครีมกะทิ)
Makes one frosted 8-inch cake
Printable Version

Cake:
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (310g) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (56g) butter, melted and brought to room temperature
1 cup (138g) all-purpose flour
1 cup (80g) very fine unsweetened dried coconut flakes
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1/4 cup coconut rum (optional)

Frosting:
3/4 cup (6 fluid ounces) heavy cream, cold
1/4 cup (78g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (50g) coconut milk powder

Garnish:
Extra coconut flakes (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line an 8-inch pan (with edges at least 2 inches tall) with a piece of parchment paper.

In a bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs until tripled in volume and light, adding 1/4 cup of the sugar to them at a time along the way.

With a rubber spatula, fold in the flour, salt, and coconut flakes alternately with the melted butter and coconut extract. Make sure everything is well blended.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 40-45 minutes.

Let the cake cool completely in the pan, unmold, and frost.

This is optional, but you can pump up the flavor of the cake by poking the warm cake (while it's still in the pan) with a bamboo skewer several times and pouring the coconut rum over it. Cover the cake and let it absorb the flavor of the rum for 5-6 hours or overnight (no need to refrigerate) before frosting it.

For the frosting, beat the three ingredients together until the cream forms stiff peaks. Frost the cake with it. Sprinkle more coconut flakes on top, if desired.