Coconut Pound Cake

Update: This has become one of my most popular blog posts of all time--and with good reason. I've never had a failed attempt at this cake yet. It is so delicious and fairly easy to make--the hardest part is waiting for at least 24 hours to eat it. Enjoy!

As promised, I am posting the recipe for you.

I got this recipe from my beautiful sister who got it from her husband's aunt. It is awesome (if you like coconut, which I do. Love it actually).

Moist, rich, dense, delicious. I am a huge pound cake fan and this did not disappoint. (Be warned: if you do not like rich desserts this cake is not for you.) The flavor develops more if you are able to wait to eat it for a day or two before enjoying.

I made this cake Saturday. I had a piece for breakfast this morning (don't tell) and it was even more delicious than it was on Sunday.

The original recipe calls for pecans in the icing and although I really love pecans I opted for some toasted coconut flakes instead. My husband is a little sensitive to them and I had already put them in the other cake I made and I didn't want to leave him out of dessert options.

So, without further ado, Aunt Sarah's Coconut Pound Cake

For the cake:

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

3 cups sugar

6 eggs

3 cups plain flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup coconut milk

1 (17 ounce*) can coconut in heavy syrup--this is also called Cream of Coconut (or Crema de Coco) and can be found in the international foods section of most grocery stores.  I bought Goya brand.

*It came in 15 oz. cans at our grocery store so I bought two cans and measured out the extra 2 oz. This probably isn't really necessary, but now I have most of a can of Crema de Coco in my fridge for making non-alcoholic pina coladas or coconut milkshakes. Mmmmm.

Grease and flour a bundt cake pan (I used a 10" tube pan). Set aside. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. While the oven is heating, make your batter.

Cream together the butter, shortening and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the salt, flavorings and coconut milk. Continue mixing stirring in one cup of flour at a time, occasionally scraping the sides of the bowl, until all the flour is incorporated. Now add the Cream of Coconut. Mix until well combined. Pour the batter into your prepared cake pan (this recipe makes a lot of batter so if you are using a smaller cake pan than I used, be careful not to overfill it) and bake in the preheated oven for one hour and thirty minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Mine took exactly one hour and thirty minutes and the cake was beautiful, golden, perfectly done and not dried out at all.

 

For the icing:

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1/4 teaspoon coconut extract

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 to 4 tablespoons coconut milk

1/2 finely chopped pecans (optional) OR

1/4 cup sweetened flake coconut, toasted (optional)

Icing: Mix the softened cream cheese with the sugar and extracts. Add coconut milk until this reaches a good consistency, to barely drip down the sides of the cake. I actually had to add a little more powdered sugar than what the recipe calls for. Stir in the nuts, if you are using them and pour/spread over the cooled cake. As I mentioned before, I omitted the nuts and instead sprinkled the coconut (which I had toasted in the oven under the broiler, watching it very carefully) over the top.  Pour/spread the icing over the cooled cake. You may want to do this on a rack with something beneath to catch the drips. 

Transfer your cake to a cake plate or serving plate and set aside for at least 24 hours. Trust me. It is worth the wait.

There you have it. I loved this cake so much that I think it may have to become a new Easter tradition at our house. 

 Do you like trying new things for the holidays or do you stick with tried and true recipes? I definitely have my holiday favorites but I love trying new things too. I have a bad habit of experimenting when company is coming--lucky for me my experiments usually turn out just fine.

Happy baking!

Today's poem: 

"Statement of Being" by Ezra Pound

I am a grave poetic hen
That lays poetic eggs
And to enhance my temperament
A little quiet begs.

We make the yolk philosophy,
True beauty the albumen.
And then gum on a shell of form
To make the screed sound human.

P.S. I'm linking up HERE.