Coconut Cake with Whipped Frosting (and My First Trip to Disneyland!)

Step 1

To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease an 8-inch square baking pan (I even add a little square of greased parchment at the bottom). In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the butter and water to a boil. In the meantime, in a separate large bowl, whisk together the cake flour and sugar before adding the egg , sour cream, coconut extract, vanilla extract, almond extract, baking soda, and salt. Mix to combine. While mixing, slowly pour in the boiling butter and water mixture. Mix to combine completely. Your batter will be very runny. Pour the batter into your prepared pan.

Step 2

Bake at 375 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in several places comes out with a few moist crumbs. Poke holes in the cake with the tines of a fork and pour the coconut milk evenly over the top. Cool completely (I stick mine in the fridge).

Step 3

To make the frosting: Heat the milk, flour, and granulated sugar together over medium heat, whisking constantly. Once it starts to boil, continue whisking and heating it for around 7 minutes or until it’s very thick, like cake batter consistency. Remove the mixture from the heat and add the vanilla and coconut extract.

Step 4

Remove the mixture to a shallow pan and let the mixture cool completely (I stick mine in the fridge to hurry it along, and stir it now and then). Once the mixture is completely cool (no really, it's got to be COMPLETELY cool), beat the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer until soft and fluffy. Add the completely cooled mixture and beat on high until you have fluffy frosting the consistency of stiff whipped cream (this takes several minutes, so be patient). Beat in shredded coconut. Frost your completely cooled cake with a thick layer. Top with extra coconut if you desire.