Toasted Coconut Cake with Coconut Frosting and Mango Jelly

Toasted Coconut Cake with Coconut Frosting and Mango Jelly

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This layer cake is a tropical dream; a moist coconutty crumb generously slathered with a meringue-like coconut cream frosting and speckled with fresh mango.

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups flour
• 1 tablespoon coconut cream powder
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup raw cane sugar or coconut sugar
• 1/2 cup vegan or regular butter, or coconut oil, melted
• 1 cup canned full-fat coconut milk
• 1/2 cup coconut water
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon natural coconut extract (optional)

Mango Jelly

Coconut Cake

• 1 1/2 mangoes
• 1 teaspoon agar agar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Coconut Frosting

• 1 cup vegan or regular butter
• 1 cup coconut cream (chill can in fridge overnight)
• 3/4 cups vegan or regular cream cheese
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar, maple syrup, or honey (more to taste)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon natural coconut extract (optional)

Instructions

Coconut Cake

1. Preheat oven to 175°C.
2. If using regular butter, brown the butter and let it cool slightly.
3. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, coconut cream powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
4. In another mixing bowl combine the butter, coconut milk, coconut water, apple cider vinegar, vanilla extract, and coconut extract (if using). Make sure there aren’t any coconut milk solids.
5. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and using a rubber spatula, mix until just combined. Make sure not to over-mix.
6. Grease a 9 inch round cake tin with coconut oil, butter, or oil and thinly coat with desiccated coconut (what I did) or flour. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake in the oven for about 60 minutes. I suggest checking at 45 minutes with the toothpick test and keeping a close eye for the last few minutes, the time will vary slightly depending on your oven.
7. Your cake is ready! Let it cool before frosting.

Mango Jelly

1. Chop 1/2 mango into small cubes and set aside.
2. Peel and chop one whole mango and add fruit to a blender along with agar agar powder and vanilla. Blend until completely smooth.
3. Transfer mixture to a pan and bring to a boil, simmer for about 5 minutes on medium-low heat until it thickens slightly.
4. Allow the mango jelly to cool slightly before assembling the cake.

Coconut Frosting

1. Make sure all ingredients are room temperature. Cream butter until fluffy and slightly lighter in color, add the coconut cream, cream cheese, extracts, and sweetener and mix until emulsified.
2. If you have a problem with curdling, slightly heat your bowl au bain marie while mixing until it becomes smooth. The curdling happens when your ingredients aren’t all at room temperature.

Assembly

1. Slice your cake through the middle to create two rounds.
2. Place one round onto a plate and cover in frosting, making sure to create a barrier of frosting along the edges. Add the reserved mango cubes into the “crater” and pour the mango coulis over it (you’ll most likely be left with some extra which you can use for decorating the exterior of the cake later)
3. Place the second cake round on top and frost the entirety of the cake. Decorate with the remaining mango coulis (if it hardens by the time you get to this step, simply mix the jelly with a hand mixer until it becomes a smooth paste).

Notes

• If you’re avoiding gluten this recipe works just fine with a gluten-free flour mix.
• If you don’t have any coconut water on hand, use regular water instead.
• If you don’t have any vinegar I recommend using the same quantity of lemon juice instead.
• I generally prefer when cake isn’t too sweet, but if you’re looking for a sweeter baked good you can add up to 1/2 cup more sugar.
• If you don’t have coconut cream powder, you can use the same amount of milk powder instead, or pudding mix!