Coconut Layer Cake

• • Ingredients:
  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
  • 2 1/2 cups plain (all-purpose) flour 
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 2 large eggs, plus 3 large egg yolks (reserve whites for frosting)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon coconut essence

• Frosting

  • Seven-Minute Frosting (See Below)

Directions

Preheat oven to 175 deg C (350 degrees F). Butter two 9-inch round cake pans. Line bottom of pans with baking paper rounds.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and coconut essence. Add flour mixture in three additions, alternately with milk in two, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until just combined.

Divide evenly between prepared pans. Place pans next to each other in oven; cook until a toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

Cool in pans 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges; invert cakes onto a rack. Peel off parchment; reinvert and let cool completely before assembling.

Assemble the cake: Sandwich cake layers together with a small amount of frosting. Cover cake with remaining frosting. Use blow torch to brown frosting.