Coffee and coconut are both important ingredients in South American cuisine. They also happen to be my daughter's two favorite flavors, so she suggested that I combine them for her birthday cake this year. The result was quite successful. The yellow cake has a touch of coconut flavoring, and the filling is dulce de leche (the same one that goes into these chocolate dulce de leche whoopie pies ) with sweetened dried coconut. The frosting is rich coffee buttercream.
Ingredients:
- For the cake:
- 1 yellow cake mix
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon coconut flavoring
- 1/2 cup melted coffee ice cream
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 4 eggs
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- For the filling:
- 1 cup marshmallow cream
- 1/2 cup dulce de leche
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
- 1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
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- For the frosting:
- 1-2 tablespoons instant coffee
- 1 tablespoon hot water
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons cream
- 4-4 1/2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
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- Extra flaked coconut for decoration (optional)
Preparation:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter 2 9-inch cake pans and line bottom of pans with a circle of wax paper or parchment.
- Place the cake mix in large mixing bowl with the sour cream, vegetable oil, melted ice cream, brown sugar, eggs, and coconut flavoring, and mix well.
- Divide cake batter between the two cake pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean.
- Let cakes cool completely, then flip out of the pans.
- Make the filling: Beat the vegetable shortening, dulce de leche, and marshmallow cream until smooth. Slowly beat in the vanilla, cinnamon and powdered sugar. Separate 1/2 cup of the filling and set aside. Stir the coconut into the remaining filling.
- Place one cake layer on a plate, and spread the coconut filling mixture over the top. Place the second cake layer on top of the filling.
- Make the frosting: Dissolve the instant coffee in the hot water.
- Beat the butter until fluffy. Gradually beat in the 1/2 cup reserved filling, cream, vanilla, coffee mixture and 4 cups confectioners sugar. Beat until fluffy and smooth, adding more confectioners sugar if icing is too soft, or a little bit more cream if it's too stiff.
- Spread the frosting over the sides and top of the cake. Press flaked coconut around the sides of the cake if desired.
