This mile high pound cake is inspired by grandma's old fashioned layered coconut cake. It's a soft, fluffy cake with 7-minute boiled frosting and covered in fresh coconut.
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 cups granulated sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
10 large eggs, room temperature
4 1/2 cups cake flour or White Lily All Purpose Flour
1 1/3 cups buttermilk, room temperature
7 minute frosting (recipe below)
14 oz frozen grated coconut, thawed
Preheat oven to 300°F. Prepare Old Country Kitchenware square tube pan by fitting a parchment paper square between the two pieces and brushing with pan coat. Beat butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until pale, light and fluffy (about 6 minutes at medium speed). Add extract, salt, and 1/2 cup flour, beat until combined. Add 1 egg and beat until fully incorporated. Repeat with each egg, beating well after each addition. Add 2 cups of flour, beating until it just disappears. Slowly drizzle in half the buttermilk with the mixer running on low. Beat in the rest of the flour, then drizzle in the remaining buttermilk. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl and beat for another 15 seconds. Pour batter into prepared tube pan and gently shake to settle the batter. Place on middle rack of oven with a baking sheet on the rack below it to catch any drips. Bake 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 hours or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool until the pan is cool enough to handle. To unmold, place it over a metal can and push down to remove the outer piece. Once the tube is cool enough to touch for 4 seconds, lift or turn the cake out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Cover with frosting and press on grated coconut.
Note: serve as soon as possible, the frosting will hold for about 24 hours before it starts to dissolve.
7 minute boiled frosting
5 egg whites
1 2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Place egg whites, cream of tartar, and sugar into a medium heatproof bowl and whisk to combine. Place bowl over a pot with 2" of simmering water set to medium low and beat with a hand mixer until egg whites are glossy and form stiff peaks (about 7 minutes). Whisk in vanilla extract.
Note: If you don’t have a hand mixer, stir egg white mixture over double boiler constantly with a whisk until the mixture is hot, no longer grainy to the touch, and reads 160F on a candy thermometer (about 2-3 mins). Then transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk until stiff peaks form.
