spiced coconut cake

i love little cakes. instant portion control, kind of.

it at least deters Justin and i from inhaling copious amounts of sweets in one or two sittings.

i had originally made this cake to bring with me to my my Pepe's 75th birthday.

but then Justin came home and was all "awww you made me a cake, you are the sweetest" -after that, the cake became "his". he is a good sharer so in the end it became "ours".

this was sort of  an experimental cake. i have had a can of cream of coconut sitting in my cupboard for forever and a day - i thought, why not put it to use by way of cake.

please excuse the awkward looking cake rounds, i was totally being lazy and did not cut my parchment paper in to nice little rounds....yep, next time i will take the extra 2 minutes to do so.

a few tablespoons of cream of coconut are put aside and used in the frosting.coconut flakes are toasted - i absolutely adore toasted coconut

frosting is sandwiched between the 2 layers of cake
Justin declared that he likes a little less frosting on his cakes - so feel free to frost to your liking. next time around i will only frost between the 2 layers and the top of the cake, leaving the sides naked.

the cake is then topped with toasted coconut

cinnamon and garam masala are two spices that worked really well with the coconut flavor base - feel free to experiment with your own spice combo.

we all need a little coconut in our lives

Spiced Coconut Cake

makes 1 - 8" cake or 2 -6" cakes

you will need:

1 1/2 cups spelt flour

2 tsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp good cinnamon

1/2 tsp garam masala

(1) 15oz can cream of coconut - reserving 2 tbsp for frosting

3 - 3 /12 cups powdered sugar

3 tbsp vegan butter

3-4 tbsp almond milk

1/2 cup coconut flakes, toasted

assembly:

pre heat oven to 350*

line cake pan(s) with greased parchment paper - bottoms and sides

in a medium sift all dry ingredients

stir in cream of coconut, reserving 2 tablespoons for frosting

divide batter equally between the 2 - 6" cake pans, tap pans on the counter to remove any air bubble

place pans on a rimmed baking sheet and bake  for 20 - 25 minutes until a cake tester comes out with a few moist crumbs when tested in the center of each cake

remove from oven, allow to fully cool on a wire rack before removing from pans

frosting. in a bowl of a stand mixer fitter with the paddle attachment combine vegan butter & powdered sugar - on the stir speed, mix until butter is incorporated with powdered sugar. add cream of coconut and almond milk a tablespoon at a time, increase speed to medium, continue adding almond milk until desired frosting consistency is achieved.

toast coconut flakes in a non stick pan over medium heat until toasty brown and fragrant - set aside.

once cakes have fully cooled, remove from pans. place one cake half on your serving platter and frost the top - add the second cake layer and continue frosting tops and sides (if frosting the sides). top with the toasted coconut.

enjoy!

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