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How is it possible that it’s already Day 6 of the Twelve Days of Pound Cake Holiday Event?
Family, when they say time flies…
Today’s cake is an homage to a woman who adopted me as her own in 2002, when my life looked entirely different than it does now. I was nothing but an unfocused ball of energy and potential at that point, and she lovingly embraced me as I was.
I met her on Thanksgiving Day that year. I didn’t know then what she would become to me, and what we would become to each other, but looking back at the last nineteen years that we’ve shared as family, my heart is so full of gratitude and love that my eyes well up with tears.
This one is for my Mother-in-Law (my Mom). Who LOVES coconut cake. For whom I’ve made every iteration of coconut cake. She even gave me my first stand mixer! (You can read that story here.)
This one is hers. It was developed for her. My whole heart (and every bit of my baking science knowledge) went into this cake for her, and I can’t wait to serve it to her this holiday season.
You’re getting a piece of my heart with this recipe today, Family. I hope you love it.
Beginners Start Here
If youโre new to baking, or if your stand mixer is covered in dust, here are a couple of articles from the BwB site that will help you get off to a great start with this recipe!
- Meet Your Kitchen BFFโYour Digital Kitchen Scale!
- Technique Tips for the Best Pound Cakes (& Big News!)
- How to Cream Butter and Sugar (With New Video!)
- Baking 101: How to Measure Ingredients
- The Best Tools for Perfect Pound Cakes
- Knowing When to Stop a Technique
These resources are never mandatory reading, but they are super useful to help you understand the techniques that youโll need to successfully execute this amazing cake. Happy Reading!
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Important Tools Used in this Recipe
Below, youโll find some tools that I used for this pound cake, as well as all of the pound cakes in this event. Theyโre what I use in my kitchen for just about everything that I bake. **I get paid a small commission if you purchase directly from some of these links, but they are truly amazing products that youโll find in my kitchen.**
If you have them already, great! Think of this as a checklist to help you build the confidence that youโll need to execute this recipe!
- Oven Thermometer
- Digital Food Scale
- KitchenAid Hand Mixer
- KitchenAid Stand Mixer (not an affiliate link)
- Nordic Ware Fleur de Lis Bundt Pan
- Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl Set
- OXO Spatula Set
- Sifter
Without further ado (my heart is about to burst), we are onto the recipe!
PrintCoconut Meringue Pound Cake
This homage to my loving Mother-in-Law is now yours.ย It’s a stunningly beautiful cake that will capture coconut lovers’ hearts.
- Total Time: ~5-7 hours
- Yield: 14 servings 1x
Ingredients
For the Batter:
- 384 g flour, plus two tablespoons for greasing the pan
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 85 g (1 c) shredded coconut
- 230 g butter, plus two tablespoons for greasing the pan
- 500 g sugar
- 6 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp coconut extract
- 1 cup coconut milk (canned, well shaken)
For the Simple Syrup:
- 1/3 c water
- 1/3 c sugar
- 1 tsp coconut extract
For the Meringue Topping:
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 3 large egg whites
Instructions
To Make the Batter with a Stand Mixer:
- Preheat oven to 325ยฐF.ย Itโs highly recommended to use an oven thermometer for this recipe, since proper oven temperature will impact the outcome of your cake.
- Combine the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl.
- Sift the flour mixture into another medium bowl.ย Add kosher salt and shredded coconut to the flour mix and whisk to combine.
- Place the room temperature butter in the bowl of your stand mixer.ย Mix on low speed until smooth.ย (30 seconds)
- Slowly add the granulated sugar and mix on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy.ย (5-10 minutes)
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing for at least 45 seconds after each addition.ย Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed (I usually scrape the bowl after the third and sixth egg).ย Donโt skimp on this step because this cake is quite delicate and proper creaming helps tremendously with cake rise!ย (7 minutes)
- Add vanilla extract and coconut extract and mix until thoroughly combined.ย (1 minute)
- Add half of the flour/coconut mixture and mix on low speed until combined.ย (30-45 seconds)
- With the mixer on the lowest speed, add all of the coconut milk and mix until just combined.ย (~1 minute). The mixture might look a little curdled at that point and thatโs okay!
- Add the second half of the flour/coconut mixture and mix on low speed until almost combined.ย Stop mixing just before the batter is fully together.ย (~1 minute)
- Using a rubber spatula, fully scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl.ย Then, stir the batter until it is smooth and consistent.ย Make sure to fully scrape the bottom of the bowl during this step!
- Grease a 10-12 cup bundt pan with the remaining butter and flour and place the batter in the pan.
To Make the Batter with a Hand Mixer:
- Preheat oven to 325ยฐF.ย Itโs highly recommended to use an oven thermometer for this recipe, since proper oven temperature will impact the outcome of your cake.
- Combine the flour and baking powder medium bowl.
- Sift the flour mixture into another medium bowl.ย Add kosher salt and shredded coconut to the flour mix and whisk to combine.
- Place the room temperature butter in a large mixing bowl.ย Mix on low speed until smooth.ย (~1 minute)
- Add half of the sugar and mix until the sugar is just incorporated.ย (~30 seconds)
- Add the second half of the sugar and mix on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy.ย (7-12 minutes)
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing for at least 1 minute after each addition.ย Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed (I usually scrape the bowl after the third and sixth egg).ย Donโt skimp on this step because this cake is quite delicate and proper creaming helps tremendously with cake rise!ย (7 minutes)
- Add vanilla extract and coconut extract and mix until thoroughly combined.ย (1 minute)
- Add half of the flour/coconut mixture and mix on low speed until combined.ย (30-45 seconds)
- Add all of the coconut milk and mix on lowest speed until just combined.ย (~1 minute).ย The mixture might look a little curdled at this point and thatโs okay!
- Add the second half of the flour/coconut mixture and mix on low speed until almost combined.ย Stop mixing just before the batter is fully together.ย (1-2 minutes)
- Using a rubber spatula, fully scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl.ย Then, mix the batter until it is smooth and consistent.ย Make sure to fully scrape the bottom of the bowl!
- Grease a 10-12 cup bundt pan with the remaining butter and flour and place the batter in the pan.
To Bake the Cake:
- Bake the cake at a true 325ยฐF for 55-65 minutes, or until an instant read thermometer reads 210ยฐF-215ยฐF.ย My preferred internal temperature for this cake is 212ยฐF.ย Alternately, the cake is done with a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and a fingerprint indentation bounces back.
- Allow the cake to rest for ten minutes while you make the simple syrup.
To Make the Coconut Simple Syrup:
- Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.ย Stir occasionally until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Remove the simple syrup from the heat and add coconut extract. Stir until incorporated.
- After allowing the cake to rest for ten minutes, invert it onto a cooling rack and carefully remove the bundt pan.
- Using a pastry brush, gently brush the coconut simple syrup over the entire cake.
- Allow the cake to cool completely.ย (3-5 hours)
To Make the Meringue:
- Bring 2โ of water to a low boil in a large (3 qt.) sauce pan.
- Carefully separate three eggs, placing them In a clean metal bowl (either a stand mixer or large stainless steel bowl).ย Add sugar and stir to combine.
- Place metal bowl over the top of the sauce pan while the water is still boiling.ย Whisk the egg white mixture over the sauce pan until all of the sugar is completely dissolved.ย (~3 minutes)
- Remove the metal bowl from the stove.ย Using the whisk attachment on either your hand mixer or your stand mixer, whisk the mixture on lowest speed until it is nearly opaque.ย (~1-2 minutes)
- Increase the mixer to medium speed until the mixture begins to look light and fluffy.ย (~4 minutes for stand mixer; ~5-6 minutes for hand mixer)
- Increase the mixer to highest speed until the meringue is done.ย To check the meringue, remove the whisk attachment from the mixture and invert it.ย If the meringue slowly folds down over the whisk attachment, itโs complete.
- Using an offset spatula, quickly spread the meringue over the cooled cake.ย If desired, use a butane torch to toast the meringue.
To Store:
This cake can remain on a countertop overnight, or it can be stored in a refrigerator for up to a week.
Notes
- An oven thermometer is strongly recommended to make sure that your oven reaches the correct temperature.
- It is also strongly recommended to use a digital food scale to measure ingredients using metric measurement. It will seriously make your baking so much easier!
- This recipe can be halved for a loaf pan or a 6-cup bundt pan.
- Make sure you take your time to cream the butter and sugar on the front end!ย Once you add your flour mixture, you have to mix gently in order to avoid over-mixing.
- This is a big bundt cake.ย I recommend placing a sheet pan underneath this cake while it bakes for extra insurance.
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Inactive Time: 3-5 hours
- Cook Time: 55-65 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 529
- Sugar: 57.6 g
- Sodium: 230.1 mg
- Fat: 21.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 79.7 g
- Protein: 6.9 g
- Cholesterol: 115 mg
I seriously can’t believe that we’re halfway through our twelve day event! I truly hope that you’re loving it so far, and that you’ve seen some of your favorites!
I love you Mom. ??
See you all tomorrow!