2 1/4 cups cake flour (9 ounces)
1 Tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cups sugar
12 Tbsp. butter
3 large eggs
1 cup light coconut milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. coconut extract
Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating well and scraping the bowl in between. Mix until fluffy. Add extracts and mix well.
Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well or sift.
Alternate adding flour mixture and coconut milk to the batter, mixing well after each addition.
Pour into two prepared 9″ cake pans. Bake at 325 degrees F for 30 minutes.
Cool in pans on a rack for 5 minutes before removing cake from pans. Cool completely before storing or frosting.
Coconut Imbibing Syrup
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. coconut extract
Mix together; bring to a boil, then cool and store in refrigerator until needed.
Coconut Fluff Frosting
4 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1 pound butter
1/4 cup imbibing syrup (see above)
1 tsp. coconut extract
1 tsp. vanilla extract
8 or more ounces sweetened shredded coconut
Beat egg whites and sugar together over hot water until the mixture reads at 140 on an instant read thermometer.
Beat egg whites at high speed on a stand mixer for about 7 minutes, until it is about 80 degrees.
Cut butter into pieces, about 6 per 1/4 pound stick. Add butter to egg whites 1 piece at a time and mix at medium speed.
Add imbibing syrup and extracts and mix well.
To assemble the cake
Lay one layer on a cake plate. Brush or drizzle with 1/4 cup imbibing syrup. Frost layer about 3/8 inch thick. Sprinkle with shredded coconut.
Repeat layers. After imbibing the final layer, frost sides first, then the top. Press coconut over top and sides of cake.
Store in refrigerator, but bring the cake to room temperature before serving.