I love coconut cake, but I’ve had some issues trying to bake myself one for my past few birthdays. This year, my first try was fine but not great. Then, Toby had the brilliant idea of combining rainbow sprinkles with coconut.

 

It was the perfect birthday cake.

The cake itself is very light and tender, and the coconut and rainbow sprinkles make it pretty sweet. I used buttermilk instead of milk to balance it out a bit, and I tried to keep the frosting a bit more on the buttery side.

 

Cream cheese frosting might also be a good contrast with the sweet cake, if you’re so inclined. I like adding some coconut cream or cream of coconut to whatever frosting you make, too, just for some added tropical flavor.

 

Rainbow sprinkles are so wondrous — like edible sequins. Just seeing them makes me happier. Seriously: When I had a horribly depressing and stressful job, I covered my frozen yogurt in rainbow sprinkles nearly every day. It helped reduce my stabby-ness.

Doesn’t that just look like a party? And it’s not even complicated to make. So, bake your own ASAP. I promise it will make you smile.

Coconut rainbow cake (Makes a two-layer 9-inch round cake. Adapted from a King Arthur Flour white cake recipe)
Note: If you hate/are allergic to coconut, you can still make this as a funfetti cake. Just leave out the coconut ingredients
Cake
2 ¾ cups cake flour
1 2/3 cups sugar (use superfine sugar if you have it, but regular granulated is fine)
1 tablespoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
¾ cup (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 large egg whites
1 whole egg
1 cup buttermilk (lowfat is fine)
2 teaspoons real vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract/flavoring
1 cup sweetened flake coconut
scant 2/3 cup rainbow sprinkles (the kind you might put on ice cream – I found it in the baking aisle at the grocery store)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans (make sure they are at least 2 inches deep), then line the pans with parchment and grease the parchment.

Measure the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl, if using a hand-held electric mixer). Turn the mixer on low speed to blend. Add the soft butter and mix on medium speed for a few minutes, until the mixture looks like damp sand or turns into a paste.

Add the egg whites one at a time, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition, then add the whole egg and beat well to combine.

Whisk the buttermilk, vanilla and coconut extracts together in a small bowl or measuring cup, then add about 1/3 of that mixture to the batter, beat for a minute, add another 1/3 and beat for another minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the remaining buttermilk mixture and beat for a minute or two — until the batter is fluffy and well mixed.

Add the flaked coconut and rainbow sprinkles and beat or stir to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out without any wet batter on it (or the center bounces back when poked lightly with a finger).

Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool in the pans for about 5 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Coconut buttercream frosting
1 (14-ounce can) unsweetened coconut milk (if you have a can of coconut milk that’s separated or a brand that tends to separate, this is the time to use it)
3/4 cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
7 to 9 cups powdered/confectioners’ sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla (plus ½ teaspoon coconut extract/flavoring, if desired)

Place a clean, thin dish towel (preferably linen) over a bowl and fix the ends under bowl so towel does not fall into center (or set a strainer or colander over the bowl and line it with the towel). Open the can of coconut milk without shaking it. Pour the coconut milk onto the towel and let the coconut water drain until only thick coconut cream remains on top (this could take a few hours).

Note: If you don’t have the time or inclination to wait for the coconut water to drain, you can use a can of coconut cream instead OR just drain as much water out of the coconut milk as possible in the time you have, and then use what’s left in the frosting. Just don’t dump it all in at once, lest the frosting get too runny.

After coconut is ready, place the butter in a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium speed until the butter is light and fluffy.

Add the salt, vanilla and coconut flavoring (if using) and 2 cups of the powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Add the coconut cream (or just ¼ cup of the semi-drained coconut milk) and another cup of the powdered sugar and mix well.

Gradually add more powdered sugar, a cup at a time, stopping to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl occasionally and tasting as you go, until the frosting is a good consistency for spreading.

To assemble the cake:
Sweetened flake coconut
Rainbow nonpareils

Place one layer of the cake on a cake plate or cardboard cake circle, then spread a thick layer of frosting on top and sprinkle with some additional sweeted flake coconut. Place the second layer of cake on top and align the cake, then frost the top and sides of the cake.

Decorate with additional coconut and rainbow sprinkles/nonpareils. Store the cake, covered, in the fridge.