Coconut Cream Cake with Marshmallow Frosting

This weekend seemed a very long one, not just because Daylight Savings Time ended today but also due to all the activities my family did -- we were quite busy and I am tired! Friday, of course was Halloween and we got an early start. My husband and I took the kids to see Diavolo, a Los Angeles-based modern dance group that performs all over the country. They are a dynamic group of dancers that uses gymnastics and acrobatic movements. We got invited to their school concert program, an outreach to show kids the importance of dance. The group uses everyday objects like doors and ladders as props. There was a lot of leaping and jumping so they also taught the value of teamwork and trust (you need to trust your partner will catch you when you go leaping off the top of a ladder!). Our kids enjoyed the show very much so first thing my husband told me after the show was to hide the ladder! LOL

After lunch, husband and I got to start our kids' costumes. This year, we decided not to buy their Halloween costumes because they seem wasteful and we're trying to save money. Besides, homemade costumes tend to have more personality. Yeah, I know we we're pushing it. What can I say, we work well under pressure! :) The kids wanted to dress up as Transformers but were just as happy to dress up as "robots" using cardboard boxes painted in metallic colors. (My second kid tried on his costume and started flailing his arms. When I asked him what he was doing, he said he's waiting to transform into a car -- how adorable was that?) Finished the costumes just in time for a quick supper of BBQ Pork Fried and off we went trick or treating. My kids got plenty of compliments and someone even took their picture so my oldest was especially pleased. Desert for Halloween night was their candy loot; I had them eat five candies each. I think. I might have lost count since I was busy munching candies myself. So what about the cake, you say. Well, yesterday was my husband's birthday. He only had two requests for his special cake: Coconut and Marshmallow. Since I just got a new cookbook, I thought I would use the book's recipe for Southern Coconut Cake. I adapted the cake batter recipe and realized while the cakes are baking that I used coconut cream instead of milk. Hence, this cake will be named Coconut Cream Cake. I also reduced the sugar a little bit to 2 cups (instead of 2 & 1/3 cups) since the frosting will be very sweet.

Don't forget to make a wish, Darling.

The preparation for the cake was a little different. There was no need to cream the butter and sugar. So I'm not sure if that is the reason that the cake was not as fluffy or high as I expected them to be. (The cake layer was only about an inch high.) Or maybe, the extra fat in the coconut cream is the culprit. In any rate, it came out delicious and really moist. The cake was even better the next day; more flavorful and still moist which made me think I should have baked the cake the day before.

Coconut Cream Cake
adapted from Sky High: Irresistable Triple-Layer Cakes

5 egg whites
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups cake flour
4 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
8 oz unsalted butter, room temp.
1 cup unsweetened coconut cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter bottoms of 3 8-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper and butter the paper.
2. Put egg whites in bowl and whisk. Add the milk and vanilla and whisk until well-combined; set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients and whisk together. With mixer on low, beat again to mix well, making sure to break up any lumps. Add the butter and coconut milk (mixer still on low) and beat to combine. Raise mixer speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
4. Add the egg white mixture in 3 additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl and mixing it long enough to incorporate between each additions. Divide batter among the pans.
5. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Then turn out onto cooling racks to cool completely.

Marshmallow Frosting recipe from Taste and Tell

My oldest son (the goofy one) who wanted cake for breakfast.