Coconut - Vanilla Cake with Coconut Buttercream Icing

Coconut Cake

1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup flour, sifted (or cake flour)
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon Kahlua
1 tsp coconut flavoring
1 3/2 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour pan/s. Cream sugar, butter, and eggs until smooth. Add Kahula, coconut flavoring and mix well, add flour small amount at a time until well incorporated. Add baking powder and mix well. (important to mix well)

Pour into baking pan/s and bake for until toothpick comes out clean or 30 mins.

Place aside and cool completely before frosting.

Coconut Buttercream

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 tsp coconut flavoring
2 tablespoons coconut milk
4 cups sifted powdered sugar (aprox. 1 lb)

Cream butter, shortening, and flavoring until smooth. Slowly add powdered sugar until incorporated and looks like cornmeal. Add coconut milk and blend until smooth and medium peaks form. Chill for 30 min before frosting.

Carmel Strawberry Upside-Down Cake

Carmel Strawberries:

• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 2 tsp of cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 container of ripe strawberries (about 1 lb)

Cake:

• 3 cups cake flower, plus more for pan
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 ¼ cups sugar
• 5 lg eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 ¼ cups of whole buttermilk

Whipped Cream Frosting:

• 3 cups of whipping cream
• ½ cup of sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla

Directions: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 inch pan, line bottom with parchment paper and brush paper with butter.

Carmel Peaches: Combine the sugar, corn syrup, cinnamon in a medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to high and cook without stirring until the mixture become an amber caramel, about 5 mins. Pour the carmel into the prepared pan and set aside to cool.

Remove green from strawberries and half. Arrange the strawberries into concentric circles in the pan. Set aside while you make the cake batter.

Cake: In a large bowl, beat 1 cup butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add the sugar, beating until fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla and set aside.

In a small bowl, add the 3 cups of flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine. Add the flour mixture into the egg mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

Pour mixture over strawberries and syrup in pan. Place in middle of oven for 40 mins or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.

Frosting: Whip whipping cream, while whipping add vanilla and sugar slowly. Whip until stiff peaks.

To assemble cake: carefully arrange 1 cake layer, strawberry side up, on a cake plate. Carefully stack the remaining cake layer, strawberry side up, over the first layer. Frost the cake with whipped cream frosting.