Strawberry Coconut Cake

By Driscoll's, The Daily Meal

This cake recipe highlights strawberries in their truest form by layering them with a thick, sweet frosting and moist yellow cake made from coconut milk.

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Ingredients

For the cake

• 3 Cups cake flour (not self-rising)
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1 Teaspoon salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 Cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 1/2 Cup whole milk
• 1 Cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature
• 1 1/2 Cup granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 Cup sweetened, shredded coconut

For the frosting

• 12 Ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
• 10 Tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 Cups confectioners' sugar

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For the filling and topping

• 3 Cups strawberries, 2 cups chopped and 1 cup sliced lengthwise
• 2/3 Cups toasted, shredded coconut

Directions

For the cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease bottoms and sides of two 9-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms of each pan with a round of parchment paper. Grease paper and dust each pan with flour, tapping out excess. Set aside.

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda into a large bowl. Set aside. Combine milk and coconut milk. Set aside. Beat butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, with mixer on low speed, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Add vanilla. Alternately add flour mixture and milk mixture in several additions, starting and ending with flour mixture, mixing just until combined. Stir in shredded coconut.

Spread batter into cake pans and bake 40 minutes or until golden and cake tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean. Cool on wire rack 10 minutes. Invert to cool completely.
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For the frosting

Beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla with an electric mixer until blended. Add confectioners' sugar and mix on low until combined.

For the filling and topping

Place one cake layer on a cake plate or stand. If cakes have rounded top, gently trim with serrated knife to make flat. Spread a thin layer of frosting on cake layer and top with chopped strawberries, pressing to flatten and help strawberries stay in place. Place other cake layer on strawberries, with flat side up and press down gently to secure. Frost top and sides of cake with remaining frosting. Press toasted coconut evenly on sides of cake and top with concentric circles of sliced strawberries. If not serving cake immediately, refrigerate until ready.