When I’m stressed or feeling down or overwhelmed, I bake (desserts). When the COVID-19 lockdown began, I had the hardest time finding flour because everyone in America was baking bread and instagramming it. The only items left in baking aisles were pancake and box cake mixes. So, I grabbed a Pillsbury moist supreme cake mix and took it up 10 notches with other items leftover on shelves: coconut cream powder, coconut milk, and a seven-minute fluffy marshmallow-y frosting sprinkled with a generous amount of coconut flakes. The result is the fluffiest, creamiest, coconuttiest cake that satisfies the strongest quarantine sweet tooth. The frosting recipe is adapted from King Arthur Flour’s seven-minute frosting recipe; I just omitted cream of tartar because I didn’t have any on hand, and added coconut cream powder.
Recipe Information
Servings: 8-10
Time: 15 minute prep; 45 minutes baking/cooking
You will need: Hand mixer, medium bowl, 8 inch baking pan, rubber spatula, serrated knife
Ingredients
For the cake
- 1 box white cake mix (any brand will do; I used Pillsbury)
- 2 tbs coconut cream powder (available at Asian supermarkets or online)
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1 cup water
- Baking spray (or oil and flour)
- 1/2 cup coconut milk (full fat works best for this, but you can use any kind of coconut milk you like)
For the frosting (adapted from this Seven-Minute Frosting by King Arthur Flour)
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/3 cup cold water
- 2 large egg whites
- 2 tsp light corn syrup
- pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup coconut cream powder
- 3 cups sweetened coconut flakes
Directions
- Prepare box cake according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Mix 2 tbs coconut cream powder into the cake batter before pouring into the cake pan.
- Pour cake mix into oiled pan and bake according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- After baking, allow the cake to cool completely at room temperature.
- Remove cake from pan and cut in half horizontally using a serrated knife to create a two-layered cake.
- Pour 1/4 cup coconut milk onto each layer. Let the cake soak up the coconut milk while you prepare the frosting.
- Prepare a double boiler for the frosting. Fill a medium saucepan halfway with water and simmer over medium heat.
- While waiting for the water to come to a simmer, combine sugar, water, egg whites, corn syrup, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Mix with a hand mixer for 30 seconds.
- Set the bowl of frosting mix over the pot of simmering water. Make sure the bowl does not touch the water. Continue to beat the mixture with the hand mixer until stiff peaks form, about 7-9 minutes.
- Remove from heat and add 1/4 cup coconut cream powder. Beat with hand mixer until combined.
- Time to assemble the cake! Add about 1/2 cup frosting to one of the cake layers. Place the second layer on top of the first.
- Cover the cake with the remaining frosting.
- Cover entire cake with coconut flakes.
#boxcakehack #dessert #coconutcake #cheatday
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