Coconut Praline' Cake

Coconut Praline' Cake

So Canon was bugging me all day about making a coconut cake with him.  This was our "please can I skip a nap and cook something with you" time together.  Sigh... now I could really use a nap!  (click on any photo to enlarge)

The Topping

The shaved coconut is the unsweetened kind - but the praline filling is so rich, that it was well balanced. To toast the coconut, just add to a pan and toast in the oven, shaking the pan every couple of minutes until you get the color you want. Keep a careful eye on it!

Shaved coconut, unsweetened

Toasted coconut shavings

The Filling
The filling is a variation of my mom's famous coconut filling (the reason I've had coconut cake almost every year for my birthday): a stick of butter, about 1 cup of sugar, a cup of canned evaporated milk, and a little vanilla .... cook on medium for a while. You are basically making a praline filling. Next, add shredded sweetened coconut and a good handful of chopped, toasted pecans. Cook for a while longer and remove to cool slightly. Spread filling between the layers of cake, reserving some for the top. I would typically never put a still-warm cake together, but for this cake, if you add the filling while the cake is still fairly warm it soaks into the cake, keeping the layers extra moist.  Yummm!

Making the praline filling

Everyone needs a good drink while you cook... Lemonade for Canon

The finished praline filling

Add the filling while the cake is still warm

Buttercream on the outside, toasted coconut pressed into it, topped with praline filling

Written Method:

The Topping

The shaved coconut is the unsweetened kind - but the praline filling is so rich, that it was well balanced. To toast the coconut, just add to a pan and toast in the oven, shaking the pan every couple of minutes until you get the color you want. Keep a careful eye on it!
The Filling
The filling is a variation of my mom's famous coconut filling (the reason I've had coconut cake almost every year for my birthday): a stick of butter, about 1 cup of sugar, a cup of canned evaporated milk, and a little vanilla .... cook on medium for a while. You are basically making a praline filling. Next, add shredded sweetened coconut and a good handful of chopped, toasted pecans. Cook for a while longer and remove to cool slightly. Spread filling between the layers of cake, reserving some for the top. I would typically never put a still-warm cake together, but for this cake, if you add the filling while the cake is still fairly warm it soaks into the cake, keeping the layers extra moist.  Yummm!

Add the filling while the cake is still warm

Buttercream on the outside, toasted coconut pressed into it, topped with praline filling



Would you like to see more recipes?  Please visit my Recipe Index for tons of ideas that you can make with/for you family.
Here are a few to pique your curiosity:

• Oven Baked Fajitas
•  

• Sesame Shrimp and Asparagus Stir Fry 

• Crock Pot Beef and Broccoli