Coconut Cake Recipe
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/3 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 cup whole milk at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened desiccated coconut
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 10- by 2-inch round cake pan and line bottom with a round of wax paper or parchment. Grease paper and dust pan with flour, knocking out excess.
- Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Beat butter with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually beat in sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Add vanilla, then beat in eggs, 1 at a time. (Mixture may look curdled.)
- Alternately beat in flour mixture and milk in 3 batches on low speed. Increase speed to medium and beat batter 1 1/2 minutes, or until smooth. Fold in coconut.
- Spoon batter into cake pan and spread evenly.
- Bake cake in middle of oven until golden brown and a tester comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 1 hour, then invert onto rack. Remove paper and reinvert onto another rack to cool completely.
