Italian Wedding Cake – with Coconut

Pound cake got it’s name from roughly having a pound each of flour, sugar, eggs, and butter. This Italian recipe is not only a good choice for weddings (if you like coconut), but makes a dessert to serve with coffee. This version is not near as sweet as my French Pound Cake recipe and calls for baking powder so you don’t need cake flour.

Ingredients

  • Cake
    • 2 cups Flour (bread, or all purpose flour in that order)
    • 1 cup Sugar
    • 6 oz Unsalted butter (2 cups)
    • 8 oz Full fat coconut milk
    • 4 Eggs
    • 4 tsp Baking powder
    • 2 tsp Coconut extract
  • Frosting
    • 16 oz Heavy cream – chilled
    • 8 oz Mascarpone or cream cheese
    • 4 oz Coconut milk – fat solids
    • 1 cup Powdered sugar
    • 1 tsp Coconut extract
  • Extras
    • 1 cup toasted coconut
    • 4 oz Coconut milk – for soaking layers

Process

  1. Mise en Place: Measure and prepare your ingredients in advance.
  2. Make Cake
    1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
    2. Line two 8″ rounds with paper and generously grease the sides.
    3. Cream butter and sugar in a stand mixer until fluffy (speed at #4).
    4. Add coconut extract.
    5. Add in one egg per time waiting until incorporated.
    6. Pour in coconut milk.
    7. In separate bowl, sift flour and baking powder.
    8. With speed at #1, and add flour in 1/4 cup increments until incorporated.
    9. Spread batter into pan/mold and bake 60-75mins or until skewer is clean.
    10. Allow to cool 20 mins in pan/mold then invert onto cooling rack.
    11. Do not frost until completely cooled, which will take a while.
    12. Divide batter between pans and bake ~30 mins.
    13. Cool completely on rack, then slice in half so you have four layers.
  3. Toast Coconut
    1. Spread coconut on pan and put in oven at 350 F.
    2. Toss every 2 mins until golden brown.
    3. Let cool on plate.
  4. Make Frosting
    1. Cream together the mascarpone, coconut fat solids, and coconut extract until smooth and creamy
    2. In separate bowl, whisk heavy cream and powdered sugar on high speed 4 mins., until peaks are stiff.
    3. Add cheese to cream and whisk high for 30 sec until stiff.
    4. Transfer 2 cups to pastry bag – use a star 4F or French Tip 4F.
  5. Assemble Cake
    1. Put base layer on serving tray and soak generously with coconut milk (same technique as used in Tiramisso).
    2. Frost the top of base layer.
    3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for other cake layers
    4. Frost top and sides of assemble cake.
    5. Pope dollops of cream on top and garnish with toasted coconut
    6. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
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