Coconut Cream Cake

It's my hubby's birthday and this is the cake I made for him.
This cake is meant to be simple yet elegant.

Ingredients:

Cake
6 tbsp, unsalted butter

2 1/4 cups sugar

1 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract

8 tbsp unsalted butter

5 egg yolks

3 whole eggs

2 1/2 cups cake flour

1 tbsp salt

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup heavy cream

Glaze
1/2 cup coconut milk

2 tbsp powdered sugar

Method:

* Preheat oven to 165 C. Butter and flour three 9-inch round cake pans, put a baking paper in the bottom of each pan. Butter and flour the rounds.
* On medium speed, beat butter in an electric mixer, until very light, about 5 minutes. Beating while gradually adding the sugar.
* Add the vanilla and beat for another 5 minutes. The mixture will be very coarse and grainy. Turn the mixer to the lowest speed, add butter, egg yolks, whole eggs. Mix for a few seconds and then turn off.
* In large bowl, sift together the flour, salt and baking powder.
* In another bowl, mix together the buttermilk and cream.

* With the mixer on the lowest speed, add half the flour mixture and half the buttermilk mixture. Add the remainder of mixtures. Do not over mix or the cake will be tough.
* Pour batter evenly into the prepared pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

* Cook cakes for 10 minutes, then invert them onto a baking rack.
* To ice the cake, slice each cake layer in half horizontally so that you will have 6 layers.
* To make the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar and coconut milk in a small bowl. Pierce each cake layer with a fork then brush the glaze over them before icing.

Coconut Icing
250g cream cheese, at room temperature

150g unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 tbsp vanilla extract

3 cups icing sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

3 tbsp coconut milk

4 cups fresh or dried coconut, shredded and toasted

 Method:
* Preheat oven to 215C.

* Toast coconut for about 7-8 minutes. Remove from oven and reserve.
* Combine the cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract and beat on medium speed for about 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.

* In a bowl, combine sugar and salt then add to cream cheese mixture, a cup at a time, beating until smooth. Turn the mixer to the lowest speed and add the coconut milk.
* Spread icing on each layer of cake as you assemble and then top with the toasted coconut.

Recipe adapted from My Beverly Hills Kitchen by Alex Hitz