Coconut Cake...New Years Eve Birthday Cake

My friend Suzanne has a birthday on New Years Eve and wanted me to bake her a coconut birthday cake.  Her wish was my command...I was given this recipe by my friend Ernie....the Queen of Cakes in my opinion . She never steers me wrong, and this was no exception. We all loved this cake. It has Cream of Coconut in the cake as well as in the cream Cheese frosting...
I also added a touch of organic coconut extract to the icing...it was divine. It had me wishing it was my birthday!
Happy New Year everyone....all my best wishes for a very happy and healthy one!

Coconut Layer Cake
adapted from Bon Appetit/ December 1999
The Shubox Café, Cedar Grove, New Jersey

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup canned sweetened cream of coconut (such as Coco Lopez)*
4 large eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk

Pinch of salt

Cream Cheese Frosting* recipe follows...

4 cups sweetened shredded coconut

*Canned sweetened cream of coconut is available in the liquor section of most supermarkets nationwide.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 2-inch-high sides. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat sugar, butter and sweetened cream of coconut in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla extract. On low speed, beat in dry ingredients and then buttermilk, each just until blended.
Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites with pinch of salt in another large bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold beaten egg whites into batter.
Divide cake batter between prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on rack 10 minutes. Run small sharp knife around pan sides to loosen cakes. Turn cakes out onto racks and cool completely.
Place 1 cake layer on cake plate. Spread 1 cup Cream Cheese Frosting over cake layer. Sprinkle 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut over. Top with second cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Sprinkle remaining coconut over cake, gently pressing into sides to adhere. (Coconut Layer Cake can be prepared up to 1 day ahead. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours before serving.)

Cream Cheese Frosting
2 (8-ounce) packages Philadelphia-brand cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar ( plus up to an additional cup)
1/2 cup canned sweetened cream of coconut (such as Coco López)*
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon natural coconut extract(optional)

Beat cream cheese in medium bowl until fluffy. Add butter and beat to blend. Add sugar, sweetened cream of coconut and vanilla extract( coconut extract if using) and beat until well blended. I added almost an extra cup of powdered sugar to the frosting.  This frosting comes out quite loose, you need to let it set up in the fridge for about an hour before icing the cake.