Dietary restrictions suck.

Okay, not the most eloquent of openers but that’s all I can think as I type this. I’m fortunate enough to not be allergic to anything. I happily eat gluten, lactose, citric acid, and every kind of nut or seed under the sun without any sort of consequence, and I don’t take it for granted. Dietary restrictions are just a pain, and even more of a pain when it means trying to bake a cake dairy-free and have it come out, well, just as tasty as its evil lactose-filled twin. I’ve never tried to bake under restrictions before, but since Bill’s birthday was this past weekend and he happens to be lactose intolerant and misses coconut cream pie, I thought I’d take a stab at it.  Well, not coconut cream pie because that’s self explanatory, but at least a coconut cake.

And hold the phone, but I actually found the most genius, delicious way to make it dairy-free. Yes, you have to sacrifice the usually finger-lickin’ glorious cream cheese frosting, but the use of coconut milk in the batter instead of regular (or even soy) gives the entire cake the most delicious, fragrant, and awesome consistency I want to now use it in everything. And although there is no previously mentioned glorious cream cheese frosting, there is however a delicious 7-minute glossy and gorgeous frosting which is covered with mounds of shredded coconut anyway, so you don’t even miss it.

Coconut Cake (pretty much dairy free)

I say “pretty much” because yes, there is butter in this cake, but depending on your level of lactose intolerance, butter can be fine for some and not for others (or so I hear).  Other than that, it’s lactose-free! And I got the idea for the coconut milk after reading a few lactose intolerance blogs and seeing someone mention it as a great way to thicken soups instead of cream – genius!

For the frosting, it’s not your traditional 7-minute because I don’t have a hand mixer and can’t beat the egg whites directly over a double boiler, but thankfully Rach’s mom (cue baking goddess music) gave me this stand-mixer friendly recipe which still cooks the sugar and makes that perfect marshmallow-fluff glossy frosting we all adore.

Ingredients

Cake based on the recipe by Ina Garten.

For the cake:

• ¾ pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 5 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 ½ tsp pure almond extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pans
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 4 ounces sweetened shredded coconut

Frosting based on the the Quamba Church Cookbook recipe (via Vickie Tjaden).

For the frosting:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup white corn syrup
• ¼ cup water
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 4 egg whites
• 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 6 ounces sweetened shredded coconut

Directions

For the cake:

1.) Preheat the oven to 350° F. Spray two (9-inch) round cake pans with non-stick spray, then line them parchment paper. Spray them again and dust lightly with flour, tapping out the excess.

2.) In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light yellow and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl once during mixing. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well. Don’t worry if the mixture looks curdled – it will come together once you add the dry ingredients.

3.) In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the coconut milk to the batter in 3 parts, beginning and ending with dry ingredients (dry-milk-dry-milk-dry). Mix until just combined. Remove the bowl and fold in the 4 ounces of coconut by hand.

4.) Pour the batter evenly into the 2 pans and smooth the top with an off-set spatula. Bake in the center of the oven for 40 to 50 minutes, until the tops are browned and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool on a baking rack for 30 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto a baking rack to finish cooling completely.

For the frosting:

1.) In a small saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt in saucepan. Bring to a boil until it reaches a threadlike stage (when you dip a spoon into the sugar it drips slowly off, creating threads).

2.) Meanwhile, in the the (very clean and dry) bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. Once ready and with the mixer running on low, pour syrup mixture into egg whites. Turn the speed up to high and beat until glossy. Stir in the vanilla by hand and let the frosting come to room temperature before assembling the cake.

To assemble:

1.) Place 1 layer top side down on a flat serving plate or cake stand whose edges you’ve lined with strips of parchment paper. Spread the top with about 1 cup frosting and sprinkle some coconut on top. Place the second layer on top, top side up, and frost the top and sides. A crumb layer isn’t necessary per se since you’ll be coating everything with coconut, but I like the underside to look perfect, so I do a light crumb coating, refrigerate it for 10 minutes, and then finish with another thick layer.

2.) Sprinkle the top with coconut and lightly press more coconut onto the sides. Remove the parchment strips and serve with birthday candles.