A Sugar Rush, Not Crush - Coconut Layer Cake

It's unusual to be served a homey wedge-shaped slice of layer cake at an ambitious restaurant. It's even more surprising when it's a fluffy coconut number, as shaggy and proud as anything you'd see on a diner counter under a cake dome - but about a thousand times more delicious. I had such a cake at Telepan Local, the chef Bill Telepan's short-lived restaurant in Tribeca, New York. I was expecting something deconstructed and elaborate, along the lines of the elegant quince granita parfaits and Concord grape gelées they offer at the original Telepan, on the Upper West Side. To my delight, pastry chef Larissa Raphael's coconut layer cake was as classic as they come, just better than most. It had a fine, tender crumb that was buttery and moist. Instead of the usual billowing meringue that often borders on cloying, this cake was frosted with tangy cream cheese swirls. Inside the cake, there were flecks of pure white shredded coconut with a delicate almond-like flavor. Outside, there was a tan coat of deeply nutty toasted coconut, with a caramel depth. And what was that streak of brightness on the tip of my tongue? A bracing combination of orange juice and rum, I learned when I emailed for the recipe the next day. The beauty of Raphael's confection is how simple the technique is in relation to the complexity of flavors. It was no harder to make than any other layer cake, but the precision of the ingredients made it shine. Raphael's aim when creating the cake, she said, was not to overwhelm her customers with sugar. "When you're serving a nice-sized piece of cake to a customer, you have to balance the sweetness," she said. The orange juice and cream cheese helped, as did substituting unsweetened shredded coconut for the usual sugared kind. More salt also brought out a savory-sweet contrast. After Telepan Local closed, Raphael took her cake uptown to Telepan, where she now offers it on the lunch menu and sells whole cakes to order. But if you like to bake, try making it yourself. It's an impressive dessert to serve to friends. You can make it entirely in advance without last-minute fussing. And because it's less sweet than they'd expect, your guests can eat more of it. That is, if you let them. Leftovers, served with black coffee or tea, make a fine midday snack the next day. Just something to remember when you're offering seconds.Coconut Layer Cake Adapted from Larissa Raphael, Telepan, New York Time: 2 hours, plus cooling Yield: 8 to 12 servingsFor the cake - 2 sticks/226 grams unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pans 2 cups/265 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for pans 1/2 teaspoon/3 grams fine sea salt 2 teaspoons/10 grams baking powder 3/4 cup/140 grams granulated sugar 3 eggs, separated, plus 3 whites 1 1/2 cups/355 milliliters cream of coconut 1 1/4 cups/295 milliliters unsweetened coconut milk 2 tablespoons/30 milliliters coconut or dark rum 7 tablespoons/104 milliliters freshly squeezed orange juice 3 cups/370 grams unsweetened shredded coconut   For the frosting - 2 sticks/226 grams unsalted butter, softened 2 cups/454 grams cream cheese, at room temperature 2 teaspoons/10 milliliters vanilla extract 7 1/4 cups/2 pounds/907 grams confectioners' sugar 2 3/4 cups/340 grams unsweetened shredded or flaked coconut, toasted 1. Make the cake: Grease 3 8-inch cake pans and dust with flour. Heat oven to 350 degrees. 2. Whisk together flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl and reserve. Place butter and sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment and beat until fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add 3 egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl with spatula. Lower speed and gradually add flour mixture. Batter will be thick and pasty. 3. Whisk together cream of coconut, coconut milk, rum and orange juice. Alternately add shredded coconut and juice mixture to batter. 4. In the clean bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip 6 egg whites until soft peaks form. Gently fold into batter. 5. Divide batter evenly among prepared pans. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes. Cool in pans on wire rack. Unmold cakes once cool. 6. Make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and cream cheese. Add vanilla extract. Gradually add confectioners' sugar, scraping down sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Mix until combined and fluffy. 7. Spread 1/4-inch-thick layer of frosting on top of the first layer of cake. Sprinkle with toasted coconut. Place next layer on top and repeat with frosting and coconut. Repeat with third layer, spreading frosting all over cake. Hold cake steadily in one hand and use other hand to pat remaining coconut onto edges of cake. © 2015 New York Times News Service