happy birthday to you.

it was my dear friend’s birthday over the weekend so i baked her this decadent & not-too sweet, very, very tall coconut cake.

6-layer coconut cake (serves 12 – 16)
4 ½ sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pans
3 C sugar
8 large eggs, at room temperature
2 ½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 ½ tsp. pure almond extract
4 ½ C all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pans
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 ½ C milk
6 oz. sweetened shredded coconut

for the frosting:
1 ½ lbs cream cheese, at room temperature
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
½ tsp.  pure almond extract
1 ½ lbs confectioners’ sugar, sifted
6 oz. sweetened shredded coconut

preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  grease 3 (9-inch) round cake pans & dust lightly with flour.

in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter & sugar on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light yellow & fluffy.  with the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl during mixing.  add the vanilla & almond extracts & mix well.

in a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt.  with the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients and the milk to the batter in 3 parts.  mix until just combined & then fold in the 6 ounces of coconut with a rubber spatula.

pour the batter evenly into the 3 pans and smooth the tops.  bake in the center of the oven for 45 to 55 minutes until the tops are browned & a knife comes out clean.  cool on a baking rack for 30 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto a baking rack to finish cooling.  slice each cake in half horizontally so that you have 6 cakes.

for the frosting, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, butter, vanilla & almond extract on low speed.  add the confectioners’ sugar & mix until just smooth.

to assemble, place 1 layer on a flat serving plate, bottom side down & spread with frosting.  place the second layer on top, top side down & repeat with remaining layers but for the top layer, place it top side up.  Spread a light layer of frosting on the sides of the cake.  finish by sprinkling the top with coconut and lightly pressing more coconut onto the sides.