Recipe Sleuth: The Majestic's Coconut Cake

This fluffy layer cake won an in-house bake-off at the Old Town, Alexandria restaurant. Here's how to pull it off at home.

By Kate Nerenberg

This layer cake gets an extra kick of flavor from coconut milk. Photograph by Chris Leaman.

Until two years ago, the makings of the Majestic’s layer cake changed daily. Chef Shannon Overmiller decided, however, that she wanted to “do one cake and do it well.” Employees from the Majestic and its sister properties—Restaurant Eve, Eamonn’s, and PX—held a bake-off to determine which cake would be a menu mainstay. Overmiller’s coconut cake—she tweaked a recipe from the Internet—triumphed over approximately 15 other entries.

The dessert is a tall, fluffy creation that gets an extra kick of coconut flavor from the fruit’s milk—Overmiller suggests using Chaokoh brand—in the cake batter and brushed between the layers. Because the filling needs to chill overnight, be sure to start the cake the day before you’re going to serve it.

Have a restaurant recipe you'd like sniffed out? E-mail recipesleuth@washingtonian.com.

Makes one nine-inch, three-layer cake.

Make the filling:

2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1¼ cups whipping cream
½ cup sugar
4 ounces unsalted butter
2¼ cups sweetened flaked coconut
¼ cup sour cream

Stir the cornstarch, water, and vanilla in a small bowl to dissolve the cornstarch. In a heavy saucepan set over medium-high heat, bring the cream, sugar, and butter to a boil. Add the cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in coconut.

Cool the mixture completely. Mix in sour cream, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

Make the cake:

3½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pans
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ tsp salt
2¼ cups sugar
12 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pans
5 large eggs
11⁄3 cups whipping cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ cup coconut milk

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour 3 9-inch round cake pans.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt until blended. In a stand mixer, beat the sugar and butter until blended. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the cream and vanilla, then the coconut milk. Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Divide the batter equally among the 3 pans. Bake until a tester (such as a knife or skewer) inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Let cool.

Make the frosting:

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
4 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut, toasted

In a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter to blend. Beat in the confectioner’s sugar and vanilla extract. Fold in the toasted coconut.

Assemble the cake:

2 cups sweetened flaked coconut, toasted
½ 13½-ounce can coconut milk mixed with 2 cups simple syrup

Place 1 cake round on a plate. Brush with the coconut-milk mixture, then top with half of the filling. Place a second cake layer atop the filling, brush with the coconut milk/syrup, and top with the remaining filling. Place the third cake layer atop the filling and spread frosting over the top and sides of the cake. Pat the toasted coconut on the top and sides of the cake, pressing gently so it sticks. Cover and refrigerate.

Let the cake stand 3 hours at room temperature before serving.

Garnish the plate with toasted coconut and, if desired, crème anglaise.

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Posted by: vcv, Nov 07, 2010 09:24:19 PM

My previous comment didn’t sound quite right, this recipe is WAY better than K Paul’s! Just wanted to clarify. Happy baking!

Posted by: Cindy, Nov 08, 2009 02:36:24 PM

This recipe neglects to explain and fully list ingredients for the "simple syrup", it is NOT the filling. I used 1/2 cup coconut milk, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/2 cup water, or more if you wish. Mix it together until sugar is dissolved and spoon this over the layers, this method is better than brushing. I saw a chef on Martha Stewart apply the simple syrup with a squeeze bottle.

The frosting, I added some whipping cream to spreading consistency, it was too stiff to spread smoothly as written in the recipe. Also did not mix the coconut into the frosting, but just applied and sprinkled it to the outside of the cake.

I made the K Paul’s coconut cake recipe before and this tasted MUCH MUCH better and way less work! So decadent and delicious! I made it and served it the same day and it was outstanding. If you are pressed for time, no need to make a day ahead, but I probably would next time.

I finally found my permanent coconut cake recipe! Thanks!

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I should have reread the recipe before commenting. The mixture looks as though it might have the consistency of a cream or sour cream. In that case, it would be spread on like an icing, but between the layers. It is described as a "filling," but is probably a bit looser than the usual filling since the instructions refer to it as a "syrup."

Posted by: mq, Nov 07, 2009 12:52:02 PM

Yeah, the mixture is used between the layers. It moistens the cake and adds flavor. I say this a bit offhandedly in that that is what you would typically do with that mixture. Brushing is probably a little too fidgety; I would just use a spoon of some sort, pick up the mixture with the spoon, then spread it on that way. I assume it is fairly loose or fluid and that it has coconut in it (which would make brushing it on troublesome).

Posted by: mq, Nov 07, 2009 12:47:13 PM

Am I missing something? What do you do with the coconut milk/simple syrup mixture when assembling the cake? Do we brush the layers with the syrup before filling and frosting?

Posted by: elaine, Oct 29, 2009 07:46:39 PM

Recipe Sleuth: The Majestic's Coconut Cake

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