Instructions

Coconut Cake Layers

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease three 8-inch cake pans with non stick baking spray or homemade pan release and line with parchment rounds.
2. in a large bowl, whisk together 3 cups of cake flour, 3 tsp of baking powder, and 1 tsp salt and set aside.
3. Add 3/4 cup of unsalted butter and 3 cups of granulated sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on a high speed with a whisk attachment for a couple minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as need with a rubber spatula. The mixture should become lighter in color as air is whipped into it.
4. Add 1 cup of egg whites and mix at a medium speed until they're incorporated. The mixture might look a bit broken but it will come together was you mix in the dry ingredients.
5. Add half of the flour mixture into the butter mixture and mix on a low speed until just incorporated.
6. Add 1 1/2 cups sour cream, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 2 tsp coconut extract and 1/4 cup of oil. Mix on a low speed until combined, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
7. Mix in the remaining flour mixture on a low speed, until the ingredients are fully combined.
8. Divide batter evenly between the prepared cake pans. I like to use a digital kitchen scale to weigh my pans, to make sure my layers will be the same height.
9. Bake for 33-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Rotate pans halfway through to help them bake evenly.
10. Allow the pans to cool for 10 minutes, then run an offset spatula around perimeter of the pan to separate the cake from the pan.
11. Once the layers are fully cooled, carefully flip the pans and remove the layers from the pans.
12. Use a serrated knife to level the cake layers. I chose to torte (cut horizontally in half) my cake layers to create 6, thin cake layers.

Raspberry Buttercream Frosting

1. While the cake layers bake and cool, make the raspberry buttercream frosting.
2. Beat 2 cups of unsalted butter on a medium speed for 30 seconds until smooth with a paddle attachment / stand mixer or a hand mixer.
3. Mix in 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp coconut extract, and 1/2 tsp salt on a low speed.
4. Slowly mix in 7 cups of powdered sugar on a low speed. Half way through, add 2/3 cup of heavy cream to make the frosting easier to mix. I like to place a kitchen towel over my mixer to contain any powdered sugar clouds.
5. Place 1/2 cup of the vanilla buttercream in a small piping fit with an open star tip (Wilton 1M) and set aside.
6. Mix in 1/2 cup freeze dried raspberry powder, 1 Tbsp lemon zest, and 1 Tbsp lemon juice on a low speed into the remaining buttercream.
7. Continue to mix on low for a couple minutes until the ingredients are fully incorporated and the desired consistency is reached. 
8. If the frosting is too thick, add in additional cream (1 Tbsp at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar (quarter of a cup at a time).
9. Place 1 cup of raspberry buttercream into a small piping bag and cut the tip to create a 1/2-inch opening. Set aside.
10. Stir by hand with a rubber spatula to make the frosting extra smooth, then cover with plastic wrap and set aside until you're ready to use it.

Assembling this Raspberry and Coconut Cake

1. If possible, chill your leveled cake layers in the freezer for 20 minutes before assembling the cake. It makes them cold to the touch, which minimizes crumbing and makes them so much easier to frost and stack them.
2. Spread about 1 Tbsp of raspberry frosting onto a greaseproof cake board or plate, then place your first cake layer on top of frosting smear. This helps the layer stay in place as you assemble the cake.
3. Spread an even layer of raspberry frosting on the cake layer with a large offset spatula.
4. Pipe a ring of raspberry buttercream around the edge of the cake layer, and carefully spread 2 Tbsp of raspberry jam directly on top of the buttercream. Make sure you don't add extra jam between the cake layers or else it can make the cake layers really difficult to stack and frost.
5. Repeat with the remaining cake layers, being sure to flip the top cake layer upside down (cut side down). This makes it easier to get sharp edges on your cake!
6. Chill the cake in the fridge (20 minutes) or freezer (10 minutes) to help the frosting firm up and make the cake easier to frost.
7. Cover the cake in a thin coat of raspberry buttercream. Smooth using a bench scraper, then chill the cake again in the fridge (20 minutes) or freezer (10 minutes) until the frosting is firm to the touch.
8. Add a second, thicker layer of frosting to the cake, and smooth using a bench scraper. Leave a textured edge at the top of the cake.
9. Decorate as desired! I chose to add a semi-circle of vanilla and raspberry frosting dollops, fresh raspberries, toasted coconut and mint leaves.