Coconut Cake with Yuzu Curd and Whipped Mascarpone
This cake was a labor of love and a full day’s worth of work, but it was absolutely worth it. Multi-layer cakes like this are not my specialty, nor is cake decorating, so this was a challenge, but it was one I dearly enjoyed. You can easily halve the proportions listed to make this a less-intimidating two-layer cake and still enjoy the drool-worthy flavors here. Sweet, mild coconut makes a great backdrop for a punchy yuzu curd and rich mascarpone frosting. Yuzu is one of my favorite flavors, it has the tartness of a lemon but with a unique, slightly floral aftertaste. I typically find fresh yuzu at my local Asian grocery store from October to December.
Ingredients
Coconut cake:
2 cups whole milk
3/4 cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut
2/3 olive oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 tbsp white vinegar
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
Mascarpone Cream:
6 oz mascarpone
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla bean paste
Yuzu Curd:
200ml yuzu juice (6-8 decently large yuzu fruit)
85g white sugar
100g salted butter
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp cold water
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350F and grease two 6” round cake tins OR 8x8” baking dishes.
Start making your cake by soaking your shredded coconut in your whole milk in a medium bowl. Let it rest for five minutes, then whisk in your olive oil, vanilla, white vinegar, and sugar. Mix well.
Sift in your flour, baking soda, and salt, mix until everything is well combined.
Split your batter evenly between your two cake tins and bake them on the middle rack for 30-40 minutes.
Let the cakes cool before wrapping them in plastic and chilling them in the refrigerator while you prepare your fillings.
To make the yuzu curd, combine your yuzu juice, sugar, and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir frequently to help dissolve the sugar.
While the yuzu juice heats up, in a small bowl combine your cornstarch and cold water. Once the yuzu juice just comes to a boil, add the cornstarch mixture and stir vigorously while it thickens, about a minute.
Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the condensed milk. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and let it cool completely before spooning into a piping or ziploc bag and storing in the refrigerator.
To make the mascarpone cream, combine all your ingredients in a small bowl and use a hand mixer to whip until it reaches semi-stiff peaks. Spoon into a piping or ziploc bag and store in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use.
Once the cakes are completely chilled, level the tops and cut them carefully in half as equally as you can to create four cake layers.
Set the first layer on your cake stand and pipe a thick border of the mascarpone cream along the outer edge of the top of the layer. Fill in the middle with yuzu curd.
Top with another layer of cake and repeat, inverted this time, with yuzu around the border and mascarpone.
Repeat one more time and top with the fourth layer of cake. Chill the entire cake in the refrigerator for half an hour to help keep it stable.
Once your cake has chilled, crumb coat the entire exterior with your remaining yuzu curd. This will both help the cake look smooth when you cover it with the mascarpone AND ensure that every bite has punchy yuzu flavor.
Once you crumb coat, chill your cake again for at least 30 minutes, ideally an hour.
Finally, use a bench scraper or spatula to coat the entire cake with a thin layer of your remaining mascarpone cream. Decorate with yuzu peels and slices, and fresh flowers if desired. Enjoy!