Total Time
1 hour 30 minutes (plus 2–3 hours for cooling)
The nutty and mildly floral flavors of East African mkate mimina, a bouncy yeasted rice cake, inspired this version of a classic American-style yellow cake. Here the sweet, buttery batter gets a kiss of coconut extract and floral ground cardamom. Think of the toasted coconut flakes that blanket the tender cake like sprinkles on steroids: They add both flavor and tons of crunchy-chewy texture. As always, make sure the cake has cooled completely before frosting it.
Depending on the climate, your buttercream might split. To avoid this, make sure all buttercream ingredients are the same temperature and resist the urge to use high speed; keeping a medium to medium-high speed on the mixer will ensure your emulsion stays together. If the mixture still splits, remove about ⅓ cup of the frosting and warm in the microwave until melted. Return to the rest of the buttercream and whisk; the heat should help form a stable buttercream.
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What you’ll need
Stand Mixer
$330 $240 At Amazon
8-Inch Cake Pan
$10 At Amazon
Round Parchment Paper Baking Sheets
$13 $11 At Amazon
Wire Cooling Rack
$18 At Amazon
Electric Mixer
$40 At Amazon
Small Offset Spatula
$9 At Amazon
Ingredients
8–10 servings
Cake
½
1⅓
1¼
1
½
1
2
2
1
½
½
Frosting and assembly
1
½
2
¾
½
¼
Preparation
Cake
Step 1
Place a rack in middle of oven and preheat to 325°. Grease an 8"-diameter cake pan with unsalted butter and line with a parchment paper round.
Step 2
Whisk 1⅓ cups (167 g) all-purpose flour, 1¼ tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and ½ tsp. ground cardamom in a medium bowl to combine.
Step 3
Beat 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar and ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add 2 large eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, and ½ tsp. coconut extract and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low and gradually pour in ½ cup whole milk; beat until incorporated. Scrape down sides of bowl and mix to combine. Add dry ingredients and gently fold in with spatula just until no dry spots remain.
Step 4
Scrape batter into prepared cake pan; smooth surface. Bake cake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 45–50 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cake cool, 1–2 hours.
Do ahead: Cake can be baked 2 days ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.
Frosting and assembly
Step 5
While the cake is cooling, heat a dry small skillet over medium. Toast 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut, stirring often, until mostly golden brown, 5–7 minutes. Immediately transfer to a small bowl and let cool (coconut will continue to darken slightly as it cools).
Step 6
Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, in a medium bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add 2 cups (220 g) powdered sugar in 2 additions, beating until combined after each addition. Add ¾ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt and ½ tsp. coconut extract and beat until incorporated. Reduce speed to medium-low and beat, scraping down sides of bowl as needed, until mixture is very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add ¼ cup heavy cream and beat until frosting is smooth. Frosting should be spreadable; if it’s too thick, beat in more cream 1 Tbsp. at a time.
Step 7
Invert cake onto a platter and unmold; carefully remove parchment paper. Using an offset spatula, spread frosting evenly over top and sides of cake. Sprinkle shredded coconut over to coat top and sides; press gently to adhere.
Do ahead: Frosting can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature, then beat until fluffy again before using.
Leave a Review
Reviews (7)
Back to TopI make a lot of cakes and this was fantastic! It will definitely stay in my rotation.
Anonymous
Maine
3/13/2024
Because we have a celiac person in our family, I didn’t make the cake that goes with this recipe; instead, I made an Alice Medrich gf butter cake that had very similar proportions (stick of butter, 2 eggs, scant cup of sugar, etc) and added 1/2 tsp of cardamom and 1/2 tsp coconut extract, as per this recipe. I toasted unsweetened coconut, but followed this buttercream recipe exactly. The end result is a pretty, pleasant cake with light flavours. If I make it again, I might add a little more cardamom, because I love it, but wouldn’t otherwise change a thing.
Jane
Hamden, CT
6/15/2023
I wasn’t a coconut person before this cake, but now I think I really have to be… the texture was lovely, the flavors were beautiful and well… I’m obsessed! Thank you, Zaynab
Leigh
Severn, MD
5/8/2023
I thought this cake was outstanding, and so did my dinner guests. I followed the recipe pretty much to a tee and was very happy with the result.
Mort G
5/1/2023
Far, far too sweet, ruining the subtle flavors of coconut and cardamom. The cake itself was good, would make again although I'd make with 1/2 - 3/4 C sugar. The frosting is cloyingly sweet. Use 1 C powdered sugar instead of 2 and unsweetened coconut.
MB
CA
4/27/2023
Love this recipe! My question is why the salt in the buttercream? It was too salty for me so next time I may reduce amount or leave it out. Otherwise I love this cake!
Laura Register
Cairo, GA
4/13/2023
Excellent recipe. I've made it twice now using two 6" pans, rotating and turning every 10 minutes for 30 minutes and then checking every 5-ish minutes with a cake tester. Cooking time is just over 40 minutes in the smaller pans. I love that it makes such a sweet little layer cake, perfect for the two of us to snack on for a few days or to bring to a get together with a few other people. The frosting comes out salty, but in a good way. I think this is going to be my go-to cake for a while.
Brooke
Yonkers, NY
4/7/2023
Photo in magazine looks like flaked (not shredded) coconut- does it make any difference?
Anonymous
Southern Oregon
3/27/2023
Followed the recipe exactly except that I went a little heavier on the cardamom. Great cake, great texture. I was a little skeptical about the frosting but It turned creamy, sweet/salty, very buttery, which played nicely with the toasted coconut. Great recipe
Jay
Kailua-Kona Hawaii
3/27/2023
I made this cake exactly as the recipe indicated, except I baked it in a 7” springform pan so there was more height and did not need the parchment lining. It was spectacular! The flavors were so delicious and yet subtle. It was moist but not as moist as most cakes, however, I live in high altitude, therefore, maybe that is the reason? Regardless, this will definitely be made again!
Kevin
Sunriver, OR
3/26/2023