Ingredients:

Kaya-Coconut Buttercream

• 4 Cups powdered sugar
• *1/3 Cup + 1 Tablespoon Kaya
• 1 Cup salted butter (226 grams)
• 4-6 Tablespoons coconut cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 Cups toasted coconut, optional

Coconut Butter Cake

• 2 1/2 Cups sugar
• 1 1/2 Cups salted butter (340 grams)
• 5 eggs
• 3 Cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract
• 1 Cup coconut cream

Directions:

To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350°F/176°C. Grease 2 8-inch round cake pans with a little butter & lightly dust with flour to prevent the cake from sticking. Cream the butter & sugar until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time & mix. Next, add the vanilla & coconut extracts. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour & baking powder together. Alternate 3 times between adding the flour mixture & coconut cream into the butter-sugar mixture. Pour the batter into the cake pans. Bake for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes clean from the centers.

While the cake is baking, make the buttercream. Cream the butter until it is smooth. Add the powdered sugar to the butter 1 cup at a time. Next, add the vanilla extract. Add the coconut cream one tablespoon at a time. Eyeball the consistency. Begin with 4 tablespoons. If the buttercream feels too stiff, add one tablespoon of coconut cream at a time until it is the desired consistency. Lastly, mix in the kaya jam. Allow the buttercream to chill in the fridge until the cake has finished baking & cooled.

To assemble the cake, wait until the cake has completely cooled. Split each of the cake rounds creating 4 layers. Alternate the layers between kaya jam & the buttercream. Once the cake layers are stacked, cover the entire cake with the buttercream. Finally, sprinkle the cake with toasted coconut.

Can be made the night before; keeps for about 5 days.

* Kaya, also known as Coconut Jam, is a Southeast Asian curd made from coconut, eggs & sugar.