Its time again for another Daring Baker post! This is an especially fun one, as there was quite a bit of leeway in the flavoring and decorating. So expect to see many many fancy layer cakes in the blogosphere today! The hostess this month was Morven from Food Art and Random Thoughts, and the recipe is from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking from My Home to Yours. You can find the recipe here.
When I saw the crazy amount of egg whites used in the cake and butter cream, I immediately knew I would fill the cake with some sort of curd. What better way to use up those yolks? Instead of the usual lemon, I chose to make passion fruit curd. I haven’t made curd with passion fruit before, so it was a bit of an experiment. Can we say yummy? I basically replaced the lemon juice with passion fruit puree in a basic lemon curd recipe. Easy peasy…
I wasn’t 100% happy with the cake itself, as I thought it didn’t rise as it should and seemed a bit dense and almost dry. I ended up making a soaking syrup out of fresh coconut milk and sugar (equal parts of each) and doused each layer with it before filling with the passion fruit curd. Since I had a little extra time to spend, I also used a fresh coconut. I fought the urge to go to my backyard and pick one up off the ground, as I have no idea when a coconut is ripe. I also have a feeling that my pooch pees on them. yuck! So I bought one at the grocery store instead. You really can’t beat fresh coconut and coconut milk. Its so much better than the sweetened stuff I usually buy. Plus you get to beat the bejesus out of it to break it open… good times! 
Freshly Shredded Coconut
1 fresh ripe coconut
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using an ice pick, pierce holes into the three indented eyes on the top of the coconut. Drain out the clear liquid. Taste the juice to make sure its is sweet. If it is rancid, start over with another coconut. Reserve the juice for soaking syrup or another use.
2. Place coconut into the oven for 15 minutes. The shell will usually crack, and the pulp will start to pull away from the shell. If it did not crack, or did not crack much, hit it with a hammer until it does. Pry the shell open using a dull butter knife or oyster knife, and separate the shell from the pulp.
3. Use a potato peeler to peel the brown skin from the white pulp, and then rinse the pulp to remove the brown fibers. Grate by hand or in a food processor. Use within 2 days.
Note: I added a handful of sugar to the grated coconut as it wasn’t sweet enough for my taste. You may or may not need to do this.
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Wow! Just found your blog Cannelle et vanille and love it! Passion fruit is one of my favorites and I think an excellent choice for this cake!
Reply to My Sweet & Saucy
Thank you everyone!
Claire… the anti-spam word is random food words… how funny that it happened to be cake this time! :)
Reply to Candace
Did you see the Good Eats ep about coconut cake? Even Brown himself said it takes all day to make! It’s a real labor of love but all that work results in a fabulous dessert.
Reply to chiffonade
I haven’t had fresh coconut for years. I can imagine it was the perfect topping for your cake. BTW, great post title.
Reply to Danielle
This cake is beautiful…such great pictures!!! Question…did you choose the anti-spam word? Mine was cake! LOL!
Reply to Claire
You did a fabulous job on your cake. I love your choices of flavorings too.
Natalie @ Gluten A Go Go
Reply to Sheltie Girl
Looks like a dessert that you would find in a 5 star restaurant. Just beautiful!
Reply to Chuck
your cake is so pretty, I love the yellow layers!
Reply to Bev
While I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy the cake that much, I have to say the end result is just gorgeous! That picture is worth more than 1,000 words!
Reply to Ivonne
I love your idea of using passion fruit and fresh coconut. Looks divine!
Reply to Rachel
I love the soaking solution you made. Very ingenious and pastry chef worthy! :)
Reply to laurie
Your cake looks stunning. I love the idea of the passionfruit curd – I bet it tasted wonderful
Reply to Katie
Perfectly adorable cake! I look forward to baking this cake again using the suggestions I’ve seen – one being most definitely your passion fruit curd. Brilliant photos as well!
Reply to Suzana
What an amazing cake, absolutley gorgeous! I love the passionfruit curd and the fresh coconut, yummy!
Reply to Kristeb
what a beautiful cake! I wish I had thought of making a curd filling with the egg yolks :) I made flan instead.
Reply to JMom
Candace, one more time you rise to the challenge! I love the passion fruit combined with the fresh coconut! Nothing beats fresh coconut!! I think your layers are the perfect height. It seems that a lot of people were expecting giant heights but that would not be good with the ratio of fillig to cake. Just my thought, though(!)
Reply to Tartelette
It looks great! It makes me wanna eat. Mmm…
Reply to chriesi
I would LOVE to taste a piece of your cake! It looks scrumptious!
Reply to Liliana
Hi Candance!
I just found your blog through Daring Bakers. This was my first challenge so I had to check out everyone else’s work.
I’m glad I came because this is a wonderful blog. Beautiful photos! I’m sooo impressed.
I will be back for more! I am adding you to my fav blogroll.
Reply to Aran
Your cake looks very pretty! And passion fruit curd sounds delicious!
Reply to linda
Love. love, love the way your cake looks!
Reply to Ann
Glorious!! It looks just fabulous- you did an excellent job :)
Reply to Beth G
your cake looks lovely! i made a curd from all those eggs too. mIne was a lemon and passionfruit curd. Check it out if you like. Well done
Reply to Jessica
I’d like more than just a bite of that cake – it looks SCRUMPTIOUS! Glad you had fun with the challenge
Reply to Morven
Beautiful cake!
Apu
http://annarasaessenceoffood.blogspot.com/
Reply to Apu
Oh my god… Such a gorgeous cake!!
Reply to Tarah
My gosh your pictures are awesome, that cake is amazing..and mm passion fruit curd sounds amazing!!! Awesome job!!
Reply to Tina
Yanno…I totally forgot about that tip on putting the coconut in the oven. Oh well. It was fun bashing mine around. And I love the look of your cake with the lovely even layers and that gorgeous color of the filling. The dryness is surprising. Smart idea experimenting with the passion fruit. It sounds heavenly. As far as the coconut milk goes — I had mine saved as well, knowing that I’d use it for something lovely, and one of my guys dumped it out. ARG.
Reply to kellypea
It looks amazing!
Reply to Dianne
That’s a stunning cake…I love the contrast between the layers. WOW…absolutely breathtaking; great pictures too!
Reply to Deeba
dousing the cake in fresh coconut soaking syrup is an incredible idea.. i’m a big fan of fresh coconut. your cake looks delicious.
Reply to kitten
What a great idea to fill it with a curd…and passion fruit sounds great! The cake also looks very yummy!
Reply to Michelle
That is a very nice presentation! I like the passion fruit on the plate, and inside the cake. Very beautiful.
Reply to Lesley
What a stunning cake! You captured it perfectly :)
Reply to Anne
Passion fruit – I just love it! I particularly like the picture with the fork in front, which brought me here from the DBs.
Thanks!
Reply to Sweet Tooth
I will not shoot the chef because this cake is perfect and looks delicious
Reply to Faery
Hi,
Just a short note to let you now that you have been nominated to April IFP :)
http://www.coffeeandvanilla.com/?p=2009
Have a nice day, Margot
Reply to Coffee and Vanilla
Your cake is lovely!
Reply to SaraLynn
A great looking cake! I love the fresh coconut idea!
Reply to HoneyB
what a beautiful cake! the things you make are always a spectacular! :) great job!
Reply to Jennifer
That looks delicious! I love passion fruit, and I bet pairing it with coconut is a match made in heaven. Would love to try this sometime soon.
Reply to Meena
Wow! What a perfect looking cake! It looks delicious and very inviting!
Reply to Ruth E
Your pictures are absolutely wonderful, you are so talented! And your cake ! With passion fruit curd !! Oh-my-god !!
Reply to foodie froggy
hey tho mine wasnt completely dry, i did feel it could have been more moist.. still it looks so pretty :)
Reply to aamena
Oh passion fruit curd sounds wonderful!
Reply to coco
it looks great, as usual! love the flavor combo!
Reply to Ashley
your cake looks so yummy!! i looooove fresh coconut… so yummy!
Reply to jenny
I’ve always wanted to try working with a fresh coconut, but I’ve always been afraid. You’ve just inspired me!
Reply to Deborah
What a beautiful cake. Your flavor combos sound excellent and the plating is wonderful, as usual. :)
Reply to Amber
OMG.. this is stunning!! Very well plated, love it.
Reply to Namratha
The soaking syrup was a great idea. I am amazed at all the people who had problems with the rise of the cake. Mine had to be hacked down for rising so much. Hmmmm.
Anyway, it turned out lovely. It was a great way to use up those yolks!
Reply to peabody
Curd! What a fabulous idea. I wish I would have thought of it. what am I gonna do with 10 egg yolks! haha. Great job!
Clara
Reply to CB
WOW this looks fantastic, passionfruit is SO good and am sure this tasted fantastic too
Reply to Rachel@fairycakeheaven
the color contrasts in your cake layers between the white and yellow is fantastic. I am a fan of this cake and found it be very moist and tender so hopefully you can give this cake another try :)
Reply to amanda
This is a great looking cake Candace, but then again, I wouldn’t expect any less from your! I had problems with the cake rising too but mine was very moist and tender. I’m sorry yours was dry.
Reply to June