Ginger Coconut Bundt Cake

Due to a pan-related mishap (silicone bundt pans are officially dead to me), this ginger coconut bundt cake turned out a bit homely. But it proved that looks can be deceiving – the inside is just lovely.

Last week, I finally ordered a copy of Kiss My Bundt – since it’s amongst the highest rated bundt cookbooks on Amazon. I discovered on its arrival that cookbook-wise, it’s a bit disappointing: not enough pretty pictures for my taste. But! Recipe-wise, I think she know’s what’s up. At least, if this hybrid concoction is any indication.

As you may have noticed, I have a hard time leaving things simple… so just making her coconut bundt didn’t seem terribly satisfying. Since my grocery run for the week included fresh ginger, and since she’s also got a recipe for a fresh ginger bundt, I decided to combine the two and see if it worked.

It did! I kept the ginger subtle enough to be tasted but not overwhelm the coconut. The coconut isn’t overpowering, either, and the cake isn’t overly sweet. So it’s a nice, light, summery dessert.

As I mentioned with my last bundt, I was already pretty over it with silicone pans. Especially with the bundt pan, it expands with the batter to make a somewhat squat cake (which annoys me). And this time… I don’t even know what happened. Maybe you aren’t supposed to use cooking spray with silicone? I have no idea. But I wanted to switch things up from the Jubilee pan I’ve used for the last several posts, and the resulting fiasco has sent the silicone pan straight to the donation box. And taught me a lesson. Nordic Ware for life!!

I should be grateful I had an intact cake-like thing at all. It did come out in a whole piece, albeit a lumpy and sad one. But the fiasco meant I definitely needed to frost the monstrosity. Not that that was a big loss. I love me some cream cheese frosting, and the addition of toasted coconut helped clarify that this is a coconut cake with ginger undertones.

Ginger Coconut Bundt Cake (adapted from Kiss My Bundt)

Grade: A

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 Tablespoon fresh, grated ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups coconut milk

for the frosting:

• 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) of butter, room temperature
• 1-2 cups of powdered sugar (to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes (toasted)

Prep: an hour or several hours before you plan to bake, set out 2 sticks of butter, the cream cheese, and the eggs. These should all be room temperature before you begin.

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Spray your bundt pan with a liberal amount of cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until well combined and light and fluffy (2-3 minutes). Add eggs, one at a time. Then beat on medium speed for an additional two minutes.

In a measuring cup, combine the coconut milk, vanilla, and grated ginger.

Alternating between the dry and wet ingredients, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, then 1/2 the coconut milk, and so on until all ingredients are combined. Mix just until no lumps remain.

Pour batter into your greased bundt pan, and bake for approximately 40 minutes – until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let the cake cook for 10-15 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack. If it sticks… well, there’s frosting.

While the cake cools, toss the shredded coconut onto a cookie sheet and toast in the still-hot oven for 7-10 minutes. Stir it a few times and keep an eye on browning. You don’t want it to burn, and it doesn’t all need to be browned.

Then turn off the oven and let the cake cool completely.

For the frosting: beat together the butter and cream cheese until fluffy/well combined. Add the vanilla and 1 cup of powdered sugar, and beat until combined. Check sweetness and add more sugar if you like. Once you’re satisfied with the level of sweetness, fold in the toasted coconut flakes.

Then frost your cake and devour it!

_{Note: in the hopes of some (far off) day being able to quit my day job, this post contains affiliate links. I only link to things I actually recommend, and I might earn a commission if you end up buying something. That would be cool, but no worries if it’s not your thing.}