Coconut Covered Citrus Poppy Seed Layer Cake Recipe

Happy Friday!!!

Today is a Happy Friday indeed and a very special day as my One Year Blogging Anniversary! The first time I didn't know what  blogging was except that it included the recipes and my food pictures. Month by month passed by with all those experiences and new people I made friends with and the many more I continue to make friends with. It all gives me so much more story to blog about, more deliciousness for food stories, more fun with drink mixology, and where to find tasty food with my restaurant reviews.

Now a days, I can't imagine my life without blogging as it gives me a wonderful way to connect with fantastic folks who have similar interests. In this past year I have met and made  friends with some wonderful and amazing folks. If I weren't a blogger I don’t believe I would’ve meet these incredible people.

Thank you to my friends Megan Lafferty,
Leeann Nel, and Nani Romero, who are all helping me to push myself in becoming a better writer. I am so happy and grateful to be able to connect with the lovely foodie community from Instagram in Chicago and all over the world.

It has been a fantastic year filled with fabulous experiences. I would like to send out a HUGE thank you to all my friends and followers who have supported me along the way with following, commenting, liking, and for their continued ongoing support.

There’s nothing like a nice layered cake to celebrate a special occasion with. For this auspicious occasion I chose this coconut covered citrus poppy seed layer cake. It is filled with a tangy and sweet lemon curd,  coconut buttercream, and topped with a light pink colored white chocolate  ganache drizzle, and lastly but most importantly  filled with a lot of joy and cheer.

Why have it to be poppy seed cake? This recipe is in honor of Anne Sills, a great good friend of mine. We met at a Thai restaurant back when I was worked as a waitress. She is one of my inspirations. Anne is a pastry chef and has an incredibly talented photographer husband. When we met, she gave me a few cake books, showed me how to bake a cake, and one of them was poppy seed cake. I remembered I couldn't stop eating it until it was all gone... It was so good. 

This yummy lemon poppy seeds cake would be good with that coconut buttercream and lemon curd filling inside. The creaminess from the coconut buttercream cuts through the tanginess of lemon curd so well. And once I start spooning the meringue through the coconut buttercream, through lemon poppy seed layer cake,  is when the cake really starts to come alive! 

Thank you, to everyone who has supported Natty’s Pantry in the past year! Here’s to the many many more future anniversaries!!!!

Cheers, 

Natty ​​

Coconut Covered Citrus Poppy Seed Layer Cake Recipe
Author: Nattaya Worrakitpoonpol
Adapted from: Epicurious
​
INGREDIENTS

Citrus Poppy Seed Cake Recipe
Makes 8 inches: 2 layers cake

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
4 teaspoon fresh lemon zest, about 1 and a half lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 sticks (2 cups) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
4 tablespoons poppy seeds


The Lemon Syrup Recipe

4 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 lemon juice
1/2 cup water


Coconut buttercream
Makes enough for 2 layer2 cake

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon coconut oil
3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
3-4 tablespoons coconut milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Lemon curd Recipe
Adapted from: America’s Test Kitchen

4 eggs yolk, plus 2 whole eggs
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup lemon zest
4 tablespoon butter

White Chocolate Ganache

3/4 cup white chocolate chip
1/2 cup heavy cream
Gel color

Additional:

Simple Lemon Meringue Kisses Recipe
Pocky ​

Directions:

• Preheat oven 375°F. degrees.

• Coat two 8 inches round cake pans with nonstick baking spray or with butter and flour.

• For dry ingredients: In a medium bowl sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Then add poppy seed and lemon zest after, mix all ingredients together with folk. Set aside.

• In a stand mixing bowl with the paddle attachment on medium speed (speed5): cream butter until light and fluffy. For about 2-3 minutes.  Slowly add granulated sugar, two tablespoons at a time, until it is incorporated for about 4 minutes.

• Add room temperature eggs one at a time, making sure to scrape down the sides after each egg is incorporated.

• Reduce speed to low, then add flour mixture and poppy seeds and mix until just combined.

• Gently scrape down the mixture making sure all ingredients are mixed well.

• Evenly pour the mixture into each pan. Gather each pan and place on big baking sheet with a wet towel wrapped around each pan** (see note). Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

• Allow the cake to cool completely on a cooling rack, for at least 15 minutes on the wire rack.**

Coconut buttercream:

• In a liquid measuring cup whisk together coconut oil, coconut milk and pure vanilla extract.  Set aside.

• In a stand mixing bowl with the paddle attachment on medium speed (speed5): cream butter until light and fluffy, for about 2-3 minutes. Gradually add confectioners' sugar one tablespoon at a time. Make sure every 1 minute to stop the mixer and scrape down the mixture. Repeat until the confectioners' sugar is all added to the mixture. To add the wet ingredients, gradually pour it over the mixture on low speed for 5 seconds then higher to medium speed until smooth and fluffy.**

Lemon syrup recipe:

• In a small sauce pan over medium heat, bring water and sugar to a boil. Wait until it starts to bubble, then take it out off the heat. Add lemon juice and whisk until it is combined.  

Lemon curd:

• In a medium saucepan bring water to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium-high and keep it simmering.

• In a large heatproof bowl with egg yolks, eggs, sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest, whisk to combine. Set the bowl over a saucepan but make sure it’s not touching the water: whisk constantly until the mixture combines and yolks thickens, about 7 to 10 minutes.

• Remove the heatproof bowl from the heat; whisk in the butter one tablespoon at a time, keep whisking until each piece is incorporated before adding another. Set aside

• This lemon curd can be made ahead and kept it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If you will be assembling the cake later, keep it in the airtight container.

White Chocolate Ganache:

• In a medium saucepan with water, bring it to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium-high and keep it simmering.

• In a large heatproof bowl combine white chocolate chips and heavy cream. Set the bowl over a saucepan but not touching water, whisk constantly until the mixture is combined, about 7 to 10 minutes.

• Transfer the mixture to the stand mixing bowl, Beat at medium-low speed until the mixture smooth and glossy, For about 5-6 mins. Set aside.

Assembly of the cake:

• Dap a little buttercream on the cake board on the stand (about 2 tablespoons). Put the first layer of cake down on top of the buttercream and rush with the lemon syrup, then spread 1 cup of Lemon curd filling on top. Cover with the second layer of cake, and continue for the next two layers. Next, you want to spread evenly just a thin coat of buttercream all around the cake starting at the top and moving down and around all sides; it doesn’t matter if there are crumbs as this is your crumb coat. This will give a perfect blank canvass to start frosting and decorating your cake.

• Once your cake is assembled with crumb coat  place the entire cake in the freezer or fridge not less than 20 minutes to harden the crumb coat.

• Cover your cake with a thicker layer of buttercream and use a spatula to smooth out the frosting. Once the frosting is uniform around the cake place in the freezer for another few minutes to harden the outer frosting.

• When buttercream is hardened and ready to decorate, use a spoon to drizzle the ganache around the sides of the cake and allow it to drip on down the sides, the ganache has to be slightly warmer than room temperature for a good pourable consistency. Let the ganache set for 8-10 minutes before moving on to the next step.

• Decorate with simple Lemon Meringue Kisses Recipe and Pocky or your choices for your style!!!!

** Notes for the recipe **

** Wrap the wet towel around the pan and hold in place with a safety or sewing pin to prevent the cake doming in the middle of the batter. This it makes the cake come out evenly and more easy to frost.

**This cake can be made ahead or keep it wrapped in the freezer up to 5 days until you are ready to assemble.

**You can make buttercream ahead and store for 2-3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Make sure to take the buttercream out off the fridge at least 1 hour or more before use so it softens up.

Assembly of the cake:

• Dap a little buttercream on the cake board on the stand (about 2 tablespoons). Put the first layer of cake down on top of the buttercream and rush with the lemon syrup, then spread 1 cup of Lemon curd filling on top. Cover with the second layer of cake, and continue for the next two layers. Next, you want to spread evenly just a thin coat of buttercream all around the cake starting at the top and moving down and around all sides; it doesn’t matter if there are crumbs as this is your crumb coat. This will give a perfect blank canvass to start frosting and decorating your cake.

• Once your cake is assembled with crumb coat  place the entire cake in the freezer or fridge not less than 20 minutes to harden the crumb coat.

• Cover your cake with a thicker layer of buttercream and use a spatula to smooth out the frosting. Once the frosting is uniform around the cake place in the freezer for another few minutes to harden the outer frosting.

• When buttercream is hardened and ready to decorate, use a spoon to drizzle the ganache around the sides of the cake and allow it to drip on down the sides, the ganache has to be slightly warmer than room temperature for a good pourable consistency. Let the ganache set for 8-10 minutes before moving on to the next step.

• Decorate with simple Lemon Meringue Kisses Recipe and Pocky or your choices for your style!!!!

** Notes for the recipe **

** Wrap the wet towel around the pan and hold in place with a safety or sewing pin to prevent the cake doming in the middle of the batter. This it makes the cake come out evenly and more easy to frost.

**This cake can be made ahead or keep it wrapped in the freezer up to 5 days until you are ready to assemble. 

**You can make buttercream ahead and store for 2-3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Make sure to take the buttercream out off the fridge at least 1 hour or more before use so it softens up.

Yum