bonus points: this recipe is vegan!

Difficulty: Intermediate | Time: 1hr (active) 1hr 30min (total) | Yields: 4 mini cakes

This recipe turned out super cute! It’s the perfect Easter dessert for a small crowd, or when you don’t want to end up with a whole cake leftover after your Easter gathering. It takes a little finesse to make these little guys, but the end result is totally worth it. Plus, if you’re a coconut lover (like me), this recipe is PACKED with it!

It just so happened that this recipe turned out to be vegan. I had some aquafaba from a can of chickpeas I used for another recipe (aquafaba is the bean water from a can of chickpeas), and I thought I’d be fun to try and use it in a dessert. I also happened to have a bunch of Crisco on hand, which is a vegan alternative for butter… So, I decided to send it and go all out vegan…. And you would never guess!

Happy Easter, everyone!

Ingredients:

For the coconut cake:

190mL aquafaba (or 5 egg whites if you’re not making this vegan)
391mL (1 can) full fat coconut milk
537g granulated sugar
13mL coconut extract
424g all purpose flour
23g baking powder
8oz Crisco (or softened butter if you’re not making this vegan)

For the coconut frosting:

12oz Crisco (or softened butter if you’re not making this vegan)
790g powdered sugar
173mL creme of coconut
6mL coconut extract
40g unsweetened coconut flakes (optional)

For garnishing:

Toasted coconut
Candy eggs (not necessarily vegan but they’re a cute garnish)

Directions:

Make the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and pre-line/grease two 10”x15” jelly roll tins (if your tins are a little smaller that’s fine; the layers will just be a little thicker. If your tins are bigger, your layers will be a little thinner).
In a medium bowl, whisk together the aquafaba, coconut milk, sugar and coconut extract until combined. Set aside.
In a separate, larger bowl, add the flour, baking powder and crisco (or butter) and beat together until the butter is no longer lumpy in the flour.
Pour in the wet ingredients and whisk together until smooth and combined.
Divide the batter evenly between the two jelly roll tins and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until the cake springs back to your touch.
Remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool completely to room temperature.

Make the coconut frosting:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the crisco (or butter) until creamy.
Add in the powdered sugar one spoonful at a time until combined.
Add in the creme of coconut and coconut extract until combined, then beat on high for about 30 more seconds.
If the frosting feels too stiff and dry, add a little more creme of coconut. If the frosting feels too runny, add more powdered sugar.
(optional) fold in coconut flakes for an extra coconut kick.
Transfer to a piping bag with a large, round tip.

Assemble:

Take a 3.5” round cookie cutter and cut circles out of the sheets of coconut cake.
On a small plate, place one mini circle of coconut cake, then pipe the coconut frosting on top. Repeat this until you’ve achieved 3 layers, ending with one last swirl of coconut frosting piped on top.
(optional) Sprinkle toasted coconut on top and add a few candy eggs. Enjoy!