Coconut Caramel Cake with Pecan Buttercream- Layersof fluffy coconut cake, filled with a caramel pecan coconut filling. Frosted and coated in a nutty pecan buttercream.
While Summer comes to a close and the leaves begin to change their colors, this Coconut Caramel Cake with Pecan Buttercream is the quintessential Summer cake. The coconut caramel will be the perfect bookend to a perfect Summer, and the Pecan buttercream will act as a foreshadowing for all that is great about the Fall. If coconut and caramel are your thing, then this is a must-bake for you!
For more recipes, here are some of my summer favorites
- The Most Enjoyable Light Lemon Cake
- The Best and Irresistible Cookie Dough Cake
- Season’s Best Triple Berry Cake
Why this recipe works
- Coconut cake layers- tender layers of coconut with coconut emulsion and coconut milk.
- Caramel- homemade caramel sauce made with fresh ingredients.
- Candied pecans- toasted and candied pecans made with sugar, and a hint of salt.
- Easy to make– If you’re new to making a layer cake, this is a great cake to start with. There aren’t too many elements and the elements that are present are easy to make!
- Layered cake-This is a three-layer 8-inch cake, but if you have 4, 6-inch pans, that will also work.
- The perfect dessert for any occasion-Whether this is a dessert for a special family get together, or just a weeknight treat, your family and friends will love eating this cake while discussing their great summer.
Ingredients you will need
- Unsalted Butter- Make sure it is room temperature
- Eggs- You will use this for the cake, pull them out so they are room temperature.
- Coconut milk- You will want a low sugar and high fat coconut milk. I use this brand you can here
- Coconut Emulsion- I love LorAnn’s, but if you can’t find it you can use Coconut Extract
- Pecan- I use chopped and unsalted
- Shredded coconut- I used unsweetened.
- Corn syrup- This is optional, but I highly recommend it to help you succeed in making the best caramel.
- Powder sugar- You will use about 6 cups.
- Heavy cream- I use full-fat heavy cream.
Step by step – Caramel
Here is how to make the worlds best caramel sauce ever.
Step 1: Mix the water, sugar, and corn syrup. In a medium-sized saucepan, stir together the water, sugar, and the corn syrup.
Step 2: Cook the Mixture. On medium-heat, bring the sugar to a boil. The bubbles will start off fast and small, but once it starts caramelizing, the bubbles will slow down and become a little bigger. Do not touch or stir the mixture. That will cause crystallization (which is bad).
Step 3: Let it boil. Let it boil until the mixture becomes caramelized and looks golden brown/auburn color. This does take a few minutes, but once it starts turning brown, it’s easy to burn it, so keep an eye on it.
Step 4: Heat the cream. Put the cream in the microwave for 1 minute.
Step 5: Add the cream. Once the caramel is ready for the cream, turn off the heat on the sugar mixture and add the warm cream. Mix the caramel mixture until evenly combined.
Step 6: Add the rest of the ingredients. Add the vanilla extract, toasted coconut, pecans, and salt. Stir to combine. Let it come to room temperature before using on your cake.
Assembly
Here are some of my favorite cake decorating equipment that will be helpful while decorating
Turn table, offset spatula, cake scraper, cake leveler.
- Place the first cake layer topside up, in the center of the cake board. Gently spread ½ of the buttercream over the cake layer.
- Spread about ¾ cup pecan coconut caramel filling on top the buttercream and pat into place.
- Repeat with second cake layer.
- Place the final cake layer, topside down, on the second layer of filling.
- Apply a thin layer of buttercream around the cake. Freeze the cake for 10 minutes to set the crumb coat.
- Once the crumb coat is set, continue frosting the cake with the remaining buttercream. Decorate with extra coconut flakes.
Expert baking tips
- When you are making the cake batter, make sure to really cream the butter and the sugar. I can’t stress this enough! This helps create air pockets in your cake layers that also help it rise.
- Use high quality cake pans. This helps prevent your cake layers from browning on the sides. I always use Fat Daddios cake pans. You can find the ones I use here:
- I say this a lot because I think it’s really important… USE ROOM TEMP ingredients! Making sure all of your ingredients are the same temp is a must!
- To get a creamy and smooth buttercream, add a Tablespoon of whipping cream once you finish mixing the buttercream. Then beat by hand with a rubber spatula to get all the air bubbles out.
- Do a crumb coat. Don’t skip this step. It helps secure the crumbs onto the cake and makes decorating easier.
FAQ
Can I make this into a sheet cake?
Yes, this can be turned into a sheet cake, four 6-inch cake pans, or a 9×13 (if you do a 9×13, it will need to bake for 40-45 minutes).
Can these be made into cupcakes?
YES! You just need to reduce the baking time to 23-27 minutes.
Can I make this ahead of time?
I highly suggest making each element a head of time, and then decorating the next day.
Storing and freezing
Store this Coconut Caramel Cake with Pecan Buttercream in an airtight container or wrap in plastic wrap. I would leave uneaten portions in the fridge and pull a couple hours and bring up to room temperature.
Freezing
Freeze individual cake slices in plastic wrap and freeze up to 3 months.
If you love this recipe, please remember to rate and review it!
For more fun recipes here are some of my favorite
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