Go Back
how to make a 2 tier cake
Pin Recipe
Share on Facebook
Print Recipe
5 from 3 votes

How to Make the Coconut Sponge

Total Time4 hours
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: How to Make a 2 Tier Cake: Amazing, Easy Recipes to Try
Author: cakedecorist.com

Ingredients
  

Coconut Sponge

All-Natural Strawberry Buttercream

Instructions 

Coconut Sponge

  • Step 1 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Afterward, butter and lightly flour the pans you will be using. It would be best to use two (or three if you prefer thinner layers or more space for filling) of each pan size. You could also use cooking spray with flour in it. It is a time saver!
  • Step 2 - Grab the eggs and place them in the stand mixer’s bowl or a large bowl if you are using a hand mixer. Gradually add the granulated sugar while mixing on high. You should mix for at least 5 minutes or until it reaches the ribbon stage (that means that, when taking out the paddle, the mix leaves a trace on top of the rest of the batter).
  • Step 3 - Melt the butter in the microwave in 20-second intervals, mixing in between. Let sit for 5 minutes, until it is no longer piping hot, and add the coconut milk and the extracts. Mix well.
  • Step 4 - Add this mixture to the eggs and sugar. Beat for 2 minutes on high speed or until well combined.
  • Step 5 - Sift and combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl: the flour, baking powder and salt. Add them to the batter gradually while mixing on medium speed.
  • Step 6 - Once everything is blended together, separate two cups of the mixture into a medium-sized bowl. Combine it with the coconut flakes and then add it to the batter. This is called “liaison” and it will help with achieving an even distribution of coconut flakes throughout the batter.
  • Step 7 - Separate into the pans. To do this, we recommend measuring how much batter you have total and dividing it into thirds. Two thirds will go to the 8-inch pans and one third to the 6-inch pans. If you eyeball it that is totally fine too!
  • Step 8 - Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. Check to see if they are done by sticking a knife in the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, then you are good to go!
  • Remember that if you are baking all of them at once, they will take longer to bake. Also, the heat in the oven may not be even, so you should interchange the places of the pans to allow them to cook evenly.
  • Step 9 - Once baked, take them out and let them sit for 10 minutes before un-molding them onto a cooling rack. You should leave them to cool off completely – at least one hour. Preferably, you could place them in the fridge.
  • Your cakes are done! Now onto the strawberry buttercream.

All-Natural Strawberry Buttercream

  • Step 1 - Sift the powdered sugar before starting! Clean and take the stems out of your fresh strawberries. Chop them up as finely as you can and save 1/2 cup for later.
  • Step 2 - Place your chopped strawberries in the food processor and let it go until you have a puree consistency. You will need approximately ¾ cup of puree for this frosting, but that will depend on the weather you live in!
  • Step 3 - In the stand mixer, whip the butter and the sifted powdered sugar together on high until it is fluffy.
  • Step 4 - Gradually add the puree. Be mindful of the consistency and do not add too much, because it can become loose and hard to work with. Also, remember that being an all-butter buttercream it is going to be looser than if you were using shortening.
  • You can always replace the butter for shortening or use a half and half split if you need it to crust and hold its shape better.
  • Step 5 - Once everything is combined, add the ½ cup of chopped strawberries. Fold them in using a spatula.

Notes

How to Tier the Cake
  • First of all, remember that you need even layers. If the sponges turned out domed, then you will need to level them out using a serrated knife.
  • Hopefully, you will not need to cut the layers. But if you do, use toothpicks to mark where you want to cut. Slowly cut them with the serrated knife.
  • Fill the cakes out separately. Crumb coat the bottom tier and frost the top tier. Remember to always refrigerate in-between steps to help keep them stable.
  • Once you are done, carefully place the top tier on top of the bottom tier. Proceed to cover them in the rest of the buttercream and decorate with fresh strawberries.
Want more recipes?Check out Our YouTube Channel!