Raspberry Coconut Cake and Lemon Butter Cream Frosting

Little E's birthday was in January, it is now March. If my calculations are correct, that means it's taken me 2 months to post pictures of her birthday cake. I think I deserve an award, maybe something like, the "Best Blogger Ever." Quality over quantity people, that's my motto, and let me tell you, this is some quality stuff right here. Coconut, lemon butter cream, homemade raspberry preserves, fresh raspberries, and all vegan. Nothing better. Except maybe Almond Milk Ice Cream. Have you guys tried that stuff? Delicious.

Coconut Cake with Lemon Butter Cream Frosting and Fresh Raspberry Preserves

Coconut Cake Ingredients:

3 cups soy milk (or other non-dairy milk)
3 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons coconut extract
6 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

Lemon Butter Cream Frosting Ingredients:

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup vegan margarine (such as Earth Balance soy butter)
4 cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons lemon juice (about 2 medium-sized lemons)
4 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest (about 2 medium-sized lemons)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Grease and flour 3 nine-inch round cake pans and set aside.

Add the vinegar to the soy milk and set aside to curdle.

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.

Add vegetable oil, coconut extract, and vanilla extract to the curdled soy milk, and mix.

Pour liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, and mix.

Fill each cake pan with equal amounts of batter. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool completely, either in the fridge for a few hours, or overnight.

While the cakes are cooling begin to make the frosting. Combine the shortening and vegan margarine together and beat for at least 30seconds with an electric mixer.

Once the shortening butter mixture is nice and fluffy, add the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, mixing in between.

After all the powdered sugar is added, pour in the lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract and mix well.

After the cakes are cool, place one layer on the serving tray of your choice. Spread the raspberry preserves evenly on top of the first layer. You can either use store-bought preserves, your own homemade preserves (or ones your parents made that you stole, which may or may not be what I used) , or this recipe.

Next, spread the butter cream frosting on top of the preserves. If you don't want the preserves to be mixed into the frosting, you can pipe the frosting on top in circles.

Place the second cake on top of the frosting. Repeat layering the preserves and frosting with the remaining two cake layers.

Once you have all three layers, frost the cake completely.

Then add coconut flakes and, if desired, fresh raspberries.

Makes one three-layer cake.