Coconut Sour Creme Marshmallow Snowball Cake

This recipe, inspired by the Williams-Sonoma Christmas catalogue, makes an amazing coconut cake with marshmallow frosting and sour creme filling. The sour cream filling adds an acidity to the cake, which has a bit of salt to balance the sweetness; even people who say they don't like coconut always ask for seconds. I originally made this cake at Christmas time since it looks like a huge snowball, but I also like it at Easter, with the marshmallow and coconut flavors reminding me of Easter candy.

For the cake:

3 large eggs

1/4 c. vegetable shortening

1/4 c. butter, softened

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp almond extract

2 c. all-purpose flour

1 tbl baking powder

3/4 tsp sea salt

1 c. unsweetened coconut milk

For the filling:

3/4 c. sour cream, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 c. heavy whipping cream

1/4 c. sugar

2 tbl cream of coconut syrup (I find it in the liquor section in a white plastic bottle with the mixers)

For the frosting: 

1 package (7 oz.) shredded sweetened coconut, divided

1 1/4 c. light corn syrup

2 large egg whites

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease 8" round spring form cake pan, dust with flour. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer set on high speed, beat eggs, shortening, butter, sugar and vanilla and almond extracts until smooth about 1 minute. Add coconut milk.

2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. 

3. Using an electric mixer set on low speed, beat flour mixture into egg mixture until blended. Beat on high speed for 1 minute. Pour batter into prepared pan.

4. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Turn cake onto wire rack, cool completely.

5. While cake is cooling, whip cream with sugar and vanilla. Add sour cream to whipped topping, stir until smooth and well blended; stir in cream of coconut. 

6. Cut cake in half horizontally, forming two layers. Spread bottom layer with filling and place second layer on top. Cream mixture will be abundant. Carefully replace spring form mold around cake. Moisten top layer with coconut creme syrup. Cover and chill for six hours or overnight until cake has set up. 

7. In a small saucepan, bring corn syrup to a boil. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer set on medium speed, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. On high speed, drizzle hot corn syrup into egg whites in a thin, steady stream; add vanilla and beat until stiff peaks form.

8. In a small bowl, combine 3/4 c. coconut with 1 1/3 c. frosting.

9. Remove cake from spring form mold. Place cake on serving plate. Spread with coconut-frosting mixture. Cover top and sides of cake with remaining frosting. Press coconut into frosting on cake top and sides.