Banana Rum Coconut Cake

Cake is good.  Cake is great.  Cake goes with any and every occasion.  And when you are taking your brand new, KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer for its maiden voyage, you need to make something epic.  Enter:  Banana Rum Coconut Cake.  It’s so moist.  It’s so flavorful.  It tastes like banana bread and a cake had too many Pina Coladas and created this delicious child.  It was the perfect cake to make.  

 Banana Rum Coconut Cake:

-2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

-1 tsp baking powder

-1/2 tsp baking soda

-1/4 tsp salt

-1 1/2 sticks (12 tbsp) butter or margarine

-2/3 cup sugar

-1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

-1 tsp vanilla

-3 eggs

-1 1/2 cups smashed banana

-2/3 cup milk

-2 tbsp rum

-1 recipe vanilla frosting (make your own or use a store bought jar- I ended up needing to use a store bought one since there was no room in our fridge and my go-to recipe requires it to be refridgerated)

-2 2/3 cups (about 1 [7oz] package), sweetened shredded coconut

Spray 2 (I got fancy and did 3) 8 or 9 inch round cake pans with cooking spray.  Set aside.  In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  In a separate, large mixing bowl, combine the butter, sugar, and vanilla.  Beat the butter mixture on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, or until lightened in color and well whipped.  

Next, beat in the eggs.  Beat for 1-2 more minutes, to make sure the eggs are well incorporated.
In another bowl smash the bananas with the milk and rum.

 On low speed, add the flour mixture and banana mixture alternately.  Once all of the ingredients have been incorporated, beat the batter on high for 3 minutes. 

Divide the batter evenly into your prepared cake pans.  Bake for 20-30 minutes (depending on how many pans you are making), or until the cake has risen, is a deep golden brown, and feels firm when pressed with your fingertips.

Beautiful!  Let the cakes cool completely.  When you are ready to assemble the cake, smear a small amount of frosting on whatever dish you are going to use, and place your first layer ontop of it.  This little bit of frosting will keep it anchored to the dish, so the cake won't get pushed around while you frost it.  Smear a 1/4 inch layer of frosting over the entire cake, stacking the layers on top of each other.  

Now for the coconut (you may want to place a layer of wax paper over your work surface- this part gets super messy!): using your hands, grab a handful of coconut, and press it into the frosting.  Whatever coconut falls off, simply scoop up and press into an open section of frosting.  Cover the entire cake.  When you are finished, gently pull the wax paper from around your cake.

Ta-Da!  Look at that gorgeous, delicious cake.  Its amazing.  Now stop drooling over the picture and MAKE IT!  :)