Vegan Coconut Cake with Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

Instructions

• Prepare: Preheat your oven to fan-forced 160°C/320°F or conventional 180°C/356°F. Line the base of two 8-inch tins with a circle of parchment and the sides with a strip of parchment paper.
• Mix dry ingredients: Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt into a bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.
• Make vegan buttermilk: Mix the non-dairy milk and vinegar in a jug and set aside.
• Cream the sugar and butter: Add the butter and sugar to a large bowl and whisk for 2 minutes. Don't worry if the mixture isn't completely fluffy at this stage.
• Add the wet ingredients: To the creamed butter and sugar, add the yogurt, olive oil, and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Whisk in the evaporated coconut milk.
• Make the batter: Add half of the dry ingredients and half of the vegan buttermilk to the batter and mix. Repeat with the other half of the dry ingredients and buttermilk, but stop mixing while there are still some visible pockets of flour. Fold in the shredded coconut until just combined.
• Bake: Transfer the cake batter to the lined cake pans and bake for 45-50 minutes. To check they are done, insert a skewer or toothpick into the center, it should come out almost clean with a few crumbs. If there is still wet batter on the skewer, continue to bake for another 5 minutes as needed.
• Cool the cakes: Let the cakes cool in the tins for 10 minutes and then carefully turn them out onto a cooling rack to cool further. Wait for the cakes to cool completely before making the frosting. You can refrigerate the cakes in an airtight container until ready to use.
• Frosting: Add the chilled cream cheese and coconut cream to a bowl and whisk until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and scraped-out vanilla pod and whisk until combined.
• Assembly: Place a tiny amount of frosting on a cake turntable and secure the first sponge layer on top of it. Scoop some frosting on top of the first cake layer, and use an offset spatula/pallet knife to spread it in an even layer. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of shredded coconut on top, and place it in the freezer briefly for 5 minutes. Repeat the next layer. Use the remaining frosting to coat around the sides and smooth it out with a cake scraper. Dust the remaining shredded coconut all over the top and sides of the cake.