Chinese Coconut cake recipe

In the Vietnamese repertoire, sponge cakes (banh bong lan) are the go-to cake because they require just a handful of low-cost ingredients. The delicate sponges are great for cakes such as strawberry and cream cake or a Christmas yule log cake. But when you want to pour on the love, a butter cake is the answer. It’s richer with more butter, yet light because of the fair amount of baking powder. It’s also enriched by additional fat by way of milk, or in my case here, coconut milk, which gives the cake a tropical twist and good for the lactose intolerant. You can use this cake as a substitute for the sponge cake layers in the strawberry and cream cake. Layers of this cake are the foundation for my coconut and pineapple cake.

Cake baking tips:

• Please weigh the flour for this cake. Get a scale as it really makes a difference.
• Cake flour substitutes:

• Use unbleached all-purpose flour instead of cake flour, going by weight measurement. The cake will be superb but not have as tender of a crumb.
• Combine 3 parts all-purpose bleached flour with 1 part cornstarch to create cake flour.

• Form a raised ridge at the rim to bake this cake so that it has an even/flat top. Cakes with lots of leavening, such as baking powder, will rise with a center dome if you don't take precautions!

How to cream butter and sugar
It's not as simple as many recipes make it out to be - whether you're creaming butter and sugar for a pound cake, layer cake, or cookies. Cream the ingredients with care and you'll get a lighter, more tender texture in your baked goods. In the past, people creamed butter and sugar by hand, but and electric mixer makes the job exceeding easy.