

My son Robert has a severe dairy allergy and always has an Epipen on him. He is now 22 and I gave him a great cookbook for Christmas and came up with the idea of switching out butter for coconut oil. In the past, I have used margarine but was not happy with the results in baking a cake. The coconut oil worked well and the cake was actually better without butter.
If you have a daily allergy, I highly recommend this cookbook:
The Dairy-Free Kitchen: 100 Recipes for all the Creamy Foods You Love--Without Lactose, Casein, or Dairy
Saffie's MilkFree Coconut Cake
- 1.5 cups coconut oil
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups packed sweetened shredded coconut
- 2 2/3 cups sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 4 large egg whites
- 3 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups coconut milk (unsweetened)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease and flour 2 cake pans (I use olive oil but you can use coconut oil)
- Take one cup of the coconut and use the metal blade to chop the coconut up finely. You only have to pulse it a few times.
- Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl and then mix into the flour mixture.
In a mixing bowl:
- Cream the butter and sugar until the mixture is fluffy (I learned this in a baking class which is why I think all of my pound cakes used to fail). It's about 4-5 minutes. I use the paddle and not the whisk attachment for the mixer.
- Add eggs, egg whites and vanilla. Mix well.
- Add flour and coconut milk in 3 batches.
Pour into your pans and cook for 35 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness. Make sure it comes out clean.
Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then run a knife around the sides and turn the cake over on the rack. Let cool completely.
You can wrap and freeze the cakes until you are ready to frost. I always put the cake in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before I frost so it doesn't crumble as much.
Seven Minute Frosting
- 1 3/4 sugar
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1/4 cup water
- 6 large egg whites
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine 1.5 cups of sugar, corn syrup and water.
- Cook until the sugar is dissolved - about 4 minutes.
- Raise the heat and bring to a boil without stirring. Wash down the sides with a pastry brush dipped in water to keep the sugar from crystalizing on the sides.
- Keep cooking until 230 degrees with a candy thermometer - about 5 minutes.
Simultaneously, in the electric mixer with the whisk attachment:
- Beat egg whites to soft peaks - about 3 minutes on medium.
- Slowly add 1/4 cup sugar.
- Reduce speed to medium low.
When the syrup gets to 230 degrees, remove from heat. Slowly pour syrup down the side of the bowl in a steady stream while the mixer is at medium low.
Put the mixer on medium and beat until cool, thick and shiny - about 7 minutes. Add the vanilla and use immediately.
Saffie Leedy Farris
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