Coconut Buttermilk Pound Cake

I have been interning at a local patisserie, Sweet Melissa’s, in Brooklyn. It has been a great experience so far. I have never had formal training at a culinary school so this internship has really helped to increase my confidence and skill set.

I have learned a lot in the internship. Like, making sure certain ingredients are at room temperature, and how humidity plays a role. I have gotten better at mixing batters and being able to avoid over mixing. I have been taking what I learn and applying it at home as well.

So, what did I bake today? Well, let me tell you about this coconut buttermilk pound cake I came across on marthastewart.com. I have always liked coconut so this was not a hard sell, but it looked gorgeous.  I was excited to try this one out.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour. plus a bit for dusting the pan
• 1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter room temp, plus a bit for greasing the pan
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs room temp
• 1 cup buttermilk (plus 2 tbsp for glaze)
• 1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut, toasted (some will be used for topping)

Glaze:

• 2 tablespoons of buttermilk
• 1 cup confectioners sugar

Topping:

• 1/4 cup toasted coconut sprinkled on top of glaze

First I preheated the oven to 350 degrees. While the oven was heating, I greased my 9 x 5 x 2 3/4 pan with a nub of butter and lightly coated it with flour.

Then on a large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper I spread out 1 1/2 cups of coconut and placed it into the oven. I checked the oven about every 20 seconds (crazy I know, but it can burn quick) and stirred the coconut each time until lightly toasted. I let it cool and transferred it to a small bowl.

I mixed together my flour, baking powder, and salt. I made sure to scrape my bowl before each new addition, as well as making sure not to over mix. Mixing just enough to incorporate.

In the mixer bowl I creamed 1 1/2 sticks of butter, and 1 cup of sugar until nice and fluffy. This took about 8 minutes.

I added 1 teaspoon of vanilla and mixed. Then I added 1 egg at a time until all three were incorporated.

On the lower setting I added my dry ingredients (the flour, baking powder, and salt) in three parts and the buttermilk in two parts alternating them.

I folded in 1 1/4 cups of toasted coconut by hand.

I poured the batter into the loaf pan and baked it on the center rack for 60 minutes, turning it around half way though. I made sure a toothpick inserted in the center came out clean, although a crumb or two attached would have been ok as well.

I placed my cooling rack inside of a large rimmed baking sheet and let my pound cake cool for about an hour. Once mostly cooled, I removed it from my loaf pan and let it finish cooling on the rack.

For the glaze, in a small bowl I mixed together 2 tablespoons of buttermilk and 1 cup of confectioners sugar.

I poured the glaze evenly over the top of the pound cake.

To finish, I sprinkled the remaining toasted coconut on top of the glaze.

Such a fantastic dessert. Moist, subtle hints of coconut, and the right amount of sweetness!

This bread goes great as a treat with afternoon tea. Or, if you find yourself without tea, it makes for a great afternoon treat anyways!