Halekulani coconut cake was the cake our mother made for every birthday while we grew up. She served it with chocolate ice cream, and that pairing defined special occasions in our home. It remains the cake we request for celebrations today: light, layered with just the right amount of pastry cream, and deeply flavored with toasted coconut and vanilla bean.
This recipe is inspired by the famous coconut cake at the Halekulani Hotel in Hawaii. Our version stays close to that original while adding toasted coconut into the pastry cream for a richer, more textured filling. We adored this cake as children and still do—our mother still says, “In my opinion, this is the best cake on the planet.”
Halekulani Coconut Cake
Prep Time 1 30
Cook Time 1
Cooling 1
Total Time 3 30
Servings 12
Ingredients
Pastry Cream:
- 1 cup toasted coconut flakes
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup minus a tablespoon 90 g sugar
- ¼ cup flour
- 4 egg yolks + 1 whole egg
Cake:
- ¾ cup cake flour
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 egg
- ⅓ cup water
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 egg whites
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¼ cup sugar
- Whipped Cream:
- 3 cups whipped cream
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 cups coconut flakes
Instructions
Pastry Cream:
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Toast 1 cup of coconut flakes over medium heat until just golden. Remove from heat and let cool.
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Set a bowl aside for cooling and place a fine-mesh sieve or strainer on top.
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In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks, the whole egg, flour, and sugar together until smooth. Set aside.
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Combine the milk, vanilla bean paste, and salt in a saucepan. Heat over medium-high until just under a boil, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
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Temper the eggs by whisking one-third of the hot milk into the egg mixture, then pour that back into the remaining milk. Cook over medium heat, whisking, until the mixture thickens to the consistency of lightly whipped cream and comes just to a boil. Remove immediately and strain into the prepared bowl to stop cooking.
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Stir the cream occasionally for about 10 minutes while it cools slightly, then fold in the cooled toasted coconut flakes.
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Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a skin, then refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour while you prepare the cake and whipped cream.
Cake:
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Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
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Sift together the cake flour, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, salt, and baking powder into a medium bowl.
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Add the egg, water, and vegetable oil to the dry ingredients and mix until smooth.
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In a separate bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar until soft peaks begin to form.
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With the mixer on low, slowly add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and continue to whip until a meringue forms.
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Gently fold the batter into the meringue until combined. Pour into an ungreased 9-inch cake pan — do not line or grease the pan, as the cake is meant to cling to the sides while baking. Bake 30–40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean and the top is golden brown.
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Invert the cake onto a cooling rack and allow it to cool completely.
Assembly:
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Whip the cream with 2 tablespoons sugar until medium peaks form.
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Reserve 1 cup of the whipped cream and fold it into the chilled pastry cream; the remaining whipped cream will be used to frost the cake.
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Carefully slice the cooled cake into four even layers. We find it easiest to cut the cake in half, then cut each half in half again, creating thin layers.
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Spread one-third of the coconut pastry cream on the first layer, then repeat with the remaining layers until all four are stacked.
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Frost the assembled cake with the remaining whipped cream and press coconut flakes over the exterior to coat the cake completely.
Notes
This recipe was adapted from the original Halekulani hotel coconut cake.
