Coconut-Lovers Cake

For the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a round cake pan (9-by-2 inches).

Into a medium sized bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a separate medium sized bowl combine the buttermilk, coconut milk, and vanilla.

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer at medium speed, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, beating well after each addition.

At low speed beat in the dry ingredients in 3 batches; between each batch add half of the buttermilk mixture.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the surface. Bake until the cake is golden (about 40 minutes). Remove from oven. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes before transferring to a plate or cooling rack to cool completely. Once cool, cut the cake horizontally into two layers.

For the filling:
Prepare the vanilla pudding according to the manufacturer’s instructions, leaving out about 1/4 cup of the liquid needed. You’ll want 2-3 cups of pudding for this recipe, amount depends on preference. Once the pudding is cooled, mix in the shredded coconut.

For the topping:
Combine the shredded coconut with the whipped cream and refrigerate until use.

For the assembly:
Place one of the cake layers (cut-side up) on the serving dish. Spread with the filling and place the other cake layer (cut-side up) on top. Refrigerate for at least ten minutes. Then, using about a third of the topping, frost the top and sides of the cake for a crumb coat. Refrigerate again for at least 20 minutes to allow the crumb coat to set. Afterwards frost with the rest of the topping and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Recipe for cake slightly adapted from FoodAndWine.com.