LOUISIANA CRUNCH CAKE

Louisiana Crunch Cake is a southern classic! The yellow cake layer is extremely tender with sugar and flaked coconut that creates that ‘crunch’. Sweet and slightly tangy icing on top ties the whole thing together. Perfect for summer picnics to serve along with fruit or with a good cup of coffee!

Once upon a time (meaning this past Friday), I made a Louisiana crunch cake with the most deliciously sweet and tangy icing.

After I poured the frosting all over my face freshly baked Louisiana crunch cake, I took deep breathes as the frosting slowly trickled down the sides of the hot cake. Obvi, I licked the remaining frosting clean out of the bowl. Sheesh. We don’t waste in this house. Especially not deliciously sweet icing!

Sweet and tangy icing with a crunch coconut layer on a yellow vanilla cake. Be still my beating heart.

Guess what? This cake happened all weekend long, that’s what. In thick slices that were coated with a generous drizzle, er dollop, er coating? of that glaze-frosting we all l-o-v-e.

Louisiana crunch cake for breakfast (with coffee), lunch (with more crunch cake + coffee), and dinner (with milk, more Louisiana crunch cake, and being comfy cozy lying on the couch binge watching Orange is the New Black). How does that not sound perfect? I. Dont. Know.

Just a few tips about this recipe.

First, please do not over mix this cake. It requires a gentle mix once you start adding the cake flour/baking soda/baking powder into the creamed butter/sugar mixture. Also, be sure to not over bake this cake. You want to test the cake from 40 minutes onwards. Mine took exactly 47 minutes but it can take up to an hour depending on whether you use an angel food cake pan or a bundt cake pan.

And lastly, don’t try to take the cake out of the pan right away. With this being such a moist cake, the outcome with be a pure explosion of crumbly (but delicious) cake all over your kitchen counter. Let the cake sit for at least 20 minutes. It should start pulling away from the pan at the point. Using a butter knife, loosen the edges and allow cake to cool for an additional 10 minutes. Prepare the icing in the meantime because you’ll want to plate the cake and drizzle the icing over the sugar and coconut dusted side immediately.

This Lousiana crunch cake is perfect to serve at 4th of July barbecues or picnics. It’s also perfect along with a good cup of coffee everyday of the week! 😉

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Yield: 12-14

Louisiana Crunch Cake

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Louisiana Crunch Cake is a southern classic! The yellow cake layer is extremely tender with sugar and flaked coconut that creates that 'crunch'. Sweet and slightly tangy icing on top ties the whole thing together. Perfect for summer picnics to serve along with fruit or with a good cup of coffee!

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Ingredients

For the Louisiana crunch cake:

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut flakes, packed
• 3 cups cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/4 cup greek yogurt (1%, 0% it's up to you)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 cup buttermilk

For the sweet and tangy glaze:

• 2 cups powdered sugar (confectioners)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons evaporated milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoon lemon juice

Instructions

To make the Louisiana Crunch Cake:

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a nonstick angel food cake or bundt cake pan with nonstick cooking spray. Drop the 1/4 cup of sugar in the pan and move the pan around to distribute the sugar evenly all over the bottom and up the sides. Leave excess sugar inside. Spread the sweetened coconut flakes evenly on the bottom. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the cake flour, baking powder, and baking soda until just combined. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter for 5 minutes. It should be come lighter in color and creamy. Add the sugar and continue to mix for another 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time waiting until each egg is completely mixed before adding the next. Add the greek yogurt next, along with the vanilla extract and the lemon juice. Add the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the buttermilk, make sure to start and end with the flour mixture. Do not overmix. I stopped the mixer when the last flour mixture was added and stirred manually until just mixed.
4. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. Make sure to spread the batter evenly all over. Bake for 40 minutes to 1 hour. Insert a wooden skewer to test cake. A few crumbs to no crumbs is what you're looking for. Depending on whether you used the angel food cake pan or the bundt cake pan, your bake time will vary. I used an angel food cake pan and it took exactly 47 minutes. If using the bundt cake pan, it will take longer.
5. Remove the cake from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes at room temperature. Run a butter knife along the edges of the cake to make sure it isn't sticking to the pan. The cake should naturally start pulling away within a few minutes of being out of the oven. Let the cake sit for an additional 10 minutes. Prepare the icing in the meantime.

To make the sweet and tangy icing:

1. Combine the powdered sugar, melted butter, evaporated milk, vanilla extract, and lemon juice. The icing will seem a little thick, do not thin it out naturally. Pouring it on a hot cake causes it to thin out. Pour the icing on the top of the cake, gently use a spatula or a butter knife to help push the icing over the edges for that waterfall effect. Let icing harden before serving, 20 minutes.

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