Cake of the Day: Vertical Layer Coconut Cake

Photo: Vanessa Hernández

Vanessa Hernández of the food blog Chokolat Pimienta from Tabasco, Mexico, is back with a dessert that makes you think outside the box. As you dig into what may seem like an ordinary cake, you’ll discover vertical layers of coconut goodness in every slice. You can’t help but wonder how its made.

Hernández fills a jelly roll pan with a thin layer of coconut cake batter and bakes it in the oven. While it’s still warm, she dusts powdered sugar and flips the pan upside down. She then rolls the cake up in wax paper and allows it to cool. (This initial pre-roll ensures the cake won’t break in the final step.)

She then unravels the wound up sheet cake and spreads a coconut cream cheese frosting. The cake gets cut in half and now, for the fun part. Hernández takes one half of the cake and rolls it up, like a jelly roll cake. Then she plops that cake onto the second half of the remaining sheet cake, and keeps rolling it so it creates a very thick cake roll.

She then wraps and chills it in the fridge. When it’s time to serve, she places it on its side and frosts the remaining coconut cream cheese. Colorful, edible flowers and raspberries adorn the top for a cake. For a step-by-step tutorial check out her video below!

Get the recipe: Vertical Layer Coconut Cake

More cakes for coconut-lovers:

Vegan Coconut Mango Cheesecake

Lemon, Coconut, and Strawberry Cake

Thomas Keller’s 7-Layer Coconut Cake