Greek Coconut Cake

Thanks for sharing!

This syrup soaked cake is LOADED with coconut and it is delicious, moist and full of flavor! Greek Coconut Cake is going to be a new favorite!

Rich cake loaded with coconut and topped with coconut. This syrup is straight from the Greek isles, and a taste or two will transport you there. 

It may only be in your mind, but it will be a fun trip nonetheless! So enjoy the process of making, baking and tasting this coconut filled cake.

It’s cake time, it’s cake time, everyone. It’s cake time!  I don’t think I have ever baked (or eaten) as many cakes in my life as I have these past few months.

You’d think we never eat anything else, but somehow we manage to get in our three square meals a day despite all of the cake!

Of course, the twentieth of the month always calls for cake.  This month’s choices for the Cake Slice Bakers all looked like winners.

There was the Ten Layer Coffee Chocolate cake, which totally has my name written all over it, actually.  I was really tempted, but with so much going on, I wasn’t sure I could devote the time to it, and I thought maybe it would be good to show a little restraint.

The Banana Loaf actually looked really good, too, but I already have quite a few banana baked goods posted, and I like to try something new and exciting. The Mandarin, Polenta, and Macadamia Cake sounded really interesting as well.

In fact, I’d love to give that a try one of these days, too.  But the 4th and final choice ended up being a shoe in when all of the chips fell.

If there ever was a cake that seemed destined to be made, this one was it.  I was already leaning in the direction of this Greek Coconut Cake when looking at this month’s choices.  Then MiMi mentioned that she was planning to make a Greek inspired dish for family dinner.

Hmmm, Greek inspired dinner followed by Greek inspired cake sounded like something that should happen.  Then, one of my dearest blog friends, Debbie, who happens to live in Greek islands, said that her son requested a coconut cake for his birthday.

I couldn’t help but wonder if they were at all similar.  Is it, Debbie? I am really dying to know! It seemed like all of the signs were pointing toward making this cake.

A beautiful shot Deb took on one of her walks!

Now, a quick little aside about Debbie.  She blogs over at Deb’s Random Writings.  A lot of her posts are photographs she takes on her walks around the island.

One look, and you will be dying to visit.  The landscapes and scenery are nothing like I have here in the Midwest, so it is fun to be transported through her pictures.

I suggest you go take a look to get in the mood for this cake!  Don’t worry, I’ll wait for you to come back.

Back to the cake.  I did do a few adjustments to the recipe that Roger wrote in World Class Cakes.

I stuck with the intent of the recipe but made a few very minor tweaks to accommodate ingredients that are easier to find or that I always have on hand.  The exception is the flaked coconut.

I really liked the look of it on the top of his cake.  I know I have seen unsweetened flake coconut around, but it still took me two stores and a lot of scouring to find it.

I found dehydrated chunks, which wouldn’t work, and of course, there was plenty of shredded coconut.  I ended up finding it in the health market section of the store.

It was on the pricier side, so I decided to use it for the topping and regular shredded for in the cake. I also tweaked the method a bit to make it a way that felt a bit more natural to me.  But in the end, the cake is pretty darn close to what he published.

I can’t wait for you to read the ingredients and see if you have the same thoughts I did.  9 eggs in a one layer 9-inch cake?

Only 2 cups of flour and 7 whole cups of coconut? Gee whiz!  Roger said he made his in a 9″ cake pan and turned it out when it was done.

Tried as I might, I just couldn’t imagine turning it out with all of that coconut topping on top and having it turn out ok.  So, I opted for a springform.

All in all, I think that was a good choice.  Next time, I will certainly go with a bigger one, though!

The only issue I had with the springform itself was losing some of the syrup out the bottom.  In the end, I probably lost about a third of the syrup to the counter, the floor, and the bottom of the oven.

It turned out I had plenty for the cake, but I did find myself in a stick mess.  Of course, that sticky mess led to a smoky mess when the cake was finished, and I turned on the oven’s self-cleaning cycle.  Oh well, at least the cake turned out!

When I took the finished cake out of the oven and saw all of the gooey topping everywhere, I thought for sure it would stick to the springform, and I’d end up with a broken cake.  So I took a couple of pictures of the cake in the pan just in case that was the last time it looked good.

Then, when the prescribed 10 minutes was up, I ran a plastic knife between the cake and the pan and popped it open.

Like magic, it released! I held my breath one last time, transferring it off the bottom and onto the plate, but somehow, it all worked out!

I have to say this cake was definitely a winner.  The coconut flavor is so good, and the eggy cake is just right.

All of that syrup makes the cake so moist and amazing, even a few days later.  And of course, a caramelized coconut topping never hurt a thing.

I would definitely think of making this cake again, but next time, I am using a bigger pan and putting it on a sheet pan for safety sake!  I also think it would be fun to try a honey version of the syrup.

Wouldn’t that be fun?!  There are so many options and so many things to think about.  All of this thinking is making me want another slice of cake.  Excuse me while I go grab some!

If you would prefer a little chocolate with your coconut cake, may I suggest Ellen’s german chocolate cake?  Or if you want to do something a little less traditional, how about my great-grandma’s german chocolate cake with broiled coconut frosting?

Or make some coconut bon bons for a no bake chocolate and coconut candy treat. No matter which you decide to make, you are going to have happy taste buds!

Thanks for sharing!