Recipe from Simone (Simca) Beck
Adapted by Dorie Greenspan
- Total Time
- 1½ hours, plus cooling and chilling
- Rating
- 4(1,163)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This coconut cake was adapted from a recipe by Simone (Simca) Beck, best known as Julia Child’s co-author on “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” She called it“Gâteau d’Hélène: a white cake filled and iced with coconut cream and apricot.”The recipe, published in Ms. Beck’s 1972 book, “Simca’s Cuisine” (Lyons Press, 1998), capped what she called a “carefree lunch” because it could be made ahead. Indeed, this cake is best baked, filled, frosted and refrigerated for at least an hour (or up to two days). Kind of like a madeleine, its layers are purposefully a bit dry, as they need to hold a dousing of orange juice and rum. The whipped cream filling and frosting is soft and dreamy. It’s an elegant celebration cake. —Dorie Greenspan
Featured in: A Coconut Cake for the Ages
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Ingredients
Yield:1 (8-inch) cake (about 8 servings)
- ¾cup/170 grams unsalted butter (1½ sticks), at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan
- 1½cups/192 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pan
- 1½teaspoons baking powder
- ¼teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1cup/200 grams granulated sugar
- Finely grated zest of 1 orange (save the juice for the filling)
- 3large eggs, at room temperature
- ¼cup/60 milliliters orange juice
- 2tablespoons dark rum (or more orange juice)
- ½cup/160 grams apricot preserves
- 1½cups/360 milliliters cold heavy cream
- 1teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓cup/66 grams granulated sugar
- 1½cups/128 grams unsweetened shredded coconut
For the Cake
For the Filling and Frosting
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
724 calories; 46 grams fat; 31 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 73 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 47 grams sugars; 8 grams protein; 197 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Make the cake: Center a rack in the oven, and heat to 325 degrees. Butter an 8-inch springform pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper, and butter the paper; dust with flour and shake out the excess.
Step
2
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and sea salt.
Step
3
Working with a mixer, beat together the butter, sugar and orange zest on medium speed for about 4 minutes, until pale and creamy. Add the eggs one by one, beating for 1 minute after each egg goes in, and scraping often.
Step
4
Reduce the speed to low, and add half the flour mixture, beating until it almost disappears into the batter. Add the remaining flour mixture, and beat until it is incorporated. Give the batter a last stir with a spatula, then scrape it into the pan, smoothing the top.
Step
5
Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack, let the cake cool 20 minutes, then run a table knife along the edges and remove the pan’s sides. Invert the cake onto the rack, remove the bottom of the pan and the parchment, turn the cake over and cool to room temperature right side up.
Step
6
Cut the cake into three layers; flip the top layer so that the crumb is exposed.
Step
7
Prepare the filling and frosting: Stir together the orange juice and rum (if using), and using a brush or spoon, lightly moisten each layer with the liquid, then spread with apricot preserves.
Step
8
Working with a mixer, whip the cream just until it holds soft peaks, and add the vanilla. Working on medium speed, add the sugar in a slow, steady stream; stop beating when all the sugar is incorporated and the cream is firm. Spoon about ½ cup of the cream into a small bowl, and stir in about ⅔ cup of the shredded coconut. You’ll have a very thick mixture.
Step
9
Place the layer that was the top of the cake on a serving platter, jam side up, and cover with half the coconut cream. Top with the middle layer, jam side up, and spread with the remaining coconut cream. Place the last layer on the cake, jam side down. Using an icing spatula or a table knife, frost the entire cake with the remaining whipped cream, then coat with the remaining shredded coconut.
Step
10
The cake can be served now, but it tastes and cuts better after it’s been refrigerated for at least an hour.
Ratings
4
out of 5
1,163
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Cooking Notes
Roy Sheinwald
You can stabilize whipped cream with gelatin and the dessert will keep in the fridge for several days. ½ t of gelatin bloomed in 1 T water. Melt the gelatin in the microwave for a few seconds or in a cup in a pan of simmering water. Gradually add the warm gelatin to half whipped cream and finish whipping until medium firm peaks. - From the Pastry Bible
Marc Longlois
1/4 cup of Sour Cream will stabilized the Whipped Cream, and the flavor profile works with this cake.
Kingsleigh Inn - Southwest Harbor Maine
Substitute powered sugar for granulated in the frosting and et voila! whipped cream that will go the distance. And, don't forget to whip in a chilled (from freezer) metal bowl. We serve several desserts with fresh made whipped cream.
Euphemia Thompson
The only problem with this is, it needs to be consumed in 24 hours, or the cream doesn't hold up well. We're only two people. I rarely have enough company to justify it. However, I could do cupcakes, and freeze 2/3 of them; then make enough whipped cream for 2-4 of them, on an "as needed" basis. Ditto the syrup.
Jeanne
Re cutting those layers: A favorite baking gadget is the Westmark Simplex-Duo cake cutter AKA Tortenschneider. A handle holds 2 adjustable cutting wires allowing multiple settings to cleanly and evenly make nice level layers with minimum effort. The 2 wires create 3 equal layers all in one motion. Can be set to cut only 2 layers also, as desired. Super easy to use. Mine is very old from a kitchen shop but I see they’re currently on Amazon.
Suzanne
Mascarpone or creme fraiche will also stabilize the whipped cream and actually make it creamier and richer tasting.
Carol
Re: baking in three pans… you need three cut slices for an open crumb so the rum/apricot mixture saturates the cake.
Easterner
It has gotten hard to find, but Trader Joe still carries it: Get Pasteurized Heavy Cream, not Ultra-pasteurized. The Pasteurized Heavy Cream, stabilized only with some confectioner's sugar, will hold up for a week on a cake. It does not weep and liquify like the ultra-pasteurized. But watch out: the pasteurized heavy cream must be watched carefully when beating so that it does not turn into butter. The Ultra-pasteurized can't turn into butter, but it also does not hold its stiffness.
cathrine
You could also make a batch of Ina Garten's Make Ahead Whipped Cream, which keeps for a couple of days covered in the fridge. It uses creme fraiche as a stabilizer and is delicious. She serves it with a berry Pavlova or her Tres Leches cake - life changing
sue
I have been making this cake for years (from Simca’s cookbook). It never fails to receive raves…the perfect sweet.
Irma
I’m going to use guava instead of apricot for this filling. Make it really tropical!
Beverly Norindr
I have been making a genoise cake with rum in cake layers, apricot jam and whipped cream for 30 years every year, and I simply freeze it, cut it after it has been taken out of freezer. No need for gelatin. Just whip it to the correct consistency. I keep it in the freezer and cut a piece or two and put it back. With a chocolate shell on the outside it has been our family's favorite.
Paul
I use Dr. Oetker Whip It to stabilize whipped cream:https://www.oetker.ca/ca-en/our-products/baking-ingredients/dr-oetker-whip-it
NEE
1/4 cup of sour cream, or mascarpone, or creme fraiche will stabilize the whipped cream ( last longer).use guava instead of apricot.Ina Garten Make Ahead Whipped Cream ...
Dodie Jacobi
Maybe go almond instead of orange, a natural complement to the apricot and coconuts.
Maya
I love this cake! Note you need a springform pan. I have made the orange/apricot version in the winter. Then in Florida summer I make a tropical version: substitute lime zest for orange zest, pineapple juice for orange juice, and guava jam (called guava dessert at Latin grocery) for apricot jam. Coconut is the same!
LolaCole
Made cake instead w 1/2 recipe Joanne Chang’s coconut chiffon cake.
cate
Did you still bake it in a springform pan? Did you get 3 layers from it?
caitlin
Did anyone have a heck of a time getting the apricot preserves to spread? Maybe the brand I got was too thick, but I had a really hard time getting the preserves to spread evenly over each entire layer and the cake was very crumbly. I also had a hard time getting the coconut/cream mixture to spread evenly.
Ella
I made this cake twice but with mixed results both times. Both times the cake didn't rise properly for me and ended up pretty dry. I took notes from the commenters and added the gelatin to the frosting and it turned out all right. Overall I like the flavor combinations, but I would try it with a different cake recipe.
goldfinch
Confused by these directions, like somethings missing. I don’t understand about the cream and coconut. Reserve 1/2 cup cream and stir in 2/3 cup coconut? Stir the rest of the coconut into the remaining cream and use it to frost the cake? If that’s the case, what is the reserved cream for?
Ella
I made this as specified 5 days ago, and my whipped cream has held up beautifully without any stabilization. Unfortunately I don’t have a 8” springform, so I used a 9” and baked for 45 minutes. It probably only needed 40. I then chickened out and only cut my sponge in half, but the rise was good enough I probably could’ve gotten 3. I made my own apricot preserves, using the Alison Roman recipe for stone fruit jam. It’s a really beautiful cake and everyone who’s tried it has given it rave reviews
Melanie
My mother prepared a cake like this every year for my father on his birthday. She always made boiled icing which is a bit tricky and it doesn’t keep well but that was his favorite.
Susan
Any suggestions (beyond reducing the baking powder) for baking this at altitude? We're at 6,000 feet.
Andi
This is a fantastic cake. Followed the instructions "to a T" and it turned out great. (Did add some sour cream to the frosting, as others suggested.). Day 3 and it still tastes fresh! Will make again.
sara
Delicious cake but too flat for three layers only got two. Checked it at 45 minutes and was already done…would reduce less next time. Toasted the coconut because I am into that. Very very yum.
Michael McConnell
I've made this fantastic recipe three times now, and after reading all of the notes about unstable whipped cream, I'm wondering what I could be doing wrong. I make it exactly as described in the recipe and have never had a problem. It all holds up beautifully if refrigerated. And anyway, it's so delicious, if there is any cake left after four days, you've made it wrong.
tal
Is a springform pan necessary? It seems like with a parchment paper bottom and buttered sides, you can get the cake out of a round pan pretty smoothly.
Richard
"It seems"... that means you haven't tried. Give it a try and find out if the recipe is correct. I generally trust recipe authors; they can be over-cautious, but that's probably a good thing.
LindaT
Use Dr Oetker's Whip It. It's a great whipped cream stabilizer!
Alene
Has anyone tried it gluten free? I have a lovely recipe for a gluten free sponge. Maybe I'll try that.
amy
I just baked this for my 50th birthday… i didnt have an orange but used red grapefruit zest and juice instead and did not use Rum in the recipe.. it came out beautifully perhaps a bit more tart with the grapefruit - i will be making this lovely easy to make cake again! Plus it looks gorgeous xx
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