Coconut cake with coconut cream cheese frosting

Heat the oven to 350F. Line three nine-inch cake pans with parchment paper, then butter and flour them.

Sift the cake flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and baking powder together, then whisk to combine.

Add the room temperature butter to the dry ingredients.

Mix on low with a paddle attachment about one minute, to a crumbly sandy mixture.

Separate the eggs, keeping only the whites, and beat them lightly to break them up.

Add the egg whites to the crumbly mixture and start mixing on low.

Add the milk, vanilla and coconut extract while mixing on low.

Increase to medium and mix about one minute, scraping the bowl down after 30 seconds.

Fold in the sweetened shredded coconut.

Divide the batter evenly among the three pans, about 450 g each, and spread it level.

Bake at 350F about 30 minutes, rotating the pans halfway, until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Rest the cakes in the pans 20 minutes, then invert them to cool.

Beat the butter, cream cheese and salt on high about three minutes until creamy and fluffy.

Scrape the bowl, add the vanilla and coconut extract, then add the powdered sugar a cup at a time on medium speed.

Mix on medium until fluffy and creamy.

Put a dollop of frosting on the cake stand and set the first layer on it.

Spread one cup of frosting on the first layer, add the second layer and repeat with another cup, keeping each layer level.

Add the last layer, cover the top and sides with the rest of the frosting and seal the cake all over; it does not need smoothing.

Press the shredded coconut onto the top and sides straight away, before the frosting sets and stops holding it.

Chill half an hour before slicing.