Halekulani's Legendary Coconut Cake Blends Tradition with Modern Luxury

The first famous coconut cake from Halekulani on April 9, 1958, cost 35 cents a slice.

Moses "Moke" Kawaha was the baker, with recipes for coconut cake, popovers and brownies. "Moke" enhanced the coconut cake recipe by using custard for the filling and freshly grated coconut for the topping.

The sponge cake tastes like the original, but the custard filling, amaretto pastry cream and coconut flakes were changed. Today, it is served with raspberry coulis and creme anglaise.

Here is the recipe from the Halekulani website:

Halekulani coconut cake

Serves 8

Sponge cake:

Dry: 3/4 cup cake flour 1/3 cup sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking powder

Wet: 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 large egg 1/3 cup water

To whip: Egg whites from 4 large eggs 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Note: I was not able to cut the 2-inch finished frozen cake into three layers, as it takes practice or a special tool to cut it evenly, so I ended up making two layers. You can double the sponge cake, but it is not necessary to double the pastry cream as you will make just one cake.

This sponge cake recipe makes a wonderful light cake!

Sift together in a small bowl, cake flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, fold the batter into the meringue only just to combine. Do not overmix.

Pour the entire batter into an ungreased 9-inch cake pan that has a round piece of parchment paper on the bottom for ease of removal and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Invert cake onto a flat surface lined with parchment paper. Set aside to cool.

Store in the freezer for several hours before cutting. (If you do not plan to cut the frozen cake in half and make a double recipe for the cake, you do not have to freeze the cake.)

Pastry cream:

1-3/4 cups milk 3 ounces sugar Pinch of salt 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean 1/4 cup milk 2 ounces cornstarch 2 large eggs 1 ounce butter 1-1/4 cups coconut flakes 1/2 cup Amaretto

Combine the 1-3/4 cups milk, sugar, salt, and vanilla into a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil.

Combine well the 1/4 cup milt with the cornstarch, then add the eggs and beat several times.

When the milk boils, temper the cornstarch mixture into the hot milk by pouring about 1/2 cup of the hot liquid into the cornstarch and mixing well, then pouring it back into the main pot.

Stir constantly until thick.

Remove from the heat and stir in the butter.

Remove the custard from the saucepan and place in a bowl.

Cover the custard with plastic wrap so it touches the custard. This will help present the skin from forming on the custard.

Place it over an ice bath to cool quickly. Store in the refrigerator.

Whipped cream:

3 cups heavy cream 3 tablespoons sugar

Combine the cream and sugar together in a mixing bowl and whip until stiff peaks form.

Note: One cup of whipped cream is to be added to the chilled pastry cream, and the remaining whipped cream is to be used to frost the cake.

After the pastry cream has cooled to the touch, fold in the coconut flakes, amaretto and 1 cup of the whipped cream.

Raspberry coulis:

1 pint fresh raspberries 1/4 cup simple syrup 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup water

Bring sugar and water to a boil and reduce for 5 minutes.

Chill the simple syrup over an ice water bath until cold.

Pulverize the raspberries and the simple syrup together in a blender and strain through a chinois.

Chill until ready to use. (I did not have raspberries so did not make it. The cake is so pretty and doesn't really need it.)

To assemble and serve:

When the cake is completely cooled, cut the cake into three layers using a serrated knife. (This is the difficult part.)

Place the bottom layer on a 9-inch cake board or serving plate.

Place half of the coconut cream on the first layer of the cake and spread to the edge of the cake evenly.

Place the second layer of the cake on top of the coconut cream and repeat this process, ending with the last layer of cake. (There will be only two layers if you do not cut the one and instead make two recipes of sponge cake, but it will still look great.)

Frost the entire cake with the remaining whipped cream and gently press the coconut flakes into the sides and top of the cake.

To serve: Cut the cake into 8 pieces and serve with raspberry coulis.

This cake will make a great potluck dessert for any gathering as it is so light in texture and very ono!