Red Velvet Coconut Strawberry Cake- A super moist cake recipe !!!
Yesterday was a pot-luck party at a friends place and all I could think was to recreate this infamous Red Velvet Cake and share it with my lovely readers….. Yes, you guys!……. and trust me, you are sure to fall in love with the taste and texture of this super moist cake!! 
Let me be honest, I have not been a big fan of the traditional Red Velvet Cake. The first time I tried it, the frosting caught be off guard ! As you can imagine, the researcher in me has been experimenting it for quite some time until my taste buds approved a 5 star on this recreated recipe- and even better, the filling adds so much to the taste !
This cake also was a hit at my husband’s workplace 🙂 It tasted so good that it was gone within a few minutes after leaving it at the lunch room !! A highlighted moment that validated this recipe was when a French colleague that wasn’t a fan of traditional red velvet fell in love with this cake that he went for a second serving- A glorious moment for a Baker-like me !
RECIPE HIGHLIGHTS
First, preheat your oven to 320F/160C. Yes, I find using a lower temperature for a longer time helps with even baking and softer crumbs. Here are the three main stages explained.
STAGE 1– Preparation of sugar syrup. Heat water and sugar together in a microwave-safe bowl, at high power, 2-3 minutes until the sugar dissolves completely. Stop in between to stir and scrape down the sides to prevent sugar from charring.You will notice that my “white cake mix” has granulated sugar. These granules help with aerating the flour, while the sugar syrup helps with an easy even blend of the ingredients. I use a hot (not boiling) syrup , so it helps bring other cold “wet ingredients” to room temperature, ideal for baking.
STAGE 2- Is the preparation of the “White Cake Mix” which involves mixing, sifting and fluffing… as mentioned in my previous blog articles this is a pivotal step in baking. Look at the “torted” cake layer below. Notice how tender the cake looks with no tunnels or holes. This is a result of good flour preparation.
STAGE 3– The careful incorporation and mixing of wet with dry ingredients. Over mixing gives a tough chewy cake while under mixing gives an unevenly baked cake. Mix for the recommended time, this is a good place to have a kitchen timer in hand.
Immediately pour the batter into two 8″ * 3″ cake pans. Be careful not to leave the door open for too long when inserting the cake pans into the oven as it could cause deflation. Bake for 45 minutes. At this point, you will notice the sides are slightly browned and starting to detach from the cake pans. Test for “doneness” and proceed to “cooling“.
It baked so even, thanks to these DIY “Bake-even strips”, there was no need for leveling the cake !
For my vegetarian readers looking for egg substitutes- here are my 3 recommended substitutes( from PETA) that work great in place of eggs. Ener-G egg replacer is a foolproof option….can’t go wrong with it!
FILLING AND FROSTING
Each layer was filled with fresh cut strawberries, sweet coconut flakes and then topped with the icing. The icing consistency is thin in this recipe. If you want it stiffer then replace 1 cup of butter with vegetable shortening or margarine and add 50 grams confectioners sugar. The frosting is so light giving a delicious “melt in the mouth” feel which you must experience !!! I experimented by using a warm (not hot) cake when frosting and the result was so flavorful , the icing literally melted into the layers giving a heavenly moist taste. Remember this cake is super tender and moist so I wouldn’t recommend applying fondant over it ( I have a simple red velvet recipe coming up that can also be used for fondant cakes)
- For the cake
- Thula's White Cake Mix (click for recipe)
- 15 g Cocoa Powder (I used the Hersheys Brand)
- 1/2 cup Water
- 270 g Granulated Sugar
- 3 Eggs
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup Whole milk
- 1/2 cup Oil
- 50 g Sour cream
- 1 tsp Almond Essence
- Red food coloring (I used wilton Red-Red)
- 1 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter
- 260 g cream cheese softened
- 450 g Confectioners Sugar/Superfine sugar sifted
- 1 tsp Almond extract
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- One cup of strawberries cut into small pieces.
- sweet coconut flakes
- Preheat oven to 320F/160C
- Mix sugar and water in a microwave safe bowl and heat covered on high for 2 minutes. Stop give the mix a quick stir and continue heating at 30 s intervals until the sugar dissolves completely.
- Prepare 2*8 inch circle cake pans (I use aluminum pans) and attach Bake-even strips
- Add the cocoa powder to the white cake mix. Prepare cake flour mix
- In a separate kitchen aid or mixing bowl add eggs, oil, milk, buttermilk, sour cream and almond essence and mix on medium speed for 30 seconds, continue mixing and slowly pour in the molten sugar syrup into the mix. Continue mixing for another 30 seconds. Then reduce the speed to low (setting 2 in the Kitchen Aid). Add the "white cake mix" and continue mixing for 1 minute. Add a few drops of red food coloring while mixing.
- Stop, scrape sides of the mixing bowl with a spatula and continue mixing for another 60 seconds. Pour into two 8*3 inch baking pans and bake at 320F , 45 minutes.
- Cream butter and cream cheese together for 3-5 minutes until a smooth blend is formed.
- Add flavoring and salt. Mix for 1 minute
- Add icing sugar 1/3 cup at a time while mixing at medium speed.
- Scrape down sides and mix for 5 minutes until a smooth spreadable consistency is reached.
- tsp- Teaspoon
- TB- Tablespoon
- g- grams
- The consistency of the icing is thin for this recipe. If you want it medium then replace one cup of butter with one cup of vegetable shortening/margarine and add 50g confectioner's (superfine) sugar.
This gorgeous beauty would suit any occasion !! Indulge in it and let me know your feedback….. yes I look forward to hearing from you, and please share cos I know you care 🙂
Much Love
Thula
Indika
August 21, 2016
First to comment…..what an honour! 😉
Beautiful cake and looks delicious. And your attention to detail..even the strawberries are decorated!
Thulashitha RD
August 21, 2016
Thanks for being the first to comment !! Appreciate your feedback Indika 🙂
Bharu
August 21, 2016
Looks mouth wateringly heavenly Thula!!! You definitely have magic in your hands !!!!
Thulashitha RD
August 21, 2016
Thanks for your feedback Bharu 🙂
Hina
August 21, 2016
Was looking for a good and easy velvet cake recipe . This looks perfect!
Thulashitha RD
August 21, 2016
Thanks for your feedback Hina ! 🙂
Yasmin
August 21, 2016
Hi… Cake looks lovely… Wanted to ask if we don’t have a microwave for the sugar syrup step… How do we go about making the syrup on the stove? Just boil till sugar dissolves?
Thulashitha RD
August 21, 2016
Hello Yasmin, Yes just mix water and sugar in a vessel and keep stirring at medium heat until it completely dissolves. I used the microwave just to get the job done sooner! thanks 🙂
Poourani
August 21, 2016
Got a chance to taste this cake was super moist and fun to eat cake , completely different yet yummy. The coconut was really a surprise element.
Thulashitha RD
August 21, 2016
Thanks for your feedback Poourani !:)
Amritha
August 22, 2016
Hey Thula, I Tried the recipe and the cake was so delicious. It came out perfect. Thank you so much for the recipe and hope you keep posting more.
Thulashitha RD
August 22, 2016
I’m so glad it turned out well 🙂
Manoj
August 28, 2016
Lucky to get a slice of this cake. I really enjoyed this cake. Though red velvet cake are my favourite, the combination of red velvet, strawberry and coconut made this cake unique. highly recommend others to try it out.
Thulashitha RD
August 29, 2016
Thanks for your feedback Manoj !! 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed the cake… thanks for recommending my cake !
Laurena Langanke
March 23, 2020
The https://thulascakelab.com website is one of the best we have found,
and the Red Velvet Coconut Strawberry Cake- A super moist cake recipe !!!
article is very well written and useful!
I want to share with you a link that also helped me a lot in cooking:
https://bit.ly/easy-fat-burning-recipes
Thanks and kisses! 🙂