Coconut Cake with Ginger Lime Curd

Ingredients

• Cake: 2 3/4 cups cake flour 1 tsp baking powder (3/4 tsp for high altitude) 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1 3/4 cups sugar 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 1 cup canned sweetened cream of coconut 4 large eggs, separated 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 cup buttermilk (add additional 4 tbsp for high altitude) Pinch of salt 4 cups shredded sweetened coconut Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour two 9 inch diameter cake pans with 2 inch high sides. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat sugar, butter and cream of coconut in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla extract. On low speed, beat in dry ingredients and then buttermilk, each just until blended. Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in another large bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold beaten egg whites in batter. Divide cake batter between prepared pans. Bake about 40-45 minutes or until done. Cool cakes in pans on rack for 10 minutes, then turn out onto racks and cool completely. Frosting: 2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, room temperature 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 2 cups powdered sugar 1/2 cup sweetened cream of coconut 1 tsp vanilla extract Beat ingredients together. **I always add more powdered sugar, as I find the ingredients as listed to make a very runny frosting.** Ginger Lime Curd 3 large eggs 3 large egg yolks 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup fresh lime juice 1/4 cup grated lime peel (from about 12 limes) 1 tbsp grated peeled fresh ginger 6 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature Whisk eggs, yolks, sugar, lime juice, lime peel, ginger in a large metal bowl to blend. Place bowl over saucepan of barely simmering water, being sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. (Or use a double boiler if you have one.) Whisk constantly until curd thickens, about 8 minutes. Remove bowl from over simmering water, whisk butter into curd. Strain through fine strainer set over a bowl, discard solids in strainer. (this is not necessary if you don't mind the lime peels.) Press plastic wrap directly onto surface of curd, chill overnight. Can be made up to 2 days ahead. Keep in fridge. Assembly: Use curd in between cake layers. Frost outsides with frosting. Press coconut onto sides and top of cake.