I usually make our favourite Black Magic cake for birthdays. Everyone likes it and it has just become a tradition. When I asked Khéna what he wanted for his birthday this year he said he wanted vanilla cake with chocolate icing… well, that threw me for a loop..

I have never made a white cake.. I decided to try adapting my favourite to a vanilla cake and it failed..

So I kept on looking and found this recipe…

Of course, I can’t follow a recipe to the letter… so this is my version….

• 2¼ cups cake flour (I never have this and usually just use normal flour but this time I used Joy the Baker’s substitute for cake flour)
• 1 cup coconut milk, at room temperature
• 6 large egg whites (¾ cup), at room temperature
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1¾ cups granulated sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter,  softened but still cool

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two pans (grease and the flour)… I use 2 square 8X8 pans…

2. Mix coconut milk, egg whites, and vanilla in a small bowl.

3. Mix cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl or mixer bowl. Add butter and beat at slow speed (use use forks)until mixture resembles moist crumbs. (like when making pie dough)

4. Add all but ½ cup of milk mixture to crumbs and beat at medium speed for 1½ minutes. Add remaining ½ cup of milk mixture and beat 30 seconds more. Stop mixer and scrape sides of bowl. Return mixer to medium (or high) speed and beat 20 seconds longer.

5. Divide batter evenly between the two pans and bake until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 23 to 25 minutes.

Let cool on wire racks and let cool completely before icing.

I don’t know if it was the slight scent of coconut or the butter or the vanilla but this cake smelled and tasted like butter cookies which is why I feel the need to call it Butter Cookie cake…  It was perfect!

I used the chocolate buttercream that I have here... or of course you could go all vanilla and use the vanilla buttercream here…