Haupia Cake

I made a cupcake version for Throwdown against Mike (and won) but for Mom & Dad's birthday, I decided to do it in a cake. They loved it! So did Ba Noi. We discovered that this cake is best eaten cold.

Cake:

• 1 box white cake mix
• 2/3 cup coconut milk
• 2/3 cup water
• 2 eggs

Haupia Filling:

• 2 cups coconut milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tablespoon corn starch
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp vanilla (I didn't have vanilla when I made this cake so I used one whole vanilla bean)
  

Frosting:

• 1/3 cup coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• shredded coconut, to top

DIRECTIONS

Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put cake mix, coconut milk, water and eggs into a large mixing bowl. Mix well and fill 2 cake pans. Bake for 40 minutes. Cool completely.

Haupia Filling:

1. In a sauce pan heat coconut milk (do not boil).
   
2. Mix sugar, salt, and cornstarch with water; stir into hot coconut milk.
   
3. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens (cook over low heat to avoid curdling). Stir in vanilla and cool.

Frosting

1. Soften gelatin in 1/3 cup coconut milk; dissolve over hot water.
   
2. Cool.
   
3. Whip cream; fold in gelatin mixture and sugar.
   

Assembly

1. Slice each layer in half.
   
2. Pipe a border of frosting to keep the filling in.
   
3. Spread filling on top.
   
4. Top with a cake layer.
   
5. Repeat until all layers are done.
   
6. Frost, pipe and put a layer of the filling on top! Chill & serve.