*NOT* THE TOM CRUISE COCONUT CAKE — 9 INCH, SINGLE BOX CAKE MIX, GHEE VERSION

This is NOT the Tom Cruise pound cake version. This is a more traditional style coconut cake.

 Ingredients (Volume + Grams)

White cake mix — 1 box (380 g)
Coconut pudding mix — 1 box (90 g)
Buttermilk — 1 cup (240 g)
Coconut milk — 1/2 cup (120 g)
Melted ghee — 1/2 cup (110 g)
Melted white chocolate — 1/2 cup (90 g) (already too sweet - skip next time)
Eggs — 3 large (150 g)
Coconut extract — 1 tsp (4 g)  Optional - we have not found a coconut extract we like yet, so, skipping it until we do!)
Sweetened shredded coconut, finely chopped — 1/2 cup (40 g) (Same, use unsweetened next time.)

Batter Weight
Total batter: 1,225 g about 1150 g
Per 9-inch pan: 612 g about 575 g

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line two 9-inch pans.
2. Combine cake mix and pudding mix.
3. Add buttermilk, coconut milk, melted ghee, melted white chocolate, eggs, and coconut extract.
4. Mix until smooth.
5. Fold in chopped sweetened coconut.
6. Weigh 612 g batter into each pan.
7. Bake 25–35 minutes; start checking at 25.
8. Doneness: center springs back, toothpick clean, edges slightly pull away.
9. Cool completely before frosting. 

Cream Cheese Frosting (Perfect for 9‑inch, 2‑layer cake)

Ingredients (Volume + Grams)

Cream cheese, softened — 8 oz

Unsalted butter, softened — 1/2 cup, 1 stick

Powdered sugar — 3 - 4 cups

Vanilla extract — 1 tsp → 4 g

Salt — pinch → <1 g

Instructions

1. Beat cream cheese and butter together until completely smooth and fluffy.
2. Add powdered sugar gradually, mixing on low until incorporated.
3. Add vanilla and salt.
4. Whip on medium‑high for 1–2 minutes until light and creamy.
5. Frost cooled cakes.
6. Press sweetened toasted coconut onto the sides and top.

 Toasted Coconut

2 cups coconut spread into sheet pan. 

Bake at 300 for 10 - 2- minutes. 

Watch closely, it will burn quickly.

Hobnobs (Copycat)– U.S. Version

 A crisp, oaty biscuit in the British tradition — adapted for U.S. ingredients with King Arthur White Whole Wheat flour and golden syrup.

INGREDIENTS

DRY INGREDIENTS

200 g — Whole wheat flour (KA White Whole Wheat)

200 g — Old fashioned rolled oats (To get closer to the package version, pulse these a few times in the food processor for smaller bits.)

100 g — Granulated sugar

100 g — Light brown sugar

6 g — Baking soda

4 g — Kosher salt

WET INGREDIENTS

200 g — Unsalted butter, melted

80 g — Golden syrup (see notes)

OPTIONAL: 10–20 g — Milk

 METHOD

 

1. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to blend.
2. In a small saucepan or microwave-safe bowl, melt butter with golden syrup until smooth. Let cool slightly.
3. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until just beginning to come together.
4. OPTIONAL (see note below) : Add 5 g of milk and mix until a cohesive dough forms. If the dough appears dry or crumbly, add up to 5 g more milk. Do not overmix.

5.    Portion the dough into 28–30 g balls (about 32 total).

6. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and flatten each ball lightly with your palm or the bottom of a glass.
7. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 12–14 minutes, until golden at the edges. (A little longer makes a crisper cookie, so your call!)
8. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. They will crisp as they cool.

For Milk or Dark Chocolate Hobnobs: Melt chocolate or "Couveture" candy making chocolate in top of double boiler and spoon on the hobnobs. Spooning on them bottom side (flat side) up is recommended. then spread with knife and let cool.

BAKER'S NOTES

 

●     King Arthur White Whole Wheat is closest US substitute to UK “wholemeal” flour. You can use regular old AP flour, however.

●        If you don’t have the Golden Syrup, you can use Light corn syrup + a little honey or molasses
Use the same weight as the golden syrup. For your recipe: 80 g total.
A good mix would be 70 g light corn syrup + 10 g honey.

●     You can add milk incrementally if dough too dry. I did not need any, though the dough was crumbly. Start with 5 g, then assess dough consistency before adding more.

●     Do not overmix once the wet and dry ingredients are combined.

●     Cookies will feel soft when they come out of the oven — they crisp significantly as they cool.

●     For uniform results, use a kitchen scale for all measurements.

●     Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

QUICK REFERENCE

  

Yield — 32 cookies

Portion weight — 28–30 g per cookie

Oven temperature — 350°F / 175°C

Bake time — 12–14 minutes

Flour — KA White Whole Wheat