Lemon Chiffon Cake with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

(Makes a 6″- 3 layer cake, or a 8″ – 2 layer cake)

Lemon Chiffon Cake:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons lemon extract
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 large egg whites
½ cup shredded coconut
yellow food coloring (if desired)

Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting:
16 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 stick (8 Tablespoons) butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1 cup sweetened, shredded coconut

DIRECTIONS:
1.   Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray three 6″ cake pans with cooking oil spray and line with wax paper. (Or if you’re making an 8″ cake, line two 8″ cake pans with wax paper- this will prevent the cake from sticking to the pan).
2. Mix butter and sugar together with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light. Beat in the extracts.
3.  Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl.
4.  In another separate bowl, whisk together the milk, oil and egg whites. Alternately add the milk mixture and the flour mixture, mixing thoroughly after each addition, and ending with the flour. Gently fold in the shredded coconut and desired amount of food coloring.
5. Divide the cake batter evenly among the cake pans.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes (for 6″ cakes) or 30-35 minutes (for 8″ cakes), or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Place cake pans on a wire rack and cool completely before frosting. (You can wrap the cakes in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour to speed up the process).
7. For Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting: Blend cream cheese and butter together until creamy. Add powdered sugar, lemon extract and vanilla extract and mix until thoroughly combined.
8. Spread desired amount of frosting between each layer of cake. Frost entire cake with the remaining frosting. Garnish the cake with shredded coconut on the sides and top of the cake. Enjoy!