NOVEMBER 2020 77Invert cakes onto a wire rack, and let cool
completely, about 1 hour.- Meanwhile, stir together unsweetened
shredded coconut, sweetened condensed
milk,^1 / 4 teaspoon salt, and remaining^3 / 4
teaspoon cardamom in a medium bowl.
Set aside. - Combine egg whites, cream of tartar,
remaining^3 / 4 cup sugar, and remaining^1 / 4
teaspoon salt in bowl of stand mixer. Fill a
medium saucepan with water to a depth
of 1^1 / 2 inches; bring to a simmer over
medium. Place bowl with egg white mix-
ture on top of saucepan over simmering
water (bottom of bowl should not touch
water). Cook egg white mixture, whisking
constantly, until sugar dissolves and mix-
ture registers 160°F on an instant-read
thermometer, 2 to 4 minutes. - Remove from heat; attach bowl to
stand mixer fitted with the whisk attach-
ment. Beat on medium-low speed, gradu-
ally increasing speed to medium-high,
until mixer bowl no longer feels warm to
the touch (about 90°F), 5 to 7 minutes.
With mixer on medium-high speed, add
remaining 1^1 / 4 cups butter to mixture, 1
tablespoon at a time, beating well after
each addition until frosting is light and
fluffy, 8 to 10 minutes. (If mixture appears
broken midway through process, con-
tinue beating and adding butter to bring
it back together.) Beat in remaining 1 tea-
spoon vanilla. Transfer about^3 / 4 cup frost-
ing to a piping bag or a ziplock plastic bag
with a 1-inch hole snipped in the corner
(keep remaining frosting in mixer bowl). - Gently brush off any loose crumbs
around sides of cooled cake layers. Place
1 cake layer on a serving plate; pipe a
1-inch border of frosting around top edge
of cake layer. Spread half (about^2 / 3 cup) of
the coconut filling in an even layer inside
the frosting border. Spread a thin layer of
frosting (about^1 / 8 inch) on top of filling.
Top with second cake layer; repeat frost-
ing and filling process. Top with third cake
layer. Spread a thin layer (about^3 / 4 cup)
of frosting on top and sides of cake. Chill,
uncovered, until frosting is hardened, at
least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour. - Meanwhile, stir together^3 / 4 cup sweet-
ened shredded coconut and 1 small drop
of food coloring gel in a small bowl, creat-
ing a light purple color. Stir together^3 / 4
cup sweetened shredded coconut and 2
small drops of food coloring gel in a sepa-
rate small bowl, creating a dark purple
color. Keep remaining 1 cup sweetened
shredded coconut undyed. - Spread remaining frosting from mixer
bowl on top and sides of chilled cake.
Press dark purple–colored coconut
around bottom third of cake. Press light
purple–colored coconut around middle
third of cake. Press undyed coconut
around upper third and on top of cake.
(You are aiming for an ombré effect.)
Serve immediately, or cover and chill up
to 1 day; let come to room temperature
before serving. —HETAL VASAVADA
MAKE AHEAD Cooled cake layers can be
wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and frozen
up to 1 month. Filling can be stored in an
airtight container in refrigerator up to 5
days; let come to room temperature before
using. Frosting can be stored in an airtight
container in refrigerator up to 3 days; let
come to room temperature and beat on
low speed before using.Masala Chai with Green Tea
TOTAL 10 MIN; SERVES 2Though masala chai is more commonly
made with just black tea, the addition of
green tea adds a nice earthiness to the
drink. Sourcing the proper tea is impor-
tant for the best results; look for Wagh
Bakri brand or Typhoo Tea at your local
South Asian grocer or online. Simmering
the dry tea in a small amount of water
allows it to fully infuse the scalded milk,
which has subtle caramel notes.1 / 3 cup water
2 Tbsp. CTC (crush, tear, curl) loose-
leaf black tea (such as Wagh Bakri
CTC Leaf Tea)
1 Tbsp. granulated sugar, plus more
to taste
21 / 2 tsp. loose-leaf green tea (such as
Numi Gunpowder Green)
1 tsp. freshly ground cardamom
(such as Diaspora Co. Baraka
Cardamom)
4 whole cloves
2 whole star anise (such as Burlap &
Barrel True Star Anise)
1 (^1 / 2 -inch) piece unpeeled fresh
ginger, smashed
2 cups whole milk- Combine^1 / 3 cup water, black tea, sugar,
and green tea in a small saucepan, and
bring to a boil over medium-high. Stir in
cardamom, cloves, star anise, and ginger.
Boil, stirring often, until water is almost
completely evaporated, about 1 minute.
Stir in milk. - Cook over medium-high, stirring occa-
sionally, until milk boils and rises up sides
of pan. Remove from heat just before it
boils over. Let mixture completely shrink
back down in pan, about 15 seconds. - Repeat step 2 twice. Pour mixture
through a fine wire-mesh strainer evenly
into 2 heatproof serving glasses; discard
solids. Add additional sugar to taste.
Serve hot. —HETAL VASAVADA
Ombré Coconut Burfi Cake
ACTIVE 1 HR; TOTAL 3 HR 5 MIN
SERVES 6 TO 8
Underneath the purple-and-white ombré
tapestry of sweetened coconut, a cloud-
like layer of Swiss meringue buttercream
binds this tall layer cake. But the best part
is the chewy coconut filling, inspired by
burfi, a type of fudge-like, milk-based
Indian sweet. Coconut milk helps keep the
crumb incredibly moist and tender.
3 cups all-purpose flour (about 12^3 / 4
oz.), plus more for dusting pans
31 / 2 tsp. baking powder
21 / 4 tsp. freshly ground cardamom,
divided
11 / 2 tsp. fine sea salt, divided
21 / 2 cups granulated sugar, divided
2 cups unsalted butter (16 oz.),
softened, divided, plus more for
greasing pans
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 (13^1 / 2 -oz.) can unsweetened
coconut milk, well shaken and
stirred
21 / 2 tsp. vanilla extract, divided
11 / 2 cups unsweetened shredded
coconut
2 / 3 cup sweetened condensed milk
3 large egg whites, at room
temperature
1 / 8 tsp. cream of tartar
21 / 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut,
divided
Purple food coloring gel (such as
Wilton)
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 3 (6-inch)
round cake pans with parchment paper;
grease pans with butter, and dust with
flour. Set aside. Whisk together flour, bak-
ing powder, 1^1 / 2 teaspoons cardamom, and
1 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Combine
13 / 4 cups sugar and^3 / 4 cup butter in a stand
mixer fitted with the paddle attachment;
beat on medium speed until light and fluffy,
6 to 8 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of
bowl as needed. Add eggs, 1 at a time,
beating well after each addition. Add egg
yolk, and beat until mixture lightens and
turns pale yellow, about 3 minutes. - Add flour mixture to sugar mixture in 3
additions alternately with coconut milk,
beginning and ending with flour mixture,
beating on low speed until combined
after each addition. Stir in 1^1 / 2 teaspoons
vanilla. Pour batter evenly into prepared
cake pans. Gently tap each pan on coun-
ter to release any air bubbles. Bake in pre-
heated oven until a wooden pick inserted
in centers comes out clean, 38 to 42 min-
utes. Let cakes cool in pans 10 minutes.