Description
Creamy Louisiana Crunch Cake brings Southern charm to dessert tables with its buttery coconut layers and irresistible crackly topping. Crumbled coconut and sweet glaze create a nostalgic treat that connects memories of homestyle baking with pure indulgence.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 3 cups (710 ml) cake flour (not self-rising)
- 1 cup (226 g) butter (at room temperature)
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs (at room temperature)
- 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk
Dry Ingredients and Seasonings:
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar (for sprinkling in pan)
- ¼ cup (20 g) coconut flakes
- ¼ cup (30 g) coconut flakes (for glaze)
- ¼ cup (25 g) sliced almonds
Liquid and Creamy Ingredients:
- ¼ cup (60 ml) sour cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups (240 g) confectioners’ sugar
- ¼ cup (57 g) melted butter
- 2–3 tablespoons (30–45 ml) heavy cream or whole milk (as needed)
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C) and thoroughly coat a tube or bundt pan with butter and flour, ensuring complete coverage.
- Sift dry ingredients – all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda – into a medium mixing bowl and set aside.
- Using an electric mixer, cream butter at medium speed for approximately 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Gradually incorporate sugar into the butter, continuing to mix for an additional 3 minutes until the mixture becomes pale and airy.
- Introduce eggs individually at low speed, ensuring complete integration after each addition.
- Blend in sour cream and vanilla extract until smoothly combined.
- Alternate adding dry ingredient mixture and buttermilk in three stages, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix gently to prevent overmixing.
- Generously sprinkle of granulated sugar across the bottom and sides of the pan, creating a caramelized coating.
- Distribute coconut flakes evenly over the sugar layer.
- Carefully pour batter into prepared pan, spreading it uniformly.
- Bake for 55-65 minutes, rotating midway, until a testing skewer emerges clean.
- Allow cake to rest in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate.
- Prepare glaze by whisking powdered sugar, melted butter, milk, and vanilla until achieving a smooth, pourable consistency.
- Create small perforations across cake surface using a fork or skewer.
- Drizzle glaze generously over cake, allowing it to seep into holes.
- Garnish with additional shredded coconut and sliced almonds for visual appeal and texture.
Notes
- Capture the essence of Southern baking with this nostalgic Louisiana Crunch Cake that transforms simple ingredients into a show-stopping dessert.
- Coconut flakes create a delightful crispy texture when caramelized against the pan’s sugared sides, giving this cake its signature crunch.
- Precise mixing technique ensures a tender crumb, with alternating dry and wet ingredients preventing over-mixing and maintaining the cake’s delicate structure.
- Buttermilk adds subtle tanginess while keeping the cake incredibly moist, complementing the rich butter and sweet coconut notes.
- Glazing the cake with a vanilla-infused topping and sprinkling extra coconut and almonds elevates this dessert from ordinary to extraordinary.
- Room temperature ingredients guarantee smoother batter and more consistent baking, making the preparation process more predictable and successful.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Southern American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 610 kcal
- Sugar: 56g
- Sodium: 260mg
- Fat: 34g
- Saturated Fat: 20g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 1.5g
- Carbohydrates: 69g
- Fiber: <1g
- Protein: 6g
- Cholesterol: 115mg