I Tried Ina Garten’s “Out of This World” Coconut Cake and Now It’s the Only Thing I Ever Want for Dessert

Writing for The Kitchn is a never-ending source of pleasant surprises. For instance, my colleagues and I get to try a variety of foods from different brands in the office. Certain Slack notifications have me running to the kitchen to get the goods before they’re gone (hello, Murray’s Cheese), but other times I’m not all that interested in what’s been set out. But when Goldbelly sent over Ina Garten’s coconut cake for us to try, I was on the edge of my seat all day as we waited for it to defrost. As a lifelong fan of coconut cake, I was excited to try it — even though I know that this particular dessert can become stale and hard quite fast. But Ina did not disappoint, and after finishing the cake our staffers agree that it’s a must-have for any social gathering.

Whether you need a delicious, crowd-pleasing dessert for a special occasion, an upcoming holiday party, or just a random Tuesday in the office, Ina’s coconut cake is the one. If you have any Barefoot Contessa fans in your life, the cake would also make a great gift, along with Ina’s just-released memoir. What can’t she do?

Ina's Coconut Cake

Goldbelly

$99.95

Buy Now

What Is Ina’s Coconut Cake?

If you have any doubts about whether this cake would make a good gift, its Barefoot Contessa-branded packaging will instantly squash them. It arrived at our office in a cute blue box, and it stayed there for a couple of hours to defrost. Once we unboxed the coconut cake, my first impression was that it wasn’t very wide, but it was tall. That makes sense once you slice it into pieces and see its thick and fluffy coconut layers interspersed with layers of cream cheese icing. The coconut shavings adorning the cake’s exterior made it look even fluffier, like it was covered in snow. Naturally, some would fall off any time we moved the cake, but the mess was easy to ignore once we eventually dug in. If you’re a fan of very sweet desserts like I am, you’ll love this cake. Although it’s a lot of sweetness, the components of the cake are well-balanced. In other words, the frosting-to-cake ratio was perfect. Each layer was light, airy, and soft. The dessert tasted like it had been made that day instead of having been shipped to us in dry ice and thawed out. But, if you want, you can keep the cake in your fridge for up to three days or in your freezer for up to two months, which only makes it that much more convenient for parties.

Why We Love Ina’s Coconut Cake

It goes without saying that I wasn’t the only one who loved Ina’s coconut cake (I’m getting hungry just writing about it). Even those who don’t normally enjoy coconut cake couldn’t help but go in for seconds. “I’m not a big fan of coconut — the flavor is a bit overwhelming, and it takes so much effort to chew,” said Mark, our executive director of commerce. “But Ina’s cake changed my attitude. The shredded coconut on the cake was not overpowering and was the perfect complement to the cream cheese frosting. The frosting had just the right amount of sweetness, and the cake itself was moist and delicious.”

Deputy Commerce Editor, Alicia, who said coconut shavings alone are usually enough to deter her from a cake, agreed. “The coconut flavoring in this cake was subtle, which is the only time I’ve ever said that about a coconut cake,” she said. “I loved the cream cheese icing, and the cake was filling without being too dense or stodgy. If we hadn’t had to share the cake with the rest of the office, I definitely would have taken a slice home.” Another staffer similarly found that the cake didn’t taste overwhelmingly of coconut, while someone else emphasized its noticeably nutty flavor, which can be attributed to the almond extract in Ina’s recipe.

I’m sad that Ina’s cake is gone, but the good news is that you can order it directly from Goldbelly’s website for your next get-together. Goldbelly customers can’t get enough, with one reviewer calling it “out of this world.” The cake comes in a 6-inch size, which serves up to eight people, and an 8-inch size, which serves up to 12. Everyone in your circle is bound to love it — even those who don’t think they will.

Buy: Ina’s Coconut Cake, 6”, $99.95

This post originally appeared on The Kitchn. See it there: I Tried Ina Garten’s “Out of This World” Coconut Cake and Now It’s the Only Thing I Ever Want for Dessert

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