Grain Free, Refined Sugar Free, Whole Food recipes adapted from Sweet Laurel Bakery cookbook for Vanilla Coconut Jam Cake and Coconut Buttercream.
Preheat the oven to 350º
Line three 6-inch cake pans or two 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper rounds then grease the sides of the pans with coconut oil (this step is very important or the cake WILL STICK! I cut my own parchment paper circles to fit my pans, and while it takes a few minutes, it's a must.)
Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans and bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (time will be different for smaller cake pans as it was for us). Invert the cakes onto racks and allow to cool completely
Slice each cake round in half horizontally with a long serrated knife. Place one layer on a plate and top with filling of choice. Add another cake layer, and repeat. Continue until all layers have been used and top the final layer with buttercream, as well as the sides of the cake.
If yellow icing is your goal: once you remove the pan from the heat, add 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder (which, BONUS: has anti inflammatory properties!) and whisk.
The buttercream variations work best at room temperature when used immediately after making the frosting and finishing your baked goods. If you need to make it ahead, refrigerate the buttercream for up to 4 days, then allow it to come to room temperature outside of the refrigerator before using as an icing or frosting.
The cake recipe as written calls for 6-inch or 8-inch layers that you halve yourself. I opted to use our Easy Layers pan set from Wilton to eliminate that step, and since this recipe makes a bit more batter, I added an extra, larger layer using another pan I had. The height of that cake wasn't something I wanted to halve, so that bottom layer is just a single. Highly recommend the Easy Layers pans, they've been really fun for the kids and me over the past few years!
An offset spatula is essential in icing cakes like these, I've found. If you don't yet have one, this is the kind I mean!