COCONUT SHEET CAKE WITH HIBISCUS SAUCE

Steps:

• For sauce:
• Bring 2 cups water to boil in small
• saucepan. Stir in hibiscus flowers. Remove
• from heat; let steep uncovered 10 minutes.
• Pour hibiscus mixture through fine-mesh
• sieve set over bowl, pressing on
• solids to extract all liquid; discard solids.
• Return hibiscus liquid to same saucepan.
• Add sugar; bring to boil, stirring until sugar
• dissolves. Boil gently over medium heat
• until liquid is reduced to 1 cup, 10 to 12
• minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon
• peel, lime peel, and orange peel; steep 10
• minutes. Strain sauce into bowl. Cover; chill
• until cold, at least 2 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be
• made 3 days ahead. Keep chilled.
• For cake:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter
• x 9 x 2-inch metal baking pan. Whisk flour,
• baking powder, and salt in medium bowl.
• Whisk buttermilk, egg whites, and coconut
• extract in another medium bowl. Using
• electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in
• large bowl until light and fluffy. Add flour
• mixture to butter mixture in 3 additions
• alternately with buttermilk mixture in 2
• additions, beating to blend well between
• additions and occasionally scraping bottom
• and sides of bowl with rubber spatula.
• Transfer batter to pan; spread evenly.
• Bake cake until pale golden and tester
• inserted into center comes out with some
• crumbs attached, 29 to 32 minutes. Cool
• cake completely in pan on rack. DO AHEAD:
• Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover pan tightly
• and store cake at room temperature.
• For topping:
• Using electric mixer, beat
• whipping cream and 2 tablespoons cream
• of coconut in large bowl until peaks form.
• Spread whipped cream over top of cake.
• Drizzle 2 tablespoons cream of coconut
• over whipped cream. Using table knife,
• swirl cream of coconut throughout whipped
• cream. Sprinkle toasted coconut over.
• Cut cake into squares; transfer to
• plates. Drizzle hibiscus sauce around cake.