Making a coconut and lavender cake... can I replace the milk for the cake batter with an equal amount of coconut milk?

Hello Food52 friends! I am making a coconut and lavender cake for my birthday. I am using Ina Garten's recipe for the coconut cake (I will infuse the sugar with lavender, plus add more lavender to the frosting, and I will not add the almond extract). Ina's recipe for the cake calls for 1 cup milk. Do you think I can replace the milk with 1 cup coconut milk for a more rich and coconut-y cake, or is this ill-advised? Thanks, as always, for your help!

CarlaCooks
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9 Comments

mensaque
mensaque September 2, 2011
Yes,yes,yes...My grandmother gets in serious trouble when she's even near lactose,so I use coconut milk all the time.I used coffee once on a chocolate cake and it worked as well.You know what else works?Soda...Coke or anything you might have to match the kind of cake you'll bake.I have to get creative because of her,so I can tell you that unless the recipe asks for buttermilk or cream,even water works fine,and the cakes do not get heavy or tasteless because of it.Take care!
 
CarlaCooks
CarlaCooks September 2, 2011
I finally got my butt in gear and have posted the recipe for the Lavender and Coconut Cake I made for my birthday. http://www.food52.com/recipes/14284_lavender_and_coconut_layer_cake_with_lavender_italian_meringue_frosting_aka_my_favorite_birthday_cake
Thank you all again for your help with my food pickle!
 
CarlaCooks
CarlaCooks May 2, 2011
Thanks for the help, advice, and confirmation! And thank you for the birthday wishes, boulangere :) I will forge ahead and use the coconut milk. I am a hardcore lavender lover (violet is pretty awesome too, but lavender just can't be beat), so anything I can add lavender to or infuse with is golden to me!
 
boulangere
boulangere May 1, 2011
Me too! Please let us know how you like it.
 
Karin_D
Karin_D May 1, 2011
It should definitely work! I've substituted coconut milk in a lot of recipes lately, all with good results. Can't wait to hear how it turns out!
 
SKK
SKK May 1, 2011
Wow, all I can say is this sounds delicious! I always want to know how everything turns out!
 
Greenstuff
Greenstuff May 1, 2011
I just googled "coconut milk cake" and got lots of responses, including recommendations for substituting coconut milk for regular milk in recipes. It sounds luscious.
 
boulangere
boulangere May 1, 2011
I think you'll be fine, too; it's often a science experiment. Your combination sounds luscious. Happy birthday!
 
Merrill S.
Merrill S. May 1, 2011
I think it should be fine, but there's always a certain amount of risk with these things. Sounds like a delicious adaptation!
 
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