The Ultimate 12-Layer Coconut Cake From Famed Peninsula Grill

It's hard to beat a good coconut cake, especially if you live in the South, but the actual baking can be a pain on your own. It's not because the cake is necessarily hard to get right, it's just that it may take more time than you're used to. If you're in the South — let's say Charleston — and you're in need of a decadent coconut cake, you probably won't find anything better than what comes out of the Peninsula Grill.

Fittingly called The Ultimate Coconut Cake, this 12-layer dessert is infused with fresh vanilla and coconut, featuring a pound cake center that's topped with icing made from cream and butter. The icing is then coated in toasted coconut and simple syrup. Refined by Peninsula Grill's Pastry Chef Claire Chapman, this cake tends to be the first choice of Charleston brides and has been given kudos by the likes of Martha Stewart, The New York Times, Vogue, and Bobby Flay. If you don't live in the area and want to order one, not to worry because the restaurant ships nationally on a daily basis. In the meantime, try making your own! 

Here's the recipe for 12-Layer Coconut Cake!