coconut smackdown

coconut cake two ways
I decided to work on an ultimate coconut cake this week. I wanted to give it a better name, though, than just coconut cake. I've always wanted to make up one of those names where the consonants are deliberately messed with or left out like Tastykake, Sno Ball, Krispy Kreme or The Simpsons' wacky Kwik-E-Mart.

So from here on, this cake will be know as:

---wait for it---

KRAZY KOKONUT KAKE!

I already knew how I wanted to finish the cake----a thin coating of coconut buttercream and stripes of untoasted and toasted coconut. The actual cake is what gave me pause. Should the cake have coconut in it or should the filling have the coconut? I didn't want to put coconut in both because I intended to cover the entire finished cake in coconut.

So I made two versions and am dying to know---which version would have you licking the crumbs off the counter?


Version 1 (on the left)
Cake: white cake with coconut mixed in
Filling: passion fruit curd

Version 2 (on the right)
Cake: white cake soaked with coconut syrup
Filling: coconut cream topped with toasted coconut

Let me know in the comments below!