Coconut Pecan Cake

¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for pans
2¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
1 cup firmly packed, sweetened shredded coconut
¾ cup pecan halves (3-ounces), toasted
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ cup creamed coconut or unsalted butter
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure coconut extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut milk (9 ounces)
Coconut Cake Filling (recipe follows)
Milk Chocolate Ganache (recipe follows)
2 cups toasted shaved coconut, for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms with parchment. Butter parchment, and dust with flour; tap out excess, and set aside.
In food processor, finely grind coconut; transfer to a bowl. Finely grind pecans with 2 tablespoons sugar, and set asked. Into a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; stir in ground coconut and pecans. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, creamed coconut, and remaining sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in eggs and extract. Beat in flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the coconut milk, and starting and ending with flour.
Divide batter between prepared pans; smooth tops. Bake until golden and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 35 minutes. If tops begin to get too dark, cover loosely with foil. Let cool in pans 30 minutes. Run a knife around edges of cakes; invert onto a wire rack. Reinvert; let cool completely.
Line two rimmed baking sheets with plastic wrap; fit one with a cooling rack. Use a serrated knife to trim tops of cake layers, if desired. Transfer one layer to baking sheet with rack; spread with filling. Place remaining cake layer on top.
Using an offset spatula spread 1 cup chilled ganache on sides of cake; smooth with a bench scraper. Pour remaining ganache over cake, coating completely. Transfer cake and rack to other baking sheet; chill until set, about 5 minutes. Scrape excess ganache back into bowl, passing through a sieve.
Coat the cake again with ganache. Chill until set, about 5 minutes. Press toasted coconut on sides of the cake, if desired. Keep at room temperature until ready to serve.

Coconut Cake Filling

1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
¾ cup sweetened condensed milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon creamed coconut or unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon pure coconut extract

Directions:

In a food processor, coarsely grind coconut; set aside.
Combine milk, butter, and creamed coconut in a small saucepan over medium-low heat; cook, stirring, 3 to 4 minutes. Whisk one-third of the hot milk mixture into egg yolks. Return mixture to saucepan; cook, stirring constantly, until it is the consistency of pudding, about 5 minutes.
Remove pan from heat. Stir in the extract and reserved coconut. Let cool completely. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days; let stand at room temperature until soft enough to spread.

Milk Chocolate Ganache

1½ pounds best-quality milk chocolate, finely chopped
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon light corn syrup

Directions:

Prepare an ice bath; set aside.
Place chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl; set aside.
Bring cream to a boil in a small saucepan; pour over chocolate, swirling to cover completely. Let stand until chocolate has melted, about 5 minutes. Add corn syrup; whisk until smooth.
Pour 1 cup ganache into a bowl set in ice bath; stir until thick and spreadable. Keep remaining ganache at room temperature, stirring every 15 minutes, until thick enough to coat back of spoon, 12 to 15 minutes. Use immediately.