1-First, preheat your oven to 300°F (148°C) and get three 8-inch cake pans ready with parchment paper and a light greasing on the sides. This step ensures your cakes come out smoothly.

2-Then, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl to mix them evenly.

3-Next, add the eggs, milk, and vegetable oil to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Don’t overmix here to keep the cake light. Mix the vanilla extract with the hot water, add it to the batter it might look thin, but that’s okay and divide it evenly among the pans.

4-Bake for 30-33 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center shows a few crumbs. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes before moving them to wire racks. For the buttercream, beat the butter until smooth, add half the powdered sugar, then mix in the coconut extract, 3 tablespoons of heavy cream, and a pinch of salt.

5-Gradually add the rest of the powdered sugar and more heavy cream as needed to get a spreadable consistency. Once your cakes are cool, trim any domed tops, stack them with about 1 cup of buttercream between layers, and frost the outside. Press the shredded coconut onto the frosting right away for that perfect finish, and pipe any extra buttercream on top if you like.