Coconut Cake…
This light & lovely old-fashioned kind of cake will surprise you & your guests-
keep an eye on it because guests tend to ditch the utensils & use their fingers on this tasty treat!
Preheat oven to 350˙
Butter & lightly flour two-9” round cake pans.
CAKE:
1 c. milk
¾ c. shredded, sweetened coconut
¾ c. (1 ½ sticks) butter
1 c. sugar
1 t. pure vanilla extract
3 c. swans down cake flour
4 t. baking powder
dash of salt
4 egg whites
FROSTING:
5 egg whites
1 ¾ c. sugar
5 T. ice water
¾ t. cream of tartar
1 t. pure vanilla extract
¾ c. coconut (lightly brown coconut in a 300˙ oven or carefully under oven broiler)
1 ½ c. lightly toasted shredded, sweetened coconut
Heat the milk to almost a simmer and add the coconut. Steep for about 10 minutes to infuse the coconut flavor to the milk.
Strain & allow to cool, reserving both the milk & the coconut, separately.
With an electric mixer, cream butter, & sugar till smooth. Then, add the vanilla.
In a separate bowl, have your flour, baking soda & pinch of salt mixed thoroughly.
Alternately add cooled milk, & flour mixture to the butter mixture, scraping down the sides occasionally. Once it’s evenly mixed, add the drained coconut.
Beat the egg whites until they stand in peaks, but NOT dry. Fold whites gently into cake batter mixture. Divide the batter between the 2 cake pans.
Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Don’t over cook. Cool for 10 minutes in the pans, then turnout onto racks, and cool thoroughly before frosting.
7 minute icing:
Place egg whites, sugar, water, & cream of tartar in the top of a double boiler over rapidly boiling water. Beat with an electric mixer for 7 minutes. Remove from heat, add vanilla, & continue mixing until light, fluffy & glossy.
Spread icing between layers & over cake with a long, icing spatula. After letting the icing set up for about 15 minutes, hand distribute the lightly toasted coconut over the top & sides of your beautiful cake.
enjoy!
