Everything is better with Coconut

For Fathers Day I made a 4 layer Coconut Dream Cake.This is a bit of a process but the end result is worth it. Below is the middle step showing you the first 3 layers of cake filled and stacked. Before you ice each layer you will lay down the Coconut glaze which is the picture below before the final product.

COCONUT CAKE

1 c. butter

2 c. sugar

4 eggs

3 c. flour

1/2 tsp salt

3 tsp baking powder

1 c. milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Blend butter and sugar until light and fluffy; add eggs one at a time, beating after each just until egg-color disappears. Sift flour once; add salt and baking powder and sift twice. Add dry ingredients alternately with milk. Stir in vanilla and pour into 3 layer cake pans and bake at 350 F until light brown about 25 min. Cool in pans for about 10 min. and turn out on rack to finish cooling.

Coconut Glaze

1 1/ 2 c. shredded coconut

1/3 c. water

1/4 c. Rum

In small sauce pan on low to medium heat, cook coconut with water and rum just long enough to get all the coconut wet. Spoon over each of the 3 layers of cake, allowing to soak into each layer. Do this as you stack the layers.

Coconut Frosting

5 egg whites

1 1/4 c. light corn syrup

1 1/4 c. sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 c. fresh grated coconut

1 tsp vanilla

Put egg whites, corn syrup and sugar in a large double boiler, and beat until mixed; place over boiling water and cook and beat until beaters make deep tracks in icing and icing peaks and turns glossy. This takes about 8 to 10 min. Be sure to cook long enough. Add vanilla and mix. Spread icing thick on the cake layers and on sides of cake and the top. This recipe makes lots of frosting so be generous.

I toasted my coconut at 350 for about 4 minutes!

Becuase I used my 6 inch cake pans I had enough to make 8 cupcakes for my Grandfather down in Centralia who we were seeing before dinner! Look how cute they look with the toasted coconut on top! Nomnom.