MOTHER'S COCONUT CAKE

This is my Mother’s recipe.  She is a master cake maker and she is also a magnificent teacher!  She is the primary person who instilled in me a deep love for cooking for my family.  It really goes beyond just the mechanics of measuring and the chemistry of combining ingredients.  It has to do with caring enough to plan ahead and to think and dream of what  might brighten someone’s day or to let someone know that you thought of them as you were preparing the day’ nutrition.  This is how she has approached meal planning and preparation for the last 60 + years.  There is a lot of discussion about how we should just treat food as fuel and that has great merit---but let’s also keep our varied cultural cooking methods alive by passing them on to our children.   Let’s make a favorite dish now and then, just because we know someone will especially enjoy it.  Let’s allow our children to see us finding joy as we plan and prepare food for family and friends----and for today--let them eat cake!!!

Ingredients:

1 cup Crisco (or butter)

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

3 cups sifted cake flour

2 and ½ t. baking powder

½ t. salt

1 cup whole milk

1 t. almond extract

1 t. vanilla

Instructions:

*Cream Crisco and sugar, beating until light and fluffy.

*Add eggs, one at a time.

*Combine flour, baking powder and salt.

*Add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

*Stir in flavorings.

*Pour batter into 3 greased and floured 9 inch round cake pans.

*Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Luscious White Frosting

Ingredients:

2 and ¼ cup sugar

¾ t. cream of tartar

¼ t. salt

¾ cup hot water

6 egg whites

1 t. almond extract

1 t. vanilla

Finely grated coconut

Instructions:

*Combine sugar, cream of tartar, salt and water in a heavy sauce pan. 

*Cook over medium heat, stirring until clear.

*Cook without stirring until candy thermometer registers 240 degrees (soft ball stage) or thread comes from raised spoon.

*Beat egg whites until soft peaks form

* Continue to beat egg whites as you slowly add in the hot syrup mixture.  Be careful not to burn yourself as you add the syrup mixture. 

*Add flavorings. 

*Continue beating until stiff peaks form and frosting is thick enough to spread.

*Spread between layers and sprinkle coconut on top of frosting between layers as desired.

*Sprinkle finely grated coconut over sides and top of cake as desired.