Fresh Coconut Cake With Icing

Mother had entered this in Burnt Offerings (published 1982). It reminded me of her making this once when I was very young.

• Ready In: 1 hr 21 mins
• Yields: 1 Cake

Ingredients

• CAKE

• 1  cup butter (she noted REAL)
• 2  cups sugar
• 4  egg yolks
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 2⁄3 cups cake flour
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 cup coconut milk
• 1⁄2 cup milk
• 4  egg whites

• ICING

• 2  egg whites
• 1 1⁄2 cups sugar
• 6  tablespoons water, cold
• 1  teaspoon vanilla
• 1  pinch cream of tartar
•  coconut, freshly grated

Directions

1. CAKE:
2. Preheat oven to 350.
3. Cream butter and sugar. Beat egg yolks in one at a time. Add vanilla.
4. Sift cake flour and re-sift with baking powder and alt.
5. Combine milks.
6. Add sifted ingredients to butter mixture in 3 parts, alternately with milks.
7. Beat egg whites stiff. Fold mix in by hand.
8. Pour into three greased 9 inch cake pans.
9. Bake 30 minutes.
10. ICING:
11. Combine all ingredients, except vanilla and coconut in top of a double boiler. Blend well. Then, place over rapidly boiling water and beat constantly with rotary beater for 6 minutes.
12. Reove from fire and add vanilla.
13. Spread sparingly between layers and sprinkle with fresh coconut.
14. Secure layers with toothpicks.
15. Ice whole cake and garnish with coconut.