Swans Down Orange Coconut Cake

I've found some old recipes and I'm feeling quite nostalgic these days and want to "safe keep" tried and true recipes from years past that taste great and were well received. This particular recipe came from the back of the box of "Swans Down Self Rising Flour". I remember making this for the 1st time when I was 11 or 12 years old for my nieces baptism.

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

• 2 1⁄2 cups self rising flour
• 1 1⁄2 cups sugar
• 3⁄4 cup butter (at room temperature)
• 1  tablespoon  grated  orange peel (or orange extract)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla
• 3⁄4 cup milk
• 3  eggs
• 1  cup sweetened flaked coconut

• FLUFFY ORANGE FROSTING

• 2  egg whites
• 1 1⁄2 cups sugar
• 1  dash salt
• 1⁄3 cup water
• 2  teaspoons corn syrup
• 1  teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1  teaspoon  orange extract

Directions

1. CAKE:
2. Preheat oven to 350-degrees F --
3. Sift cake flour with sugar.
4. In a separate bowl, stir butter and orange rind to soften. Add flour mixture and milk. Mix to dampen flour; beat for 2 minutes at medium speed of an electric mixer or 300 strokes by hand.
5. Add eggs and beat one minute longer with mixer or 150 strokes by hand.
6. Stir in coconut.
7. Pour into grease and floured tube pan.
8. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until cake tests done.
9. Remove from oven and let cool. Remove from pan and invert onto serving platter.
10. When cooled completely, frost with Fluffy Orange Frosting.
11. FLUFFY ORANGE FROSTING:
12. Mix egg whites, sugar, salt, water and corn syrup in top of a double boiler.
13. Beat over simmering water (being careful that water doesn't touch bottom of bowl your ingredients are in) an elextric beater or rotary beater. Beat until frosting stands in stiff peaks.
14. Remove bowl from water.
15. Add vanilla and orange extracts. Tint if desired with food coloring to bring out the "orangie-ness".