Every woman has to have a few tricks up her sleeve. Well, maybe more than a few. The type of things that make your husband’s coworkers think you are more magnificent than you are. Things you can pull out at a moment’s notice to awe and amaze. I have a small (yet, effective) arsenal of recipes that can be done in a short time and still have that wow-effect. This coconut cake is one of them. IT SAVED ME THIS WEEK ONCE AGAIN! I found the recipe via my idol, Paula Deen. If you know me, you know I love Paula Deen.
In fact, below is a conversation Annie and I have on a regular basis.
“Can we have a conversation without you mentioning Paula Deen?” Annie will ask.
My answer: “No. We cannot. I am obsessed with Paula Deen.”
Paula Deen is one of my lady heroes. In fact, if I were to create the perfect me, it would be a combination of Mother Theresa, Jackie O., Paula Deen, Sonia Clayton, Sheri Dew, Jane Goodall, the lady who created Spanx, Marilyn Monroe, and the tiniest bit of that crazy redhead on Desperate Housewives. But that is a completely other story and I digress. But the facts remain the same, I am obsessed with Paula Deen. Her recipes. Her cute personality. Her overuse of butter. So without further ado, here is an easy breezy coconut cake recipe I keep in my easy-arsenal from my Southern hero, Ms. Paula Deen.
You can find more tips for this Paula Deen’s Jamie’s Coconut Cake on the review page of the recipe at Food Network here.
Ingredients
Cake:
- Basic 1-2-3-4 Cake but substitute 1 cup canned, unsweetened coconut milk for regular milk, recipe follows
- Filling
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup sour cream
- 4 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 cup flaked, sweetened coconut
- Frosting
- 1 recipe 7-minute Frosting
- Flaked, sweetened coconut, for sprinkling
Directions
Follow directions for Basic 1-2-3-4 Cake, substituting coconut milk for regular milk. While cake is baking, prepare filling. Stir together sugar, sour cream, milk, and coconut in a bowl until well blended. Remove cake layers from oven and allow cake to remain in pans as you prepare to stack and fill. Remove first layer and invert onto cake plate. Using the wrong end of a wooden spoon, poke holes approximately 1-inch apart until entire cake has been poked. Spread 1/3 of filling mixture on cake layer. Top with second layer, repeat process. Top with last layer and repeat process again. (As I stack layers together I stick them with toothpicks to prevent cake from shifting).
Prepare 7-Minute Frosting. Frost top and sides of cake. Sprinkle top and sides of cakes with additional coconut.
Basic 1-2-3-4 Cake:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 3 cups sifted self-rising flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease and flour 3 (9-inch) cake pans. Using an electric mixer, cream butter until fluffy. Add sugar and continue to cream well for 6 to 8 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour and milk alternately to creamed mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Add vanilla and continue to beat until just mixed. Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Level batter in each pan by holding pan 3 or 4 inches above counter, then dropping it flat onto counter. Do this several times to release air bubbles and assure you of a more level cake. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until done. Cool in pans 5 to 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto cooling racks. Cool completely and spread cake layers with your favorite frosting to make a 3-layer cake.
7-Minute Frosting:
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar or 1 tablespoon white corn syrup
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup water
- 2 egg whites
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Place sugar, cream of tartar or corn syrup, salt, water, and egg whites in the top of a double boiler. Beat with a handheld electric mixer for 1 minute. Place pan over boiling water, being sure that boiling water does not touch the bottom of the top pan. (If this happens, it could cause your frosting to become grainy). Beat constantly on high speed with electric mixer for 7 minutes. Beat in vanilla.
Let’s continue to awe and amaze with little effort together,
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