"Angela's Southern Sensation Coconut Cake"

When it came to deciding just which one of my recipes I would share with you first, I looked no further than the coconut cake recipe I created in honor of my maternal grandmother, my biggest cooking and baking inspiration. Ever since I was old enough to watch my Granma Cleva handcraft a coconut cake creation in her kitchen in grand Southern tradition, I was hooked on the tasty, light & fluffy texture of a coconut cake made by her hand. As I grew older, she began teaching me her from-scratch techniques for the ins-and-outs of baking a coconut cake and whipping up the accompanying frosting.

In recent years, I began to come into my own in the kitchen and my coconut cake recipe became her request from year-to-year when I would ask her what kind of birthday cake she wanted. This time of year, which is her birthday month, these “sweet” memories especially come flooding back to me. I’m a firm believer in made from scratch baking. If you try this recipe, I hope you will share it with someone you love, like I had the honor of doing for so many of Granma's birthdays and that tradition continues.

"Angela's Southern Sensation Coconut Cake"

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 stick butter, softened

1 teaspoon coconut extract

4 large egg whites 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 8-inch round cake pans with cooking spray or grease well with butter. Sift cake flour into separate bowl with baking powder; set aside. In mixing bowl, beat softened butter with mixer until light and creamy. Gradually add the 1 1/2 cups sugar, a small amount at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl before each addition. Beat for about 1 minute after each addition. Add coconut extract to mixture. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, scraping sides of the bowl frequently. Slowly add about one-third of the flour mixture to the creamed mixture. Beat on low speed until blended. Scrape the bowl and repeat with another one-third of the dry mixture. Scrape the bowl and repeat with remaining flour mixture. Spoon batter into baking pans, spreading evenly. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until browned and sides pull away from the sides of the pans. Place on racks to cool. As cake cools, prepare frosting.


"Angela's Southern Sensation Frosting"

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup shortening

4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1 ½ teaspoons coconut extract

¼ cup shredded coconut

In mixing bowl, add first four ingredients. Beat with mixer 1 minute. Add coconut to mixture. Beat with mixer 4 minutes. Frost cooled cake. Use reserved ½ cup of coconut to coat top and sides of frosted cake. Enjoy!



Me and my precious Granma Cleva 1927-2009