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Saturday, November 26, 2011

Additional Information for Old Fashioned Southern Coconut Cake (Additional Information)

This recipe for the Queen of Southern cakes has been in my family for more than 100 years. It was always among the many delicious home made dishes on the tables at Thomas/Hodges family reunions. My grandmother always made it for me on my birthday, and as I will be 69 years old tomorrow, I wanted to share it on my blog. Maybe one of you awesome cooks out there will make one for me! I thought this recipe was lost forever, but my cousin and her mother still make it, and were kind enough to share it with me. Thank you Billie and littlecousin!

NOTE: I just received a message from someone who made this cake.  She said her icing was too thin, but it really is more akin to a glaze than a frosting.  You have to spoon it on the layers over and over until it sets.  This recipe is more than 100 years old, and it has always been written this way, so it didn't occur to me to add any further instruction.  I do apologize for the error.  My cousin told me today that this cake is entered in her church auction every year, and it always sets off a bidding war between two well-to-do gentlemen in particular.  This year, this cake sold for $500.00!  My grandmother and her kinswomen would love that!

Ingredients:
1 C. butter
2 C. sugar
3 C. all-purpose flour (White Lily)
4 eggs (room temp.)
½ tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
¾ C. whole milk

Instructions:
Cream together: butter, sugar ; add eggs 1 at a time. Alternately add flour and milk, starting and ending with flour. (You might not need all of the milk). Makes 3 layers. Bake at 325* for 20-30 minutes. Do not overcook. Cool in pan.

Coconut Icing Servings: Icing for 3 layers
Ingredients:
1 ½ C. sugar
½ C. milk
½ stick butter
¾ C. coconut juice
2 C fresh grated coconut (approximately)
Additional coconut juice

Instructions:
Mix all ingredients, except coconut, together in large sauce pan. Bring to boil and cook about 1-2 min. Let cool a bit. Spoon some coconut juice on layers, then spoon icing on layers, adding fresh grated coconut on each layer. Let cake stand in cold room overnight to soak, wrap in foil paper and refrigerate.

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Full Plate Thursday
Foodie Friday
Sweets For Saturday
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28 comments:

  1. Hi Patsy,
    This is an awesome Coconut Cake, it looks delicious! Hope you are having a great holiday week end. Thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and hope you will come back soon!
    Miz Helen
    A New Follower

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  2. Miz Helen, Thank you for the compliment, and for following my blog! This cake is so good...always moist and tasty... especially if fresh coconut and coconut milk is used!

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    1. Your recipe calls for Coconut Juice...where do you buy coconut juice or is it from a fresh coconut? I hae seen coconut milk but not coconut juice.

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    2. Coconut juice is the liquid inside the coconut. It is sold in some stores as a canned drink. They are generally sold in Thai and Vietnamese grocery stores. The best is to get it straight from the coconut.

      Coconut milk comes from grating the meat of the coconut. Coconut milk can be prepared by directly squeezing grated coconut meat through cheesecloth. It is high in fat content and tastes nothing like coconut juice.

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    3. I believe it is sold as Coconut water rather than juice. That is what I buy.

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  3. I need to save this and make it. I love a good coconut cake. Thanks for sharing this.

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  4. Thank you for stopping by, Kim. Your blog is lovely!

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  5. Fantastic recipe...as usual from YOU! Thx for linking to Tea Party Tuesday.

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  6. Thanks, Trish. The Thanksgiving cupcakes and cookies on your blog are awesome! I agree, Royal Icing is scary stuff!

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  7. Fantastic recipe and lovely blog!
    Happy Thanksgiving!
    Hope to see you on my blog:)

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  8. Miss Pat, Happy Birthday to the Queen!!! Love & Hugs sent your way!!! xoxo

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  9. Thank you, Kitty! Love and hugs back to you my dear friend.

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  10. I tried making this tonight and it just doesn't seem right...the frosting was not thick at all..I have is chilling in the frig now but, it just doesn't seem right...what did I do wrong?

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    1. I am sorry to hear you had a problem, and that it took me so long to respond. Teh icing is supposed to be thin...I should have noted that in the post. This recipe is VERY old, and the icing is more akin to a glaze. You just keep spooning it over the cake until as much as possible adheres. I hope it worked out. I just talked to my cousin who's mother had preserved the recipe. She said their church has an auction every year, and this cake always starts a bidding war. It sold for $500 this year! It is GOOD. Let me know how yours came out. I do apologize that I did not make it clear. Sincerely, Patsy

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  11. I've had this as a child, when we lived in Alabama! However, instead of glaze it was fresh whipped cream used as a frosting, with the freshly grated coconut over that, and I remember it to this day! This is a delicious cake.

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  12. Where do you get coconut juice? Is it the liquid inside a whole coconut? Is it sweetened at all? Are there any suitable substitutions that are easily purchased? Can't wait to make this....my Gramme made a cake that sounds very similar but her cake was square....and had four layers.

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    Replies
    1. Thai and Vietnamese grocery stores often carry coconut juice. It is the watery liquid inside the fresh coconut.

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  13. Where do you get coconut juice? Is it the liquid inside a whole coconut? Is it sweetened at all? Are there any suitable substitutions that are easily purchased? Can't wait to make this....my Gramme made a cake that sounds very similar but her cake was square....and had four layers.

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  14. Please tell me you can use coconut in a bag.

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  15. Do you mean cream together sugar**, butter and eggs added one at a time? Cause I do not see where you add the sugar into the cake batter.

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  16. Does the flour need to be sifted? I always mess up my cakes with the flour. Do I need to measure out 3 cups of flour and sift or measure out 3 cups of sifted flour to use in the recipe?

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  17. Thanks for a great recipe! It was delicious but I had one problem: the cake itself was a bit crumbly. I followed the directions exactly except I couldn't find White Lily flour. I looked up the contents of White Lily flour and bought one similar. Could that still be the cause? perhaps I broke the cardinal rule and left it in a minute too long? Or, any other ideas to make it a bit moister? Thank you!

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  18. Can't wait to bake this wonderful cake, will Commethe later after I have been to the kitchen to bake. I also use white Lilly flour,,, the best to bake with.thank you.

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  19. Can't wait to bake this wonderful cake, will Commethe later after I have been to the kitchen to bake. I also use white Lilly flour,,, the best to bake with.thank you.

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  20. My wife, a native southerner in her late 60s, remembers a coconut cake her grandmother used to make. "And she started with a real coconut!" is the way the story goes. So I'm hoping to use your recipe--and a real coconut--to make her a cake for her birthday next week. Thank you for sharing the recipe.

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  21. My wife, a native southerner in her late 60s, remembers a coconut cake her grandmother used to make. "And she started with a real coconut!" is the way the story goes. So I'm hoping to use your recipe--and a real coconut--to make her a cake for her birthday next week. Thank you for sharing the recipe.

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  22. I think I see the problem some people are having. This recipe makes a cake with an almost clear icing. The picture that is with the recipe is not how this recipe is supposed to look. Is this correct or have I gotten all mixed up? Thanks so much for the recipe -It's just like granny's!

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  23. Thank you Patsy for this recipe. I love these timeless recipes especially ones I grew up with! Lived in Allen for 30 years then sold out and retired to Lake Kiowa, Texas...Thanks again Patsy!!

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