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Friday, February 24, 2012

Additional Information for Old Fashioned Southern Coconut Cake

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 75 years old this year, I wanted to share it on my blog. Her mother used to make it for her, and my grandmother would be 130 years old. 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!
This cake is made with FRESH coconut! To prepare coconut,  punch holes in the three "eyes" on top of nut, drain juice into a bowl.  Using the eyes as the north pole, take a hammer, and hit the nut all around the "equator", it will crack open.  Place nut upside down on a cookie sheet.  Bake in 350* oven for 15 minutes.  Let it cool, and remove from shell, break in pieces with a hammer, and trim off brown skin.  After skin is removed, grate coconut.  It is a lot of work, but worth it.

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

Instructions:
Cream together: butter and eggs, adding eggs 1 at a time. Alternately add flour and milk, starting and ending with flour. Makes 3 layers. Bake at 325* for 20-30 minutes. Do not overcook.

Coconut "Icing" for 3 layers  (more like a thin glaze)
Ingredients:
1 ½ C. sugar
½ C. milk
½ stick butter
¾ C. fresh coconut juice (juice is the liquid inside the nut. It becomes milk when mixed with coconut.
2 C fresh grated coconut (approximately)
Reserve remaining 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. Brush layers with reserved juice, then spoon icing on layers, adding fresh grated coconut on each layer. The sides of the cake are not "iced".  Today, this would be called a naked cake. Let cake stand in cold room overnight to soak, wrap in foil paper and refrigerate.  It tastes better when it has chilled a couple of days.





18 comments:

  1. Wow, Patsy! I love coconut cake & this one sounds amazing! Thank you for sparing me the $500 expense! I'll let you know when I make it.

    Wishing you ever happiness on your birhtday! xoxo

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    Replies
    1. Hi Susan, so glad you dropped in today! The short ribs on you blog sound delish!

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    2. This sounds absolutely wonderful! Enjoy your birthday, Patsy!:)

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    3. Thank you kindly, Nellie! :)

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  2. Happy Birthday Patsy! I hope that you have a very special Birthday week end. I would sure bake you that wonderful Coconut Cake if you lived closer. Blow out all the candles and make a good wish!
    Hugs!
    Miz Helen

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    Replies
    1. Hey Miz Helen! I originally posted this in November before my 69th birthday. I re-posted it today to make sure everyone had the proper instructions for making the icing. I 'll bet you could make this cake taste even better! xo Patsy

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  3. What a gorgeous looking cake! I hope you had a wonderful birthday and thank you for visiting my blog.

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    Replies
    1. Many thanks for the compliment, Corina...and thanks for stopping by!

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  4. Patsy, I hope you had a wonderful day. My favorite cake is also Coconut. My grandmother and then mother made it for my birthday. I'm the only person in my family who likes coconut cake so for my birthday, I take myself to lunch to this wonderful Italian Restaurant 30 miles east of Atlanta where they have the best coconut cake. I savor every bite till the next year.
    Regards,
    Pam Rauber

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    Replies
    1. Nice to "see" you Pam! I would love to know the name and location of this restaurant, so I can get some cake the next time I come home. My cousin makes them for me these days...she has it down to a science. Hmmmm...maybe I will whine a bit and have her make one for me when I come home this spring! :)

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    2. In Conyers, Michelangelo Italian Restaurant.
      951 Railroad St NW
      Conyers, GA 30012
      (770) 929-0828

      My favorite Italian Restaurant. I've always had great service each time I've been there.

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    3. Thanks, Pam! We come home in April for the Masters, and spend time visiting friends and family in the Atlanta area. I will put this on my list of places to go!

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    4. This looks incredible. My sister-in-law absolutely adores coconut so maybe I'll make this for her birthday in a few months. Thank you for sharing it!

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  5. Hi Patsi, i just love your blog, well done,
    does the "c" stands for cup?
    Best regards
    Mimi

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  6. Hi Patsy! I ran across this recipe on Pinterest today and instantly knew it was either the same or "almost" the same recipe I remember growing up! My Mother made an old fashioned, from scratch Coconut Cake ..only once a year, at Christmas! I remember her baking the coconuts and then drilling a hole in them to drain the coconut milk and then soaking the layers. She sometimes would spread a layer of caramel between the layers instead of the usual fillin! It was Absolutely Delicious... I remember one slice on a plate felt "heavy" - it was just so moist! ... My Mother passed away in 1980. I was 24. 24 and too stupid to realize before she passed away, that Someday I would regret not taking the time to pick her brain as to how she made that coconut cake or that sweet potato pie. Through the years I've asked family members - but no one seems to have her recipe for coconut cake!! Thank You Patty for taking the time to post your most treasured recipes for all of us to enjoy and maybe take a little walk down memory lane!!!!

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  8. Wonderful blog! I found it while surfing around on Yahoo News.
    Do you have any suggestions on how to get listed in Yahoo News?
    I've been trying for a while but I never seem to get there! Appreciate it

    My website - traka

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  9. You have this recipe posted twice on your blog. One shows using coconut juice and the other shows coconut milk. Which is it? Also you say to boil all the ingredients except the coconut. Does this include the juice/milk and then you use additional juice/milk to spoon on the layers or is the 3/4C coconut juice/milk what I am suppose to spoon on the layers?

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