There are coconut people and there are the unenlightened. Wow, guess which side I’m on. I’ve always been a coconut fan. Even when I was a little girl in Portland, anything with coconut in it called out to me. And to get an actual coconut, forget about it! Do you suppose the fact that the only candy bar my dad liked was an Idaho Spud influenced this love? I’m rather surprised with the resurgence of coconut oil, etc., that there aren’t more recipes using coconut. Back in my Earth-mother days, coconut was a hot ingredient.
Aunt Grace’s Coconut cake brings all that love together into an incredibly moist cake. I know all the cousins are going, ‘who is Aunt Grace?’ and I can only answer, I have no idea. Julie was visiting her sister in South Carolina and had a piece of this cake. She brilliantly asked for the recipe and the rest is history. It comes together ever so easily; I don’t even get out the Kitchenaid. My little hand held mixer does the trick just fine.
Does it scream southern? I’ve not spent enough time in the South to judge. I do know every cooking show that features southern cuisine talks about coconut cake. Give this one a try. It’s not overly sweet considering the amount of coconut in the cake and the glaze gives it a very slight crunch. I love this cake and if you like coconut, I know you will, too.
Aunt Grace’s Coconut Cake
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
Cream together.
Add 3 eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add alternately: 1 cup milk
2 cups self-rising flour (yes, self-rising)
Stir in 1 cup coconut. Mix well and bake 1 hour at 325 degrees in a greased 9 x 13 pan.
Glaze
1 cup sugar
½ cup water
1 teaspoon coconut extract
Boil until clear. Pour over cake immediately after baking. Sprinkle with more coconut.
* From the Recipe Box:
Julie brought this home from a visit to Patsy in S. Carolina. I have no idea who Aunt Grace is, but I love her cake. It’s ever so moist with an intense coconut flavor. You must use self-rising flour. This recipe is southern after all.
And remember: Even though she was a grown woman, she believed in elves and Santa and flying reindeer and sacks with an endless capacity for toys. Furthermore, she believed that believing in these things was the chief reason that she had more fun in life than others. Big kiss, Lynn
From the Recipe Box 