Coconut Cake

My friend Kim and I love all things coconut. Several years ago, she shared this recipe for coconut cake with me and I love it. I love it because it’s light and fluffy. It’s also super easy to make. It uses a cake mix, so it’s not “from scratch”, but the extra things you do and add to it make it better than just a cake mix cake. I usually make this cake at Christmas because I associate coconut cake with Christmas. But I make it in the summer too because it also tastes tropical.

Here’s what you need: 1 white cake mix, 1 c flaked coconut (I use sweetened), 1 1/3 c water, 2 egg whites (very important that you use only the egg whites – it’s what makes this cake extra light and fluffy), 1 can cream of coconut, whipped cream and extra coconut for topping.

Mix the cake mix, coconut, water and egg whites. Beat this together on high speed for 2 minutes, then reduce to low speed and mix for one more minute. Don’t skip this step – again, it’s what makes this cake light and fluffy.

Pour into a lightly sprayed 9 x 13 pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned.

Here’s what it will look like.

Let it cool for ten minutes, then using a fork, poke holes all over the cake like this.

Now pour the cream of coconut all over the top of the cake. (Note: you will need to stir the cream of coconut when you open the can and then start pouring). It will look like a lot, but I promise you, it will quickly soak all into the cake making it all kinds of wonderful.

Now, I said you will need whipped cream. Here’s the deal. You could use cool whip for this, but I HIGHLY recommend just getting some heavy whipping cream and some powdered sugar and making your own. It isn’t hard, only takes a small amount of time, and it tastes SO MUCH BETTER.

All you do is put about 1 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream into a bowl, add a couple of heaping tablespoons of confectioner’s sugar in there and whip it. Whip it good. Until it starts to form peaks and looks like whipped cream. You’ll know it’s ready when you can clearly see that it looks and feels like whipped cream.