Celebrating

Well, it's here....the shortest day of the year! Once today has passed, every day starts to get just a little bit longer....heading down that long stretch to the longest day of the year!! Happy Winter! I think, to celebrate, I will have a piece of the coconut cake that Amanda made for us this weekend. And then, I will sequester myself in my sewing room and finish up my wrapping. Christmas is upon us....time to get all those little last minute tasks complete, so that we can just enjoy the rest of the week.

This is my most favorite coconut cake recipe. This year, we added a tiny bit of red food coloring to the coconut and tossed it until the coconut turned this lovely shade. Of course we had to add something glittery to the top! Here is the recipe....

Prize Winning Coconut Cake

1 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2/3 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

2/3 cup shredded coconut

cream cheese/ butter cream frosting

Cream butter and sugar and beat until fluffy. Add eggs,

one at a time,beating well.

Combine flour, baking powder, salt.

Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with the milk.

Stir in vanilla and coconut. Pour into two greased and

floured 8 inch layer cake pans.

Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes.

Cool cakes and remove from pans.

When completely cool, you can frost between layers and

over the top of the cake.

Sprinkle with more coconut on top and sides of cake.

For Butter Cream Frosting: I do not have a recipe,

but basically, ream a softened stick of

butter and a small pack of cream cheese together

(you can vary amounts of these as needed).

Add confectioners sugar (about 2 cups...more or less),

a pinch of salt and a tsp. of vanilla.

Beat until smooth and spreadable.

Add enough confectioners sugar to make

it the consistency that you want.