CHERRY COCONUT CAKE

Cherry Coconut Cake image

Provided by Cecelia Huddleston

Categories Cakes

Number Of Ingredients 15

1 (10 ounce) jar maraschino cherries, reserve one cherry
1 cup cherry juice and milk
2 cups cake flour, sifted
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon almond extract
DIVINITY ICING
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup water
4 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8" or two 9" round cake pans. Drain cherries and add enough milk to the juice to make 1 cup. Chop the cherries. Combine cake flour and baking powder; set aside.
2. In large bowl with electric mixer, beat shortening with sugar and almond extract until well combined. Add the egg and beat well. On low speed, alternately add milk mixture and flour mixture beating just until combined. Stir in cherries.
3. Spread batter into prepared pans. For 9" pans, bake 20-25 minutes. For 8" pans, bake 30-35 minutes. Layers are done when a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool layers in pans for 10 minutes. Invert and remove cake layers from pans. Cool thoroughly before icing.
4. Divinity Icing: In the top of a double boiler, combine sugar, corn syrup, water and egg whites. With an electric mixer on low speed, beat the combined ingredients for 30 seconds.
5. Over boiling water with electric mixer on high speed, beat mixture constantly (about 12-14 minutes) until peaks begin to form. Add the vanilla; beat until stiff peaks form.
6. Frost the bottom layer and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of coconut. Add the remaining layer. Frost top and sides; then sprinkle with coconut. Place reserved cherry in center of cake.