CHOCOLATE-CARAMEL-COCONUT CAKE

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• 2. Add dry ingredients for cake into a medium sized bowl.
• 3. Add eggs, milk, vanilla, and oil and beat with a mixer for 2-3 minutes.
• 4. While you are beating the cake bring the coffee to a boil in a sauce pan.
• 5. Pour the coffee into the batter after the 2 minutes is up and mix until smooth.
• 6. This is a very soupy batter, it will pour easily. Pour into two oiled and floured 9" circle baking pans.
• 7. Take the 1/2 cup coconut and divide between the two pans. Sprinkle on top and push down into the batter with a spoon until submerged.
• 8. Put pans in the oven and set timer to 35 minutes.
• 9. While the cake is baking you should prepare your filling and icing.
• 10. For the caramel coconut filling- add shortening and butter to a bowl and mix with a mixer until blended. add powdered sugar and blend until smooth.
• 11. Heat milk in a cup in the microwave and add brown sugar. Stir until dissolved.
• 12. Add the milk mixture and caramel flavoring to the icing and beat for about a minute with a mixer.
• 13. Add the coconut and stir until incorporated and put in refrigerator.
• 14. For the chocolate icing- Melt the butter in the microwave in a medium sized bowl.
• 15. Add the cocoa and vanilla and mix until completely combined.
• 16. While beating with a mixer alternate the powdered sugar and milk until fully combined.
• 17. Put chocolate icing in refrigerator.
• 18. Let the cake cool completely before attempting to frost.
• 19. Take the first layer and remove from pan onto a cake platform.
• 20. Take a knife and slice the cake horizontally to form two layers.
• 21. Set top layer to the side, and spoon some of the coconut filling out onto the cake. Spread the filling thickly to cover the layer.
• 22. Put the next layer on top of the filling. Spread this layer with chocolate icing and then top with a thick layer of the coconut filling.
• 23. Cut the other cake horizontally and add another layer to the cake.
• 24. Add the remaining coconut filling to this layer and top with the last cake layer.
• 25. Frost the entire outside of the cake with the chocolate icing.
• 26. Take the coconut for the topping and mix 2 cups unsweetened and three cups sweetened coconut on a large baking sheet. Spread out to a single layer.
• 27. Set in oven and bake at 350 stirring every 2 minutes until toasted. Depending on your oven it may be less than 10 minutes just make sure you are checking it or else it may scorch.
• 28. let the coconut cool and add the non-toasted cup of sweetened coconut to the mixture.
• 29. Take the coconut working with small handfuls at a time and pack into the coconut cake. It is okay to press on the cake you want the coconut to stick completely. This will get a little messy you will get icing on your hands but the point is to get all of the coconut on the cake.
• 30. Drizzle the cake with chocolate syrup and caramel syrup.