COCONUT CAKE ****

2 cups all purpose flour
l tsp. bak9ing powder
l/2 tsp. salt
2 sticks butter softened
l-l/3 cups sugar
l tsp. vanilla
3 large eggs at room temp.
l cup whole milk at room temp
l-l/2 cups unsweetened desiccated coconut
Heat oven 350. Grease a l0x2″ round cake pan and line bottom with a round of wax paper or parcment. Grease paper and dust pan with flour, knocking out excess. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Beat butter with electric mixer until creamy. Gradually beat in sugar on med. speed until pale and fluffy. Add vanilla then beat in eggs, l at a time. (Mixture may look curdled) Alternately beat in flour mixture and milk in 3 batches on low speed. Increase speed to med and beat batter l-l/2 mins. or until smooth. Fold in coconut. Spoon batter into cake pan and spread evenly. Bake cake in middle of oven until golden brown and a gester comes out clean, 45-50 mins. Cool cake in pan on a rack l hr then invert onto rack. Remove paper and reinvert onto another rack to cool completely. Cake keeps well wrapped at room temp. 2 days. Can be served with chocolate sauce but can also be topped with fresh fruit – nectarines or mangoes. It’s a perfect ummertime cake
Serves l0 Gourmet July 2000