McCormick chefs sat down with Wanda C. from Maryland to hear the story of her family's lost coconut cake recipe. Inspired by Wanda’s memories of the flavors and aromas from her grandmother's kitchen, our team put on their detective caps to help Wanda recreate the rich vanilla cake and fresh coconut icing from her childhood.
Watch the video of Wanda's story, then try making this deliciously moist cake yourself. The steps below outline everything you need to do. Prep. Bake. Decorate. And - enjoy!
Step 1
Sift two cups of flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Set aside. Mix buttermilk and baking soda in small bowl. Set aside.
Step 2
Bring water, margarine and remaining two tablespoons of flour to boil in small saucepan, stirring to blend.
Step 3
Add the hot margarine mixture into the flour mixture; mix with wire whisk until well blended.
Step 4
Add the buttermilk mixture, oil, eggs and vanilla
Step 5
Mix with whisk until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pans.
Step 6
Use this recipe to make the icing. To frost cake, place one cake layer on a cake platter. Spread top of cake with frosting.
Step 7
Sprinkle with a layer of grated coconut.
Step 8
Top with second cake layer. Frost top and side of cake with remaining frosting.
Step 9
Cover the frosted cake completely with remaining coconut.
Step 10
Enjoy! Get the full recipe >
