Aunt Bessie's Coconut Cake

Momma always made a coconut cake for Christmas. It started with fresh coconut with the eye poked out, the juice drained, then she broke the shell with a hammer. My job was to grate the coconut. I never liked that cake because the 7 minute frosting she made was too sweet for my taste. About 35 years ago I ate Aunt Bessie's coconut cake at a friend's house. Wow! The best coconut cake I've ever tasted.

1 cup Crisco Shortening
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 1/4 cup sweet milk
2 cups self rising flour
2 teaspoons coconut flavoring

Turn on oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 3 cake pans by rubbing with shortening or margarine then dust with flour. Cream together crisco and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Alternate adding milk and flour, ending with flour. Add coconut flavoring. Beat for a minute or so, then put in cake pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes and turn out on cooling rack.

Icing
1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine
1 cup sweet milk
1/2 cup plain flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup crisco
1 teaspoon coconut flavoring
1 bag of flaked coconut

Melt margarine on low heat, add flour and stir in milk. Continue stirring until very thick. Remove from heat and cool.

Put sugar and crisco in mixer and beat until creamy. Add cooked mixure, heat until the consistencey of whipped cream. Add coconut flavoring.

Frost between layers, top and sides of cake then sprinkle with coconut.

Can be made as a sheet cake or cupcakes. Enjoy!