Graham-Coconut Cake
Submitted by: Sea S. / Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Who passed this recipe down to you? My great-grandmother
Recipe origin: Unknown, but she was from Chicago
How old is this recipe? At least the 1930s, if not older
The story behind the recipe:
I never knew my great-grandmother. She died decades before I was born. However, one day I found this recipe in her handwriting, written on an old polling card. It was just in a random box of things. I made the cake, and it was so wonderful to get a piece of her kitchen back.
The cake and the white icing are original. Her recipe says to use "lemon filling," but doesn't provide one. The filling I use is the glaze from an orange-coconut coffee cake out of the 16th Pillsbury Bake-Off. I just used lemon juice instead of orange.
Anyone concerned about raw egg whites in the icing can either use pasteurized-in-the-shell eggs, or use egg whites from a carton. If using egg whites from a carton, be sure to vigorously shake the carton immediately before measuring.
Ingredients:
CAKE:
1 cup sugar
8 tbsp butter
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt (if butter is unsalted)
3 eggs
1 cup milk
8 oz graham cracker crumbs
4 oz (1 firmly packed cup) shredded coconut
LEMON FILLING:
6 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tbsp lemon juice (bottled juice is fine)
2 tbsp butter
Pinch salt (if butter is unsalted)
ICING:
2 tbsp butter (you don't need to be precise)
1 egg white
Pinch salt (if butter is unsalted)
Powdered sugar
How to make it:
CAKE:
Heat oven to 350. Grease two 8" rounds, then cut circles of parchment paper to fit the bottoms of them. Press the paper firmly into the pan, squeezing out as many bubbles as possible. Coat the top of the paper with cooking spray. (These cakes really want to stick to the pan. Using paper guarantees that they will fall out after you cut around the sides of the pan.)
Cream together the butter, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
Then alternately add the graham crumbs and the milk: add about one third of the crumbs, about half of the milk, another third of the crumbs, the rest of the milk, and the last of the crumbs. (Batter may look unpromising, but it's OK.) Stir in the coconut.
Pour into the pans. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until the center springs back when lightly pressed with your fingertip. Wait until the cake is cool before making the filling and icing.
FILLING:
In a small saucepan, beat together the sugar and sour cream, eliminating all lumps. Add the remaining ingredients. If using the juice of a fresh lemon instead of juice from a bottle, grate the rind and add it also.
Place over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until it boils for 3 minutes. Remove from heat, and let stand until cooled and thickened. (You can cool it faster by putting the saucepan in a bigger pan of cold water and stirring the filling.)
Spread the filling onto the bottom cake layer. Let stand for a few minutes so the filling firms up, then put the other cake layer on top. You may need to insert skewers into the cake to keep it from sliding around.
ICING:
Beat the butter, egg white, salt (if using), and about 3/4 cup powdered sugar until uniform. Gradually add enough powdered sugar to make the icing thick enough to hold a shape, but soft enough to spread thinly.
Coat the top and sides of the cake with a thin layer of icing.