Sour Cream Coconut Layer Cake – A Tribute to Grandmother

This is one of my grandfather’s favorite cakes. Last time I went to visit, he mentioned he had a “hankerin'” and I thought I would make it for him for Christmas but my grandmother passed away on Tuesday and so I decided to make it now.

My grandmother was the most amazing woman and cook of all time. Some of my very first and fondest memories with Grandmother include cooking together. She would let me do anything…even if it meant spending more time on clean up than cooking. Whether it be rolling out sausage balls or biscuits waaay too big or small, putting too much real sugar in boiling oatmeal, or making messy mud pies in the back yard, if I was with her, she was letting me find my way.

To this day, I’ve never in my life had better chicken and dumplings, butter beans, or anything else, for that matter. You know how people say things taste better when they are made with love? She showed her love through cooking. We all felt it. In fact, showing love through cooking is definitely something she passed down to all of her daughters. My mom and aunts are great in the kitchen and have, in turn, passed it down to all of us.

Although Grandmother is no longer with us, the memories we have will live on forever.

I love you.

This coconut cake takes 3 days to set in the fridge so don’t make it if you are in a hurry. Patience is a virtue with this one. The longer it is left to set up, the better and moister it becomes. It turns out absolutely gorgeous.  I hope you enjoy it as much as PawPaw. Yum!

Sour Cream Coconut Layer Cake

Servings: A Zillion
Level: Easy/Medium
Time: 1 hour + 3 days to set in the fridge

1 package (18½ oz.) butter flavor cake mix
2 cups sugar
1 carton (8 oz.) commercial sour cream
1 package (12 oz.) frozen coconut, thawed (unfrozen from the baking aisle works, too)
1½ cups whipped cream (thawed)

Prepare the cake according to directions, making two 8-inch layers.

Split both layers horizontally after they have cooled. Blend together the sugar, sour cream, and coconut, and chill. Spread all but 1 cup of the sour cream mixture between the four layers. Blend the remaining cup of the mixture with the whipped cream and spread on the top and sides of the cake. Seal in an airtight container and refrigerate for three days before serving. Keep refrigerated after cutting. Yum!

(This is what happens when you cut into it with a butter knife instead of a sharper one… whoops!)

Tips
-Duncan Hines butter flavor cake mix works VERY well with this recipe.
-Sprinkle any extra coconut over the iced cake to hide any icing imperfections!
-Make the sour cream mixture and put it in the fridge to cool while the cakes are baking/cooling. This will help the mixture thicken up so it won’t ooze out from under the layers.