My Grandpa Louis was born on Valentine\u2019s Day in 1927. Every year, we celebrated Valentine\u2019s Day with a home-cooked dinner at his house, joking that he would always be our first and only Valentine. Louis was a food lover and always had room for dessert, whether it was a poppyseed cookie, angel food cake, or anything with coconut.\n<\/p>\n
Every Valentine’s Day, my grandmother would cook juicy steaks, thick hamburgers, or beef stew and we\u2019d gather around their dinner table with party hats and Perry Como playing in the background. The grand finale, the birthday cake, was always my family\u2019s contribution. He had a blank slate to request whatever his heart desired.\n<\/p>\n
More often than not, he would request my mom\u2019s \u201cfamous\u201d coconut cake\u2026 a cake that came with a little secret. While he likely thought we were making a cake from scratch, painstakingly measuring the flour and sugar into mixing bowls, we were building our showstopping cake off our favorite boxed cake mix.\n<\/p>\n
We\u2019d add toasted coconut to the cake and frost it with a generous layer of tangy cream cheese frosting. No one ever guessed it was from a mix! Quickly, my mom became known for her amazing cakes, and soon she was on the hook for everyone\u2019s birthday cake in the family, doctoring up cake mixes and covering them with homemade buttercream frosting.\n<\/p>\n
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The Key Ingredients for My Halfway Homemade Cake <\/span> <\/h2>\n
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Simply Recipes \/ Micah Siva<\/p>\n
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Cake mixes can be delicious and, dare I say, better than homemade if you know how to upgrade your cake mix. I like to use Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines Super Moist White Cake Mix.\n<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t substitute low-fat or coconut milk beverage in this recipe. This cake works because of the addition of full-fat canned coconut milk. Adding a high-fat liquid in place of water helps to shorten the cake, or prevent gluten strands from forming, leaving you with an irresistibly tender crumb.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
The addition of extra vanilla (because, truthfully, you can never have too much vanilla) and a sprinkle of lime zest brighten the rich coconut milk. Feeling even more tropical? Add 1\/4 teaspoon coconut extract to the batter for extra coconut flavor.<\/p>\n
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The Frosting On Top <\/span> <\/h2>\n
I love using a classic cream cream cheese frosting, and homemade frosting is a great place to let your creativity shine! Add candied ginger, 1\/4 teaspoon lime zest, or even a splash of coconut liqueur for some extra tropical notes. If you don\u2019t feel like making your own frosting, you can use a container of vanilla frosting and whip it together with an 8-ounce block of cream cheese.\n<\/p>\n
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