Coconut Cake

My great-grandmother was famous for making her coconut cake around Christmas. This year, I decided to carry on that tradition.

This recipe isn't Mommom Rita's, but it's her style of cake which includes walnuts in the batter.

Ingredients: 2 sticks butter, room temperature  2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour  1/2 teaspoon baking powder  1/2 teaspoon baking soda  1 teaspoon salt  1 1/2 cups sugar  3 large eggs  2 teaspoons coconut extract  1 cup buttermilk 3/4 cup walnuts plus flour to coat * *If you don't have buttermilk on hand try using 1/4 cup white vinegar and 3/4 cup milk. Let sit 5 minutes before putting it in the batter.  Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9-by-2-inch cake pans.  In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. With mixer on low, beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in coconut extract.  Alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined. Lightly stir in flour-coated walnuts. Divide batter between pans; smooth tops. Spin cakes around on the counter until the batter starts to come up the sides.  Bake until cakes pull away from sides of pans, 27 to 31 minutes. Let cool in pans 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges of pans and invert cakes onto a wire rack. Let cool completely.  Coconut Icing Ingredients: 1 stick butter, room temperature  1 box confectioner's sugar (3 3/4 cups)  3-4 tablespoons milk 2 teaspoons vanilla extract shredded coconut  Directions: Place butter in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until fluffy, 30 second.  Stop the machine and add confectioners' sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, and vanilla. Blend with the mixer on low speed until the sugar is incorporated, 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, 1 more minute. Blend in as much confectioners' sugar or milk as needed until icing is stiff but spreadable. Ice cake. Before the icing sets, press coconut on the sides, middle, and top of cake.

Enjoy!