It Ain't Pretty...

Let me share a little secret with y'all. My momma KNOWS how to cook. I credit my love of all things food to her. I have so many memories of sitting in the kitchen watching my mom cook and her sharing with me all of her secrets to good southern meals. As I got older, she would involve me in the cooking process. This recipe I'm about to share is what she calls the "It ain't pretty but it sure is good" coconut cake. The name says it all. This cake is so good, but the secret is preparing it and letting it sit about 2 days in the refrigerator before you serve it. Trust me on this one...the moisture from the frosting seeps into the cake, but not in a "mushy" sort of way. It just gives it this amazing deliciousness that makes you want to "slap" said momma, lol :)

Now, I know what you're thinking..."Erin, why didn't you ice the sides of the cake? It might look prettier that way!" This coconut cake has a frosting that isn't what you think of when you think of cake frosting. It's made from sour cream, coconut, and sugar, and it doesn't have enough body to hold onto the sides of the cake. If you frost the sides of this cake, it's all going to end up as soup on the bottom of your cake plate. So, you have to live with the fact that your cake is ugly. But, trust me, once a morsel of this hops into your mouth, you'll have no complaints about how it looks.

So, in summary, this is not a cake you make when trying to impress somebody. It's a cake you make when you're crazing something homemade and oh-so-sweet.

Here's the recipe:

1 box Duncan Hines Butter Cake mix
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 (16 oz.) carton of sour cream (I used light)
2 packages frozen coconut

Cook cake mix according to box directions. This will make 2 round cake layers. When cooled, slice cake layers in half (end up with 4 layers).

Mix sour cream and frozen coconut together to thaw. When thawed, mix in sugar and put the frosting between the layers of cake. Do NOT frost the sides of the cake. Refrigerate. Cake is best if covered and refrigerated 2-3 days before serving.