toasted coconut cake

toasted coconut cake with homemade vanilla cream icing

birthdays are the best.
especially 30th birthdays for my sister in law. Over the holidays, we got to throw Danielle a surprise 30th birthday party. It was a great night... My oldest brother played bartender, my sister was the DJ, and by the end of the night, my entire family busted out into a dance party in the middle of the living room. It was grand.
We had a huge assortment of appetizers and snacks, and did a toasted coconut cake with homemade vanilla cream icing. So good.

yum. let's eat cake.

toasted coconut cake:
box of duncan hines vanilla cake mix.
1 cup toasted coconut
Follow the directions on the back of the box and mix in toasted coconut. Pour batter into 3 greased round cake pans. Bake until set in middle. Remove cakes from oven and let them cool completely. Meanwhile, make the icing.

homemade vanilla cream icing
1 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup milk
6 Tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups toasted coconut
Cook flour and milk in a saucepan until so thick that you can't stir it. Let it cool.
Cream butter and sugar in a mixer until smooth. Add milk mixture and vanilla and beat for about 8 minutes, or until very thick and creamy.

Place 1/3 of icing on 1st layer of cake. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of toasted coconut. Repeat layers, adding the extra coconut to the top of cake. Top with sliced strawberries.