Fresh Coconut Cake

Coconut-Milk Glaze (recipe follows) Frosting (recipe follows) Be sure to reserve the coconut milk to make the glaze. Drain the milk from the coconuts by carefully making a hole in each of the three eyes of the coconuts with a clean, new, and large nail, an icepick, or a sharp, very sturdy knife point. Strain the milk through cheesecloth or through a fine mesh strainer lined with a paper towel and measure out 1 1/2 cups; if necessary make up the balance with water. Refrigerate until ready to use. Break coconuts into small pieces with a hammer. Peel the pieces and remove the brown inner skin attached to the white coconut meat. Rinse and drain coconut meat well, then process it in batches in a food processor until minced. You will need 4 cups minced coconut For the filling plus 2 TBS. to garnish the top of the cake. Set aside. In a heavy 5 1/2 quart saucepan or large Dutch oven, heat together the cream, sugar and butter over med.-high heat until mixture reaches a boil, stirring frequently. Add the 4 cups of minced coconut, stirring well. Cook until mixture reduces to 5 cups, about 15 minutes, stirring almost constantly. Remove from heat and stir in the cornstarch. Place pan over high heat and bring to boil, stirring constantly. Add the vanilla and cook and stir about 1 minute. Remove from heat and continue stirring a few seconds more. Cool slightly, then refrigerate until well chilled. NOTE: Filling will decrease in volume as it cools. Once it is chilled, measure yield and divide by 5 to determine amount to use between cake layers. Keep refrigerated until just before ready to use. In a medium-size bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and the salt; set aside. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, combine the sugar and eggs; beat on low speed until smooth, about 1 minute, pushing sides down with a rubber spatula. Add the butter; beat on low until mixture is creamy and light colored, about 3 minutes. Beat in the milk and vanilla. Gradually add the flour mixture, about 1 cup at a time, beating after each addition just until smooth and pushing the sides down as needed. Then beat on high for about 1 minute more, pushing sides down. Spoon equal portions of the batter (a slightly mounded 1 cup) into six 8 inch round cake pans that have been greased and lightly floured. Spread batter out evenly in the pans. Bake at 350 on the middle rack of the oven, 3 layers at a time, until centers spring back when lightly pressed, 18-20 minutes. Remove from oven and let pans sit about 5 minutes, then loosen sides of cake with a knife and remove layers from pans to a wire rack. Bake the 3 remaining layers. If re-using the same pans, first wash, re-grease and lightly flour them. After the cake layers have cooled about 15 minutes, glaze one layer by brushing glaze over the surface and on the sides with a pastry brush, a little at a time and using one sixth of the glaze (about 2 1/2 TBS.) Make holes in the cake with a paring knife so glaze can sink in. Immediately (before glazing anothe layer), spread one fifth of the filling on top of the glazed layer, extending it to about 1/2 inch from the edge. Then place another layer on top and repeat precedure of glazing and spreading on filling until all layers have been glazed and all but the top layer have filling spread on them. Let cake cool throughly, then frost top and sides. Sprinkle the remaining 2 TBS, coconut on top. Let sit 1 hour before slicing. Coconut-Milk Glaze 1 1/2 cups reserved strained coconut milk 1/3 cup granulated sugar 1 tsp. vanilla extract Combine the coconut milk and the sugar in a 2-quart saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Continue boiling until glaze reduces to 1 cup, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour into a glass measuring cup and use glaze as directed in the recipe. Makes 1 cup. Frosting 2 (3 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, very soft 1 TBS. vanilla extract 1/4 tsp. salt 2 TBS. plus 1 tsp. evaporated milk 1 (1 pound) box powdered sugar, in all 4 cups Combine the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and salt in a medium size bowl of an electric mixer; beat on high speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Turn speed to medium and beat in the milk and 1 cup of sugar, pushing sides down with a rubber spatula. Beat in the remaining 3 cups of sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing until smooth before adding more. If the frosting becomes too thick for the mixer, do the last bit of mixing by hand with a spoon.