Recipe: Coconut Layer Cake with Lemon Filling and Wonderful Marshmallow-Like Frosting

I have most of Susan Branch's books, they are filled with fun ideas for celebrating life.

COCONUT LAYER CAKE WITH LEMON FILLING
Source: The Summer Book by Susan Branch

LEMON FILLING:
Juice and grated rind of 2 lemons
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 Tablespoons butter, melted

When grating rind, take special care not to get the bitter white part.

Put all ingredients in double boiler, stir over simmering water till thickened-15-20 minutes. Chill.

CAKE (makes three 8-inch layers):
6 Tablespoons butter, room temp.
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs, separated
2 1/4 cups flour, sifted
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg yolks and beat until thick and lemon-colored.

With a fork, mix together dry ingredients and add them to egg mixture alternately with the milk; stir in vanilla. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites.

Divide batter between 3 buttered 8=inch cake pans and bake for 20 minutes. Cool completely and remove from pans.

Before frosting cut off rough edges of cake with sharp scissors.

WONDERFUL MARSHMALLOW-LIKE FROSTING:
1/3 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
pinch of salt
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla
sweetened coconut

Stir the water, sugar, cream of tartar and salt together in a small heavy-bottomed pan. Hook a candy thermometer to the edge of the pan and boil without stirring until mixture reaches 240 degrees F.

Meanwhile, beat egg whites until stiff. Pour the 240-degree syrup over the whites in a thin stream, beating constantly until thick and glossy. Stir in vanilla.

TO ASSEMBLE:
Put the chilled lemon filling between cooled layers-try not to let too much of it get out the sides. Frost the cake with the Wonderful Marshmallow-Like Frosting then sprinkle on coconut thickly, gently pressing it into the sides. During this process the cake may try to slip and slide, but just slide it back straight.