Southern Heirloom Coconut Cake
recipe by Katherine McCutchen & photos by Talitha Schroeder
Katherine McCutchen’s recipe originally appeared in the Heritage Cookbook, first published in 1998 by the African American Heritage Center of Simpson County, Ky. According to an article at the time of her death, the South Union matriarch was “an influential and driving force behind the creation and preservation of the African American Heritage Center.”
We present Mrs. McCutchen’s recipe almost exactly as she wrote it – in her usual meticulous way, according to her son Keith. It would be perfect for Easter, Mother’s Day, Derby or graduation. Really for any spring celebration.
1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, separated
2 ⅔ cup sifted AP flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk or heavy cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla or cognac
7-minute frosting (recipe below)
Orange cake filling (recipe below)
2 ½ to 3 cups finely grated fresh coconut (from about 1 ½ coconuts)
Cream butter and sugar in an electric mixer as thoroughly as possible. Add egg yolks and beat hard until the mixture turns to a lighter shade of yellow and is exceedingly smooth. The sugar crystals should be almost dissolved.
Sift flour with the baking powder and salt and add alternately with the milk or cream, folding it in by hand.
Beat the egg whites until they are stiff but not dry and grainy. Gently fold into the batter.
Add the vanilla or cognac. Give the batter several hard strokes to rid it of air bubbles.
Grease and dust with flour, or line with wax paper or foil, 2 round 9-inch cake pans. Fill pans not more than ¾ full.
Place in a preheated 350℉ oven on the middle shelf for about 35 minutes. When the batter springs back at once when touched with your finger, the cake is done. You can also use a cake tester. (If any cake is baked until the sides leave the pan, the cake is overcooked and will have lost some sweetness.) Turn cake layers out onto racks and cool completely before proceeding.
Spread the orange filling between the layers of cake, then cover the entire cake generously, top and sides, with 7-minute frosting. Take handfuls of coconut and press it into the frosting generously. Makes 12 to 16 servings.
Seven-minute Frosting
3 egg whites
⅔ cup extra-fine sugar
⅛ teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons clear corn syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla or cognac
In a round stainless steel pan or bowl – set in the top of a double boiler – combine egg whites, sugar, salt and corn syrup. Beat the mixture constantly over the quietly boiling water with an electric hand mixer or rotary beater until the meringue holds a stiff peak. Beat in vanilla or cognac. Makes frosting for 2-layer, 9-inch cake.
Orange Cake Filling
½ cup sugar
2 egg yolks
Tiny pinch salt
2 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot
½ cup fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons butter
Combine the sugar and egg yolks in a heavy non-reactive pan. Beat very hard. Add the salt and cornstarch or arrowroot and beat thoroughly. Place over hot water and cook until the mixture thickens, beating constantly. Add the orange juice, grated orange zest, and lemon juice. Beat hard again, until thickened. Remove from heat, incorporate the butter and spoon into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until cold. Makes enough to fill a 2-layer 8-or 9-inch cake. Note: this filling can also be used to fill small, open-faced tarts.
Keith McCutchen’s remembrance –
My mother‘s family traditions dated back to slavery, and she was very meticulous about keeping records, maps, and pictures, as well as their genealogy. She was the same in the kitchen with recipes that had been passed down, kept as though they were family heirlooms.
My mother was part of a proud southern tradition that not only involved just the right white dress for Sunday morning, or just the right hat – that fit just right – but also the tradition of preparing dishes from very specific recipes, passed down from generation to generation.
Her coconut cake had the dignity of the white dress and her best white hat, worn on special days.
The cake was always beautiful, with its distinct outer covering and well-crafted layers. And even though I didn’t like coconut, the sight of it was something to behold.
Charles Sr. and Katherine McCutchen were married over 60 years. Charles passed in 2020; Katherine followed him one year later to the day. Photo shared by their son Keith.
Related Content
It’s Four O’Clock Somewhere
A grandson remembers another Southern matriarch— Honeywood Parrish Rouse, namesake of our Honeywood Restaurant. Here’s Bob Rouse’s tribute to his indomitable grandmother, whose favorite cake just happened to be coconut with seven-minute icing.
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