Sunshine Cake (1940 recipe)

Sunshine Cake

2 cups cake flour
1 tsp. Arm & Hammer or Cow Brand Baking Soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, or other shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
grated rind of 1 orange (or lemon)
2/3 cup buttermilk or sour milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Sift, then measure the flour.  Add the baking soda and salt and sift three more times.  Cream butter until light and lemon-colored.  Gradually add the sugar, beating after each addition.  Add grated orange rind (or lemon), eggs and vanilla.  Blend well.  Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk, or sour milk.  Pour into a 9 x 9 pan.  Bake 45 minutes.

Orange Coconut Frosting

3 Tbsp. butter, softened
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup orange juice (or lemon)
3/4 cup grated coconut

Cream butter until very soft.  Add sugar gradually thinning with orange juice to spreading consistency.  Beat until smooth.  Beat coconut into frosting. 

Comments:  My beautiful sister Lillian sent me some old cookbooks and pamphlets.  I couldn't wait to start going through them looking for new, yet old, recipes to start cooking.  In one of the pamphlets titled Some of My Favorite Good Things to Eat which was dated 1940 had the recipe shown above.  It was simple to make and oh so good.  When I started putting the ingredients together I realized that I didn't have an orange but I did have some lemons.  So I did what I always do and made the change from orange to lemon.  I can't wait to make this again and maybe add a few nuts.  Something else I changed was the pan.  I used a bundt pan instead of the 9 x 9.  No problem.  It actually cooked up in the 45 minutes allowed in the directions.  I also came to the conclusion that this cake is a keeper for the future!

Comment from Food Tester Carol:  This cake, made from "scratch," is lighter and more moist than cakes I have eaten in recent years.  The lemon flavor is just right, perfectly balanced between tart and sweet.  This dessert is not as cloyingly sweet as most lemon desserts I've had but has a wonderful fresh taste.  Martha says that it is easy to make so I plan to make it for my mother's June 1 anniversary; she says it reminds her of the cake served at her 1940 wedding.

Easy Coconut Cake

1 yellow or white cake mix
1 tsp. coconut flavoring
1 cup shredded coconut
1 can (17 oz.) grated coconut in extra heavy syrup
1/4 cup milk

Preheat oven per directions on cake mix.  Mix cake mix following the directions on the box.  Stir in coconut flavoring and shredded coconut.  Bake in loaf pans (2-4 depending upon size) or 9 x 13 x 2 baking dish until tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes.   In a small sauce pan stir together grated coconut and milk.  Over med. heat let the mixture barely come to a boil. Remove from heat.  Spoon evenly over hot cake. 

Comments:  I love coconut and when I found a can of Conchita Grated Coconut on sale at one of my local grocery stores I had to buy it.  I had no idea what I would do with it since I had not only never tried it but also never seen it before.  Well, it makes the best coconut icing you'll find.  I added the 1/4 cup of milk because I wanted it to soak into the cake some and the 'extra heavy syrup' is just that - heavy so the milk and heating both thinned it down enough to allow it to seep into my cake without even having to punch holes.  I have a friend who's favorite cake is coconut so I gave a loaf of this to him for Christmas.  He said he was in coconut heaven.  So where do you find this can of lust?  In the Mexican/Spanish section of the grocery store.  It is well worth searching for.

Pineapple Coconut Graham Cake

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 cups sugar
5 eggs
1 pound box graham crackers, crushed
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup coconut
1 cup nuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix butter and sugar until creamy.  Add eggs one at a time mixing well after each.  Add graham crackers, baking powder, milk and vanilla.  Blend well.  Stir in coconut and nuts.  Pour evenly into 9 x 13 x 2" baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray.  Bake 35-40 minutes or until done in center.  If the cake starts browning too fast, cover lightly with foil. 

Icing
1 box powdered sugar
1 stick butter, melted
1 small can crushed pineapple, well drained

Mix sugar, butter and pineapple.  Spread evenly over cake while still warm.  Garnish with nuts and coconut.

Comment:  I found this recipe in an old vintage cookbook that had no directions!  Only ingredients.  I played with it hoping that I would get it right the 1st time.  I did.  I've made it since and have made several changes each time.  If you aren't a graham cracker fan you can use a box of crushed vanilla wafers.  And add extra flavor by adding a few well drained, chopped cherries to the cake as well as the garnish.  This is a rich cake but so delicious.