coconut birthday cake

 for my mother's 89th birthday this year, she asked for a coconut birthday layer cake.  one of the best decisions i made for this cake was to purchase this brand of unsweetened flaked coconut.  the large shaved coconut was perfect for the cake and added excellent flavor to the frosting. 

by having flat shaved pieces of coconut, compared to the fine wisps of coconut that i typically purchase at the market in the baking aisle, we experienced a much better tasting icing for the cake.  for this two layer cake, i used almost the entire bag of coconut.

in order to make this cake, i did not make the cake from a recipe, but used a white cake mix, and then my own icing recipe that i have published on the blog under maple icing  for this cake, however; i used vanilla flavor rather than the maple flavor on that posting.  once i frosted the first layer, i added coconut flakes to the center of the cake, and then continued with the frosting decoration.  after the cake was frosted, i added the coconut to the top and exterior of the cake, being very generous in the application.