Resurrection Cake

I realize I am very late in posting this recipe for my family’s traditional Easter cake, but let’s all think of it as being very early rather than several weeks late.

It is an out-of-this-world coconut cake that delivers major impact for minimal effort. I know; it’s right up my alley. In my family we only ever eat this cake at Easter, but I actually think it would be the perfect wedding cake—it’s white; it feeds a crowd; it can be made in advance; and most importantly, it’s delicious.

Resurrection Cake

2 boxes yellow butter cake mix
2 cups of sugar
16 oz. sour cream
2 pkg. frozen fresh grated coconut
Medium container of Cool Whip

Make the cake according to the package instructions for 9” rounds. (Please note that “butter” cake mix is different than “yellow” cake mix. Get the butter version. It makes a huge difference.) Because you’re using two boxes, you should be baking four layers. Once these come out of the oven and cool, split them horizontally, so that you now have eight layers.

In a bowl, beat together sour cream and sugar with an electric mixer until sugar is dissolved, then add coconut. Reserve one cup of this mixture. Spread the remaining between the layers of the cake.

Mix the Cool Whip and the reserved cup of coconut mixture together. Frost the top and sides of the cake with this mixture.

Cover well and refrigerate for three days before cutting and serving.

Serves 24.

Some notes on substitutions: I’m sure you could probably make your own cake from scratch rather than use a box mix and make real whipped cream instead of Cool Whip, but I’ve never actually done this, so I can’t tell you how it would turn out. I think for the holidays, we all tend to do what our mothers did, and my mother always used box cake mix and Cool Whip.

I can now find fresh grated coconut in the Hispanic freezer section of the biggest grocery store in town on the very top shelf, way over in the corner. If you can’t find frozen coconut, you can use sweetened shredded coconut from the bakery aisle. I’ve totally done this before, and while it isn’t quite as good, it absolutely still works. Cut way back on the sugar though.