The Best Coconut Cake

Recently, I was reading a novel called, Let Them Eat Cake, by Sandra Byrd.  It takes place in a French bakery.  The main character loves to cook and try new recipes.  The fun part of the book is that the author actually put recipes in the book to go along with the story line.  I saw this recipe and immediately wrote it down because it sounded so good.  I tried it this weekend and it was so awesome!!!  I loved the denseness of the cake and the frosting.  It definitely doesn't leave you wondering what kind of cake it was!  It was a coconut explosion!

1 box yellow butter cake mix
1 small instant coconut cream pudding
3 eggs
1 1/3 C.  Coconut milk  (one of my favorite ingredients!)
1/2 tsp. coconut extract
1 stick butter, softened

Mix together cake mix and pudding until combined.  Add the eggs, coconut milk, coconut extract, and the butter.  Blend for about 3 minutes in a stand mixer or 5 with a handheld.  (The batter is thicker than a normal cake batter.)  Spread into 2 8" round, greased and floured cake pans.  Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees until cakes are just set and barely pulling away from sides.  Let cool completely.

Frosting:

1 stick butter, softened
4 C.  powdered sugar
1/8 C. milk  (I used probably a 1/2 C., but you just have to look at the frosting consistency)
1 tsp. coconut extract

Beat all the ingredients until fluffy.  Level cake tops and then add a thin layer of frosting to bottom layer.  Stack on top layer.  Frost entire cake with frosting.  Toast shredded coconut in oven on broil.  Watch it closely because it goes from being fine to burned in seconds!  Cover cake with toasted coconut.  Enjoy!