When Patrick was a little boy and we’d come home to Corinth, Mississippi, he loved his grandmother’s coconut cakes. They are the traditional round three layered cakes that most women in the area typically made. I eventually started making mine as a sheet cake, and when Patrick opened Martin’s, I wouldn’t let him serve it because I was afraid he wouldn’t make it right. So I would bake ten coconut sheet cakes and Danny and I would drive them up from Memphis each Saturday for him to serve. They would sell out before supper on most Saturdays, and it got to a point where folks would put in orders days ahead for a whole cake. After a while I just couldn’t keep up, so I let Pat and Bo start making them at the restaurant, and they turn out just fine.
1 9 × 13-inch cake
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 300°F. Mist a 9 × 13-inch cake pan with cooking spray and lightly flour, then tap out the excess.
- In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the cake mix, egg whites, water, vegetable oil, and almond extract until just combined. Evenly spread the mixture into the cake pan.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
- In a small bowl, combine the condensed milk and cream of coconut. While the cake is still hot, poke holes over the entire cake with a fork. Evenly pour the milk mixture over the top and allow it to sink into the cake. Once the cake is cooled and saturated with the milk mixture, spread the whipped topping evenly over the cake. Sprinkle evenly with the coconut flakes. Slice and serve.
