FRESH COCONUT CAKE

Ingredients

1 box yellow cake mix
1 large (or two small) fresh coconut
1 cup milk
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation

Prepare cake mix according to package directions, baking in two 9-inch layer pans. Remove from pans; cool. Punch holes in two eyes of the coconut and drain milk into a glass; set aside. Place coconut in a 350-degree oven for 5 minutes. (This makes the coconut easier to crack.) Remove from oven and crack coconut open with a hammer. Remove hard shell; peel off brown layer with a knife. Grate the coconut in a food processor; divide in half and set aside. In a saucepan, combine 1 cup milk with sugar and vanilla. Bring to a boil; remove from heat. Place one cake layer in a 9-inch pie plate. Punch holes all over cake with a fork. Spoon half of the coconut milk even over the cake layer. Sprinkle with half of the grated coconut, then spoon half of the hot milk/sugar mixture evenly over the coconut. Place other cake layer on top, and repeat the process, ending with the hot milk/sugar mixture. Cover and refrigerated. Decorate with maraschino cherries, if desired.