This is a GREAT cake! I cut parchment paper to fit the bottoms of the cake pans and greased the pans with shortening before and after lining with the paper, then dusted with flour. I sifted the dry ingredients together twice, used very fresh eggs, and a 50/50 mixture of fresh grated and sweetened shredded coconut. A bit of work, possibly. A delicious cake, absolutely!

Impressive looking? You bet. As easy to make as most suggested? Not really. While this is certainly the ultimate of coconut cakes, I spent quite a bit of time putting it together. It was probably because I had never made sugar syrup before, but I ended up having to make two batches of the boiled sugar because I apparently overcooked the first batch. The cakes layers were easy to make and the batter was quite rich and yummy (I know, raw eggs are not safe but I had to sneak a taste).
The final result was an beautiful cake that I am proud to donate to a charity auction. Sadly, I won't have a chance to taste it, but I plan on making it for a dinner party where I can treat myself to a slice....or two.

(I have a photo of the cake that I'd like to publish.)

nice coconut flavor and not too sweet

This looks delicious, and I'm going to try it. I'm giving it 5 stars on looks alone. :) I love coconut! It's a beautiful cake! Thanks for sharing!

We had this impressive cake for our Easter Brunch; it was nothing short of astounding! I didn't change a thing. The cake was moist, had fabulous taste and was well worth the effort that went into making it -- my family loved it.

This recipe calls for the juice from a fresh coconut. I substituted canned, unsweeted coconut milk (cream), found in the Asian foods section of the grocery store. Be sure to shake it good and then stir it with a spoon to mix it well once it's open. The icing and coconut topping would also be great on a chocolate cake.
[I posted this recipe.]