Haupia Cake

[April B.]

[e-mail]
Subject: Haupia Cake

Hi Carolyn. I hope you get this in time. This is a Hawaiian
Coconut Cake and it's the best Coconut Cake I've ever eaten
and one of the best cakes I've ever made.

Haupia Cake
Ingredients:
CAKE
1 pkg white cake mix (for 9x13" pan)
1 cup coconut milk
2/3 cup water
2 egg whites

FROSTING:
1 Tbsp unflavored gelatin
2 cups heavy cream
6 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp lemon extract
shredded coconut to taste

HAUPIA FILLING:
2 cups coconut milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1 tsp vanilla

Preparation:
Prepare cake mix according to package, using 2/3 cup of the
coconut
milk, the water, and the egg whites. cook cake, remove from pan
and
split carefully into 3 layers. Reserve top layer; spread haupia
filling on the remaining layers. Chill layers until filling is
set.

While layers are chilling; soften gelatin in remaining 1/3 cup
coconut milk; dissolve over hot water. Cool. whip cream; fold
in
gelatin mixture, sugar and extract. Stack chilled cake layers;
frost with whipped cream mixture. Sprinkle cake with shredded
coconut.

TO MAKE HAUPIA FILLING:
In a sauce pan heat coconut milk (do not boil). Mix sugar, salt
and
cornstarch with water; stir into hot coconut milk. Cook,
stirring
constantly, until mixture thickens (cook over low heat to avoid
curdling). Stir in vanilla and cool.

It is best to chill the haupia until it is somewhat thick, but
still
spreadable; otherwise it kind of goops up when you try to spread
it
on the layers. Chill the frosting too, before you spread it.