Macaroon Cake

For Christmas Dinner this year I made Macaroon Cake.  I normally like to make something a little “grander” for Christmas Dinner, but this year it was just the three of us and I had a lot of other cooking I wanted to do, so I settled on this cake.  It is quick and easy to make and not too big.

One thing I love about this recipe is that it was my great-grandmother’s recipe.  I love the idea of a recipe being enjoyed and passed down from generation to generation.

There are a lot of other things to love about this recipe.  As I mentioned already, it is quick and easy to make.  The cake is nice and moist and keeps for several days.  Although I made it for Christmas, it is a good everyday kind of cake.  I love the crunchy, chewy, sweet macaroon topping and the flavor of the vanilla cake underneath.  Oh, and did I mention the coconut?  This is a cake for coconut lovers only!

Macaroon Cake

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• 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar, divided
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1 cup sifted flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons vanilla, divided
• milk, if needed (I always add 1/4 cup)
• 1 cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350°.  Prepare an 8×8 inch cake pan by greasing lightly.

Cream butter and sugar together.  Mix in two egg yolks, one at a time, scraping down the bowl if necessary.  Mix together the sifted flour and baking powder in a separate bowl.  Add  to the butter/sugar mixture and beat to combine.  Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla.  Add a little milk if the batter is too stiff.  Spread batter in the greased cake pan.

Beat 2 egg whites until stiff peaks form.  Gently stir in 1/2 cup sugar, coconut and 1 teaspoon vanilla.  Spread on top of the cake batter.

Bake for 30 minutes.