Rich cake loaded with coconut and topped with coconut. This syrup is straight from the Greek isles and a taste or two will transport you there. It may only be in your mind, but it will be a fun trip nonetheless! So enjoy the process of making, baking and tasting this coconut filled cake.
Preheat oven to 300°F and grease a 9″ pan. (I used a springform because I was terrified to turn this finished cake out, but Roger says to use a 9″ pan and turns his out.)
Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until fully incorporated then adding the next. Be sure the scrape down the sides of the bowl as you go to avoid any curdling of the batter.
Quickly stir together the flour, salt and baking powder and add to the egg and butter mixture stirring until just incorporated.
Stir in the coconut and then pour into prepared pan.
Bake for about 1 hour and 45 minutes or until it tests done.
Allow to cool for at least a half hour.
While the cake is cooling, it is time to make the syrup. Put all of the ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. There is really no need to stir during this step, just keep an eye on it. Boil for a minute to ensure all of the sugar is dissolved. Allow to cool while cake is cooling. After 30 minutes, prick small holes in the top of the cake and spoon a bit of the syrup at a time over the cake allowing it to soak in before adding the next spoonful.
For the topping, put the brown sugar and cream in a pan and bring to a low boil over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in the coconut. While it is still warm, spread over the top of the syrup soaked cake.
Return to the oven, this time at 375°F and bake until the topping is golden, about 5 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan.