Macedonian Coconut Cake

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup Sugar
• 8 eggs, separated
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons ouzo
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup flaked coconut

SYRUP

• 3 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 ounce ouzo
• 3 cups Sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions

1. Grease and flour a 15 x 10 x 2-inch sheet cake pan or 10-inch bundt pan.
2. In large bowl, cream together the butter and Sugar with an electric mixer on high speed.
3. Beat in egg yolks.
4. Combine dry ingredients (flour through baking soda).
5. Combine wet ingredients (milk through vanilla).
6. On low speed alternately add dry and wet ingredients to batter.
7. Stir in coconut.
8. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry and gently fold into batter just until mixed.
9. Pour into pan.
10. Bake at 350° 1-1¼ hours until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
11. Start cake cooling and make syrup:.
12. Combine water through 3 cups Sugar in a saucepan, bring to a boil—stirring until Sugar dissolves—and let boil 5 minutes.
13. Remove syrup from heat and stir in lemon juice.
14. Pour syrup over cake and let cool completely.