varying from Berry-ing

Today was my daughter (child #4) last day here with us. Before she left I got a really yummy cake recipe from her. She made this up herself. Took a basic idea and did wonderful things with it. This cake is cool and refreshing. You must make this for summer eating. We have been really enjoying piece after piece of her cake this week. I took a photo of all that was left. It's a pretty cake but she told me you can do anything that you like. So thank you Cheryl for this yummy recipe!

Cheryl's Island Paradise Cake (so good it will feel like a trip to Hawaii)

You must make this a day ahead so it will soak in the coconut milk. It looks like tons of milk but it does all soak in!

1 box of Betty Crocker Cherry chip cake mix ( and what ever the box calls for also)

1 can Sweetened condensed milk like Eagle brand milk

1 can of coconut milk (not fat reduced please)

1 can of crushed pineapple

cool whip for frosting

coconut for toasting

Maraschino cherry's for cake top

Bake cake using directions and ingredients on box Bake in 9X13 glass pan (it only works in glass)

Mix Eagle Brand milk with coconut milk and 1/2 the juice from the crushed pineapple. It helps to put this in a measuring cup for easy pouring. If too thick to soak into cake add more pineapple juice but not too much.

Once the cake comes from the oven let it cool for about 10 minutes. Then poke holes in the cake. These need to be a good size or the stuff in that measuring cup won't soak into the cake. Cheryl used a chop stick with the thick end as the poker. When she made it here in Whistler she found a wooden spoon with the right size handle and poked holes with that.

Pour syrup of milks and juice over the cake. Move across slowly to let it seep into the cake. If you made your poke holes big enough and chill this over night it will soak in all most all the coconut milk mixture.

How the cake looks when the milk is first poured on.

Cool completely

stir crushed pineapple into the cool whip and frost the cake with it.

Top with the cherries

Toast coconut in your oven. Safest to do it with a hot 450 degree oven and stir and watch. But you can do it under the broiler is you watch it and never look away.

Put toasted coconut on the cake just as you serve each piece. The crunch is wonderful with the smooth frosting and the sweet cake.

Enjoy and adjust this cake to make it your own kind of Paradise.