Coconut Cake

Ingredients :

1 1/2 cups of soft sherry wine
8 ounces of raisins
2 cups of white sugar
3 cups of water
2 cinnamon sticks
7 ounces of shredded unsweetened coconut
1 poundcake (the recipe I use provides a 10-inch cake)
10 eggs, separated
2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
Butter, for the pan

Preparation :

Soak the raisins in the sherry.

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a saucepan, combine the sugar, the water and the cinnamon sticks and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it forms a thick syrup.

Add the coconut, stir well, and cook another three minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat and allow to cool; when cooled, remove and discard cinnamon sticks.

Grate the poundcake into a large bowl.

Beat the egg yolks and add them to the pound cake along with the coconut mixture, the raisins and sherry and the ground cinnamon.

Butter a ten inch springform pan.

Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.

Fold them, using a rubber spatula, into the cake mixture, blending well but gently.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for an hour, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool on a rack before opening the springform pan.

Even the best springform pans leak sometimes, so wrap the bottom with some foil and place a cookie sheet on the oven shelf beneath the shelf on which you bake the cake.