3 c. plain flour, I use Pillsbury
3 c. sugar
5 eggs
1 c. buttermilk
2 sticks butter
3/4 c. Crisco
2/3 c. cocoa
1 tbsp. vanilla
1 sm. pkg. coconut (put in blender for a minute or so to keep it from being stringy)
1 tsp. baking powder

Blend sugar, butter and Crisco in a large mixing bowl. Mix well until creamy. Add eggs one at a time and continue beating until light and fluffy.

In another bowl sift flour, baking powder and cocoa together. Then add flour mixture and buttermilk gradually to sugar mixture. Add vanilla and beat until creamy. Fold in coconut. Pour batter into a well greased tube pan.

Place in cold oven and set oven to 325 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes. Tear a large piece of tin foil and slide it over the tube pan. Continue baking 45 minutes. Test for doneness by inserting cake tester as the cake sometimes needs to be cooked a few minutes longer.

When done, cool for five minutes and turn out on a plate. Immediately put cake into an airtight container and leave until completely cooled. To make a plain pound cake, omit cocoa and add 1 tablespoon of lemon flavoring along with the tablespoon of vanilla.