Southern Cream Cake:

2 cups sugar (we like to use extra-fine sugar for making cakes)
3 cups cake flour
1 cup milk
3/4 cup butter, slightly softened
3 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
1 tsp. vanilla or 1 tbsp. coconut liqueur
4 eggs

Combine flour, baking powder, salt and set aside. Beat butter with sugar until light and fluffy; add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Gradually add flour mixture alternatively with milk/vanilla. (Begin with 1/3 flour mixture, 1/2 of the milk, etc, until all ingredients are used). Spread batter evenly in 6 8 or 9-inch round cake pans and bake in a preheated 350°F oven til a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.

Custard:

2 cups milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
4 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. vanilla (or coconut)

Combine ingredients for custard in a double boiler and cook until mixture coats the back of a spoon. Use as a filling between cooled cake layers.

A layer of currant jelly may be spread directly on the cake layers before filling to help keep the crumbs in place.

Fill between the layers with the custard filling, then sprinkle each with coconut. Top the entire cake with boiled icing.