Really delicious coconut buttermilk cake

COCONUT BUTTERMILK CAKE
Butter two 8" cake pans, then cut rounds of wax paper, stick them into the bottoms of the pans, butter them too, and finally flour the buttered pans. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sweetened coconut, whizzed in food processor to chop it more finely

Cream butter and sugar, add egg, baking powder and soda, salt, and vanilla and beat some more till very fluffy. Add flour, coconut, and buttermilk. Blend.

Put in the two pans and bake for about 25 minutes. Invert the cakes, peel off the wax paper, and while the cakes are hot coat them with raspberry jam, which will seal them and prevent drying out. I then cover the pans with big bowls to keep them moist while they cool.

Icing:
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cream of tartar
3 unbeaten egg whites
4 tablespoons water
1 tsp vanilla extract

Use a double boiler if you have one, if you don't have a double boiler, substitute any sauce pan half full of water (which you'll boil, duh) and a bowl that fits into the saucepan. They say "don't let the bottom of the bowl touch the water" but that's ridiculous, it works fine if the bowl is bobbing in the boiling water. Put all your ingredients in the bowl and use your electric mixer to whip the icing for 5-7 minutes until it's fairly stiff and holds a peak.

Frost the top of the lower cake layer and sprinkle lots of coconut on it. Then put the second layer on top and do the same. Ice the sides and mash coconut all the way around. Scrumptious.