How to make Coconut Cake

Preheat oven to 350oF - Grease an flour three 9 inch round cake, set pans aside.

In large bowl, with mixer on medium speed,  beat butter until creamy. Add sugar and continue beating 6 minutes or until light and fluffy.

Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after  each addition

Add flour and milk alternately to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour, add vanilla and beat until just mixed, divide batter equally among prepared pans.Level batter in each pan by holding pan 3-4 inches above counter,then dropping it flat onto counter several times to release air bubbles and produce more level cake layers.
Bake 30 -35 minutes until toothpick inserted of layers come out clean.

While cake is baking,  prepare coconut filling in medium bowl with spoon, stir together sugar, sour cream, milk, 1/2 cup coconut until well blended.

Cool layers on wire 10 minutes , with small knife, loosen layers from sides of pan and invert onto work surface. Using handle and wooden spoon, poke holes in layers 1 inch  apart,  until each layer is poked all over. Spread one-third of filling on each layer. Place 1 layer on cake plate, top with  second, then third layer, (hold stacked layers with  skewers (together ) to prevent cake from shifting. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or up to 3 days to absorb filling, when ready to assemble cake, prepare 7 minutes frosting.

FROSTING
4 cup sugar                           
1 cup  water
4 eggs whites
8 drops lemon
1/8  tsp  salt
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

In a saucepan  combine  water, sugar, lemon, let it boil for 7 minutes.
While  beat the eggs white until stiff, add salt, cream of tartar and vanilla, when the  syrup list  so hot is added slowly to the meringue beat this constantly  until desired consistency , strong consistency is proved when  there are marks on the surface  of a fork to pass through it.

Use frosting to frost top  and side of cool cake, sprinkle cake with remaining coconut and garnish with strawberries.