My brother Billy recently brought me some black walnuts. I saved them especially for this cake.
Cake
2 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
4 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons coconut extract
1 teaspoon black walnut extract
1 cup black walnuts, chopped
1 cup flaked coconut
Syrup
1 cup sugar
½ cup water
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon coconut extract
To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan. Beat together the sugar, oil, and eggs until thoroughly mixed. In a small bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add alternately with the buttermilk to the sugar mixture. Beat in the coconut and walnut extracts. Fold in the walnuts and coconut. Pour the batter in the tube pan and bake for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until it tests done.
To make the syrup: Bring the sugar, water, and butter to a boil in a small saucepan. Boil for 5 minutes. Add the coconut extract. Pour the syrup over the cake while in the pan and leave for 4 hours. Turn the cake onto a cake plate and wrap well with plastic wrap. Refrigerate leftovers.
Makes 14 to 16 servings.