I just love old recipes. Making a recipe from years gone by is like a visit with an old friend. It just feels so comfortable and familiar.
That’s exactly what this cake recipe is – old. And comfortable. And so familiar.
Lazy Daisy Cake is a dessert that originated during the 1940′s before boxed mixes became widely available and people still cooked mainly from scratch. You might have even enjoyed this once or twice during your growing up years.
So easy to make, you could mix this cake up in a few minutes and pop it in the oven while you’re cooking dinner. Homemade cake for dessert on a week night. Yes! And no ordinary cake, either. The layer is wonderfully buttery but not too rich and the topping…oh, wow, that topping! The brown sugar and coconut topping is spread over the still warm cake and broiled until it’s all melty, caramel-ly, and toasted. If you like coconut, you’re going to love this.
I just can’t explain how delicious this cake is. You’ll have to make one and find out for yourself!
Start by preheating your oven and preparing a 9×13 pan. Then whisk together the dry ingredients in a little bowl. Warm the milk with the butter just until the butter melts and add the vanilla to the pan.
Using a mixer, beat the eggs and sugar together until they’re pale and thick. It takes about 6 minutes or so.
Now, just use a spatula to mix in the dry ingredients and milk until just incorporated. The batter will surprise you. It’s thinner than you might think.
Bake until a toothpick comes out clean (about 30-35 minutes). Take the cake out and let it cool slightly while you mix together the topping ingredients. Spread the topping over the cake and place it under the broiler for 3-4 minutes or until nice and bubbly and the coconut begins to toast. Serve warm.
The cake can be stored at room temperature for at least 4 days. You’ll want to reheat individual servings in the microwave.
Enjoy!
A vintage recipe - buttery yellow cake layer with a broiled coconut topping.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 4 tblsp. butter
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 9 tblsp. butter, melted
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 6 tblsp. evaporated milk
- 1 1/2 cups shredded coconut
Instructions
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350. Grease and flour a 13x9 inch pan.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
- Heat the butter and milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts. Stir in the vanilla.
- With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the eggs and sugar until pale and thick, about 6 minutes.
- Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour mixture and milk mixture alternately until just incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes.
- Let cool slightly in the pan, about 10 minutes.
- Heat the broiler.
- Combine the butter, brown sugar, evaporated milk, and coconut in a medium bowl. Spread the topping evenly over cake. Broil until topping bubbles and just begins to brown, 3-4 minutes. Serve warm.
Notes
The cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 4 days. Reheat individual servings in the microwave.
Other old-fashioned cake recipes you might enjoy from around the internet:
- The Best One-Bowl Yellow Cake Recipe from Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice
- A Collection of Vintage Cake Recipes from the 50′s and 60′s
- One-Bowl Chocolate Mocha Cream Cake from MyRecipes.com
- Vintage Cake Recipes from Gram’s Recipe Box
- Wonderful images for vintage cake recipes from Google Images
What I was up to…
- One year ago: Apple Patchwork Cobbler
- Two years ago: Chocolate-Chocolate Cake
- Three years ago: Seafood Casserole
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
You are so right – old fashioned recipes are simply wonderful. I love the first picture on your post! So pretty.
Thank you! Photography is something I’m still working hard to improve.
You want pizza and I want cake. You know how a lot of commenters claim excitement and assure you they MUST make something…but you wonder how many do? How about this? The cake is in the oven. Not kidding.
Afternoon meeting where I’ve promised coffee and this cake would be perfect. Coconut in the pantry; even some evaporated milk. Done. Ahem…though I ‘might’ have subbed a bit of milk for a bit of? If you guessed booze it shows you know me well. Dark rum it is and it smells DIVINE!!!
That’s so funny, Barb! Your pizza is actually on my menu for this weekend. Would have been tonight if I’d been able to get to the store for the right cheese.
I *really* love your idea of adding a bit of rum to the Lazy Daisy cake topping and I want to know how you and your guests like the recipe.
You don’t see this one much anymore! It really is a goodie though.
No, you sure don’t and that’s a shame. It’s a fantastic old recipe. I have seen your Lazy Daisy recipe, Mary. Our preparations are a little different, but same result – deliciousness!
Did you?! Well, I’m glad that we are reviving this one myself. It really is so easy – it should be more popular now than ever!
Hi Lana! I think this is one of those recipes everybody needs to have in their collection – it’s fabulous and if you have the coconut and evaporated milk, you can always make it. I love recipes like this that I know I can whip up even if I didn’t get to the market or something unexpected comes up!!!
Me too, Nancy. One of the things I love about these old recipes is that they usually call for pantry staples and are easy to whip up on a moment’s notice.
I adore the name of this cake! We had a sweet puppy named Daisy, she was amazing! Your cake sounds delicious, and that topping. .. Oh my Goodness! Hugs, Terra
I especially love the topping on this cake!
I love cakes like this! I don’t think I’ve ever had one, but I’m definitely putting it on my to make list. I always like cake on a weeknight!! :)
That topping sounds out of this world!
I don’t know if I should resent the labeling of this as vintage. It was a favorite recipe of mine when I was young and married. Then the kids got old enough to be picky and didn’t like cake, not to mention coconut. This would be great for a potluck or funeral luncheon. And now I know where to find it. I can taste the warm buttery goodness now.
do you think I could use cream instead of the evap. milk? I dont buy that ever…and we always have cream on hand. thanks
Cream doesn’t have the same consistency as evaporated milk so you couldn’t substitute it measure for measure.
Grew up on this and still make it for my kids. Ours is Lazy Daisy Oatmeal Cake though. I will have to try it with your cake recipe. Also, my topping has walnuts in it.
My mother used to make this cake. I think the recipe came off of the back of a box of Bisquick… It sure brings back some good memories… :o)
I wouldn’t be surprised, Kathleen! It’s such an easy and tasty little cake. We just love it.
Hi I was reading the note on the lazy daisy cake and one mom asked if she could use cream instead of the milk and the answer is yes. I make this cake at home every week for my boys. My recipe calls for 2 table spoons of 15% cream.
My mom made this cake when I was growing up and I am now 65 yrs. I also have made it many, many times. Only we used to melt the butter and brown sugar together with the milk and then add the coconut. I don’t know, maybe it would be better to do it this way cause the melted mix tended to run down to the edges of the cake off the middle raised portion of the cake. But it is delicious. I think I will make one and try the topping as per this recipe.