The Un-lopsided Coconut Cake

So, my eldest son celebrated a very special birthday recently. After dining at his favorite restaurant, DellaVentura's, the family headed home to continue the celebration with cake, ice cream, and presents. 

Each year I ask of my guys, "What kind of cake would you like for your birthday?" Responses have included cheesecake, carrot cake, a Minecraft cake, a Lego cake, and chocolate chip cake, among others. When asked about his choice, my birthday boy noted with as much compassion as possible that my home made cakes can sometimes come out lopsided, and that it might be better to buy a cake from the store. 

Slightly offended, but trying not to take it personally, I agreed to pick one up for our family celebration. The perfectly leveled and beautifully decorated cake was prepped for the birthday song and then delicately sliced to reveal layers of decadent chocolate. One bite into the over- priced dessert and I remembered why I started making our cakes. Two bites proved to be the max capacity before the death by chocolate experience did us all in.

Several days later, the birthday party with friends consisted of a trip to the movie theater, backyard play, and a sleep over. This time my son asked if I could try to make an un-lopsided coconut cake for the occasion. To the surpise and pleasure of us all, the cake turned out to be delicious and level enough.