Coconut Poke and Pour Cake

My mom used to make Poke and Pour Cakes back in the day. If my memory is correct she used jello that had been dissolved in warm water to pour over a freshly baked white cake. Lemon seemed to be the popular flavor. But in reality, just about any flavorful sugar syrup could be poured over the cake. So today I made mine with Cream of Coconut.
I made my cake from scratch but if a scratch cake makes you nervous, you could use a boxed cake mix instead.

3/4 (1 1/2 sticks)of softened butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1tbsp baking powder
2 cups flour
1 cup buttermilk
5 egg whites, whipped until stiff
1 cup Cream of Coconut(this is not coconut milk. I find mine in the liquor section of the store. It is often used to make Pina Coladas)

Preheat the oven to 375. Spray a 9x13 inch oblong baking pan with baking spray. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla. Place the baking powder and flour in a small bowl and stir to combine. With the mixer on low, add half of the flour mixture, then add all of the buttermilk, finish with the rest of the four. Fold in the whipped egg whites and pour the batter into the pan.Bake for 25-30 minutes. While the cake is still warm, poke holes all over the top. I use a wooden chop stick for this. Pour the Cream of Coconut over the top and let it soak up the liquid. Serve with whipped cream and a sprinkle of shredded coconut over the top.