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1
Preheat the oven to 325.
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2
Butter three 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
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3
Butter the paper and dust with flour, tapping out the excess.
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4
Sift the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl.
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5
In a small pitcher, combine the milk and vanilla.
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6
In a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy.
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7
Slowly add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
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8
On low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk in 3 batches.
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9
Beat the batter until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
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10
In another bowl, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
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11
Stir one-third of the egg whites into the cake batter to lighten it.
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12
Using a rubber spatula, fold in the remaining egg whites until no white streaks remain.
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13
Pour the batter into the cake pans and smooth the tops.
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14
Tap the pans lightly on a work surface to release any air bubbles.
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15
Bake the cakes on the middle and lower racks of the oven for about 30 minutes, shifting the pans halfway through, until the tops spring back when pressed lightly and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.
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16
Let cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then invert the cakes onto a wire rack to cool completely.
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17
Peel off the paper.
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18
In a large saucepan, combine the egg yolks and sugar and stir until smooth.
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19
Add the melted butter and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 6 minutes; do not let it boil.
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20
Stir in the pecans, raisins and coconut and cook for about 1 minute.
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21
Add the bourbon, vanilla and salt and let cool to lukewarm.
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22
Place a cake layer on a serving plate, right side up, and spread with 1 1/4 cups of the filling.
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23
Repeat with a second cake layer and another 1 1/4 cups of filling.
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24
Top with the last cake layer and frost the cake with the remaining filling.
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25
Let the cake cool completely before serving.
