Recipes

Coconut Cake

Coconut Cake

Added: 24th Sep 2024

Ingredients

For the cake

  • 350g (12oz) sugar
  • 225g (8oz) flour
  • 100 to 125g (4oz) butter
  • 75g (3oz) coconut, shredded
  • 4 egg whites
  • 1tbsp baking powder
  • 1tsp vanilla extract
  • ½tbsp salt
  • 225ml (7fl oz) milk

For the lemon filling        

  • 110g (4oz) sugar
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2tsp lemon rind, finely grated
  • 90ml (6tbsp) double cream
  • 2tsp fresh lemon juice
  • pinch salt

For the icing                     

  • 400g (14oz) sugar
  • 3 egg whites
  • 60ml (4tbsp) water
  • 2tbsp golden syrup
  • ¼tsp cream of tartar
  • 1tsp vanilla extract
  • 75 to 150g (3 to 5oz) coconut, shredded

Method

For the Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.
  • Grease and flour two 23cm (9in) round cake pans.
  • Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
  • Cream the butter with the sugar in a large bowl.
  • Add the vanilla to the milk, then add it, alternately with the flour, to the butter-sugar mixture.
  • Stir in the coconut.
  • In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.   Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.
  • Pour the batter into the cake pans.  Bake for about 25 minutes or until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean.
  • Let the layers cool completely before filling and icing them.

To make the lemon filling

  • Combine all ingredients except the butter in the top of a double saucepan over simmering water.
  • Stir constantly for 8 to 10 minutes until the custard thickens.
  • Remove the pan from the heat and beat in the butter. Let the custard cool.

Then…

  • Place the bottom layer of the cake with the top side down.  When the custard is cool, spread it on the bottom layer of the cake.   Place the top layer of the cake on top of the custard, right side up.

To make the icing

  • Combine all the ingredients except for the vanilla and coconut in the top of a double saucepan over rapidly boiling water.
  • Beat them constantly with a hand-held beater for 7 minutes until soft peaks form.
  • Remove the pan from heat and beat in the vanilla. If necessary continue beating until the icing is of the right consistency for spreading.
  • Spread the icing across the top and down the side of the cake.   Sprinkle coconut over the top, and gently press it into the side.