RECIPE | COCONUT CAKE

This was another BBC GoodFood recipe from one of my favourite cook books. It was a simply recipe, quick and easy to make. The sponge was amazing and tasted incredible, best sponge we’ve ever made, however we were really gutted at the lack of coconut flavour. We didn’t have any coconut cream so we used single cream instead, in hindsight using coconut cream may have helped bring the flavour out a bit more.

Ingredients: 175g butter, softened 175g golden caster sugar 3 eggs beaten 175g self raising flour 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 50g desiccated coconut 2tsp coconut cream or single cream

For the buttercream filling & topping: 280g icing sugar 100g butter, softened 175g self raising flour 3tsp coconut cream or single cream 5tsp raspberry jam

Method:

• Heat the oven to 180c/fan 160c/gas 4. Butter and line the base of two 20cm round sandwich tins.
• Mix the butter, sugar, flour, eggs and baking powder until smooth.
• Gently stir in the coconut and cream.
• Divide the mixture between the two sandwich tins and smooth the tops.
• Bake for 25 minutes until evenly golden and firm.
• Loosen the edges and leave to cool in tins for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
• Make the buttercream: beat together the icing sugar, butter and cream until smooth.
• Spread one sponge with the jam.
• Top with just under half the buttercream and sandwich with the other sponge.
• Decorate the top of the cake with the remaining buttercream.

We also chose to decorate the top of the cake with more desiccated coconut, sprinkled around the edges of the cake. I would definitely use this recipe again to make the sponge for sure! Next time i’ll try with coconut cream too in a bid to get more coconutty flavour into the cake!