Tuesday 26 November 2019

Coconut Cake

Regular readers will remember my story of our Nan giving us a fresh coconut every so often as a treat.  Dad would grab the hammer and give it a darn good whack till it broke open.  I bet he loved that bit, after dealing with four young children all day!  (My family were ahead of their time - mum went to work, and dad stayed home.)  So we ate chunks of coconut for days after, chewing, chewing, chewing ...

I found this recipe in a book a while ago; but I can't remember which book!  You can also find it on the Net, using normal milk and without any icing or bling.  So I decided to tweak it a wee bit, and to up the coconutty flavour with coconut cream.  And then of course, chocolate glacé icing popped into my head - you know, Bounty bars and all.  You will need to be a coconut fan, if you make this cake, my friends.  It is indeed a coconutty treat.




my coconutty heart 



Cake ingredients:


90g. (a big 3 oz) shredded/desiccated coconut

150g. (5½ oz) self-raising flour

1/2 tsp baking powder (optional) - if your flour is a wee bit old :-)

165g. (5¾ oz) caster sugar or vanilla sugar

185 mLs (6 fl oz) coconut cream or coconut milk or plain milk


Icing ingredients:


100g. icing sugar/icing mixture

25g. Dutch cocoa or black cocoa powder

50-60 mLs (around 3 tbs) coconut cream - you may need more or less, depending on how runny you like your icing

Bling!! for decoration


Method:


Place the coconut, flour, baking powder if using, caster sugar and coconut cream in a batter bowl/medium mixing bowl

Give it a thorough whisking, or use electric beaters like I did 

Butter a 20cm./8 inch cake tin really really well!  I suggest flouring it as well

Slide it into the middle of your pre-heated 180C (350F) oven

Bake for about 40 minutes till a skewer thrust into its heart comes out clean (and it's a pretty golden colour)

Let it sit in the tin for five minutes to cool, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely

Make up the glacé icing by putting the icing sugar and cocoa into a small bowl, add the coconut cream and stir till well combined

Tip/spoon/pour the icing over the cake and cast on your bling, my hearties



ingredients gathered, as Harry Potter might say :-)


ready to whisk


ready for the oven - 40 mins @ 180C


out of the oven


cool on a wire rack


get ready to do some glacé-ing :-)


bling-ed and ready to eat


oozy icing; all dressed up and ready to go



   artwork © Sherry's Pickings

26 comments:

  1. Anything involves coconut has got to be yummy! Love that glorious dark icing too.

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  2. Oh yum, that looks do good, love coconut cakes so much☺

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    1. thanks natalia. yep you have to be a coconut fan for this cake:)

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  3. Love fresh, chewy coconut - looks fabulous Sherry :)

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  4. Wow that is my sort of cake - coconut and chocolate are a match made in heaven and the sort of treats I grew up on often had this combination.

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  5. Sherry, such a lovely cake. Chocolate and coconut are a delicious combination. The glacé icing is gorgeous. So cool that your dad stayed home with you!

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    1. thanks much kelly. the black cocoa powder worked a treat in the glace icing. yep that was my dad - Mr Cool - tee hee!

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  6. I think a hammer is a good tool to deal with a coconut as they're so hard! My brother in law wrecked one of my good knives trying to open one up. This cake looks fantastic Sherry!

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    1. oh no lorraine! i would be a bit furious if a good knife was ruined by a coconut and a brother-in-law:-) thanks!

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  7. Haha! A good hammer and a coconut sounds like a great thing after spending the day with little kids. :-) I like to bake when I need stress relief, though, and this cake looks fantastic, Sherry! I love that you hears a heart-shaped pan here, too. Yum!!

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    1. thank you david. yep i reckon dad really enjoyed getting his hammer and chisel into the eyes of that tough-as-nails fruit/berry?? whatever it is...

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  8. When I read your post''s title, I did not expect to see all that black cocoa frosting! Utterly fantastic!

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    1. thanks Jeff. very kind of you. yep i am a convert to that black cocoa now. and i took your advice, and didn't dilute it with normal cocoa!

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  9. This is delightful Sherry, I have never cooked a coconut cake before but you have inspired me. Plus your pretty heart shaped mold displays this beautifully, thanks for another must cook from your amazing reportoire.

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    1. thanks so much merryn. you are very kind to say. yes i do love a heart-shaped cake!

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  10. I've done that hammer and coconut routine. Harder than it sounds. :-) Anyway, great looking cake. After lemon and lime, coconut is my favorite flavor in sweets. Well, with chocolate, but you've got that covered! Thanks.

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    1. yep dad had fun i think, sticking that chisel in the eyes and whacking it down into the flesh! I like that chocolate icing - the black cocoa gives it such depth! thanks for dropping by.

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  11. Wow - I love that your parents were so far ahead! I’m sure my mother could have whacked a few coconuts with gusto after taking care of us four boys all day!

    The cake is really beautiful- and I adore coconut!

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    1. thanks david! yep chocolate and coconut - great combo.

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  12. Anything coconut gets my vote and this looks delicious! I love the idea of the coconut cream and the chocolate glace icing - so extra!

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    1. thanks sammie. the icing was a wee bit delish:-)

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