This is my dream cake and the second year running I’ve been treated to it for my Birthday and the second year running that my mum has cursed my name in the kitchen as she tries defiantly to ‘simply grate the coconut flesh’ that the recipe calls for. Never having made my own birthday cake (which would be a little depressing) I’ve never been lumbered with this task but I hear its tricky. The grating seems to be less demanding if you have a good food processor and grater attachment but the mission is getting the coconut flesh out of the shell….I suggest smashing forcefully.
This is a faithful Delia Smith recipe from her ‘How to Cook, Book One’ and I agree with her when she says it really makes a difference if you use fresh coconut….it’ll be worth the grated fingertips and broken floor tiles honest!
Cake
- 175g self raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3 eggs
- 175g unsalted soft butter
- 175g caster sugar
- 1tsp vanilla extract
- 1 coconut, flesh grated
Icing
- 250g mascarpone
- 200ml creme fraiche
- 1tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
-
Preheat the oven to 170°C and line 2 cake tins (about 20cm).
- Sieve the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add the beaten eggs, butter, caster sugar and vanilla extract and mix using an electric hand blender until smooth. Alternatively cream the butter and sugar then add the eggs and flour etc.
- Mix in 75g of the grated coconut and divide between the two cake tins
- Bake for 30-35minutes until cooked then remove from the oven and leave to cool
- Make the icing by combing all the ingredients and 40g of the grated coconut.
- Once the cakes are cool, use a serrated knife to slice each one horizontally in two so you end up with 4 slices. Now place one slice on your serving plate followed by a layer of icing. Build up the cake with this layering in the same way.
- Use the remaining icing to coat the sides and the top of the cake and then cover with the remaining grated coconut. You can add some dessicated coconut here if you want too.
