Coconut cake,: Claire Ptak’s festive puddings – recipes

A snowy coconut cake with chocolate sauce and cream

n the American south, coconut cakes are a Christmas tradition. There are myriad variations: some call for fresh coconut, some desiccated, some flaked, some toasted. I love the snowy appeal of a coconut cake in the winter, and it’s a welcome alternative to a rich fruit cake.

Fluffy coconut cake

I love to use fresh coconut in this, but only if I have a helper who wants to grate the flesh for me. The seven-minute icing keeps things light and a little less sweet, while cocktail cherries always bring some fun.

Prep 30 min
Cook 55 min
Serves 12-18

For the Cake

100g desiccated coconut
400g plain coconut milk
350g unsalted butter, softened
400g caster sugar
4 whole eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp fine sea salt
500g plain flour
4 tsp baking powder

For the seven-minute icing
4 egg whites
200g sugar
2 tbsp golden syrup
A pinch of salt
1 tbsp vanilla extract
200g desiccated coconut, or the grated flesh of 1 fresh coconut, plus a few shavings of coconut to decorate
Cocktail cherries, to decorate

Heat the oven to 170C (150C fan)/335F/gas 3½, and grease and line two 20cm x 30cm baking tins or three 20cm round cake tins.

Measure the coconut into a bowl, cover with the coconut milk, then stir and set aside so the coconut absorbs the milk and plumps up a little.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using an electric whisk), cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one by one, mixing thoroughly, then the vanilla and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour and baking powder, then mix into the butter mixture until fully incorporated. Finally, fold in the coconut milk mixture and mix well.

Distribute the cake mix evenly between the prepared baking tins, then bake in the middle of the oven for 45-55 minutes, or until springy to the touch and a skewer comes out clean. Remove and leave to cool completely.

For the icing, measure the egg whites, sugar, golden syrup, salt and vanilla into a heatproof bowl and set it over a saucepan of boiling water (do not let the water touch the bottom of the bowl or it will cook the egg whites). Whisk continuously until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is very warm to the touch. If you have a thermometer, heat the mixture, whisking continuously, until it reads 75C. If you don’t have a thermometer, heat, whisking continuously, until the mixture is warm, opaque, and the sugar feels dissolved when you rub a small amount between two fingers. This will take about seven minutes.

Transfer the bowl to an electric mixer stand and whisk on high speed to stiff peaks. Use straight away to ice your fully cooled cake, both between the layers and on the top and sides; for extra fun, you could scatter a few chopped cherries between the layers. Decorate with dessicated coconut and cocktail cherries.