Coconut Cake - an excuse for pretty flowers and styling {a recipe}

Cake solves lots of problems, don't you think. You know, not massive world issue problems, but those tiny at home daily challenges problems.

The making of a cake, for me, is such a restorative process (mostly). I love thinking about the cake I'll make, and gathering the ingredients  - seeing if we have the right things, or making do with what we do have instead. I love the preparation - getting the butter and eggs out. And then thinking about the sharing of the cake - that's the lovely part. Sitting down together and cutting into a cake. 

So - cake is good. Yes?

I wanted to share a current go-to cake, with you. It's easy to make, quite healthy, very delicious and ever so pretty when you want to pretty it all up. (Those of you who read this blog know that I don't often use a recipe - but there are times I need to know a cake will work with no issues and this one ticks so many boxes in terms of look, taste, ease of making and fairly healthy).

Coconut Cake with (coconut) Cream 

 6 fresh free-range eggs, separated

1 cup coconut sugar

1 cup plain flour (I use spelt or whatever you want)
2 pinches baking powder

2 cups shredded coconut or 1 cup shredded + 1 cup dessicated.

180g butter, melted (I always use salted butter in my cake cooking - it adds that little speck of salt)

For cream ganache / filling

1-2 can of coconut cream - place in the fridge for 24hours before ready to use

2-4T coconut sugar (the coconut sugar will turn your cream a beautiful golden colour)

How to:

Preheat oven to 180C. Lightly butter a 16cm spring form cake tin.

Using an electric beater, mix the egg whites until stiff peaks form and set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat the yolks and sugar until thick.

Gently fold a third of the egg whites into the yolks, with a third of the sifted flour. Repeat until all mixed together, then gently add the coconut and melted butter and fold through until just combined. It's ok if some of egg white can still be seen.

Pour into prepared cake tin and bake for 30-40mins  until golden and pulling away from the sides. Leave to cool and then remove from the tin. 

For the coconut cream ganache - Place one can of the cooled cream and 2T of the coconut sugar into bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and fluffy. One can is enough for one layer of cake filling. 

To ice cake - slice cake horizontally into either 2 or 3 pieces, through the middle. Spread the coconut cream filling over each layer and carefully place them on top of each other. You can leave the top naked or cream it as well. This is the fun part - so I'll leave it up to you to decorate as you like. Toasted or large flakes of fresh coconut on the top is lovely too. 

Decorate with non-toxic or edible flowers. Please be sure you check that the flowers aren't poisonous before serving to your guests!

You can make as many layers as you like - make 2 cakes to make a giant cake stack of 6 layers!

Coconut cream is more of an 'adult' taste, so you can just as easily use regular whipped (cows) cream. You shouldn't need sugar with this as it's sweet enough on it's own. We like whipping it in a jar - shakey shakey. Fun and easy.

{I have started using a 16cm cake tin, instead of my usual 22cm as it makes a smaller but taller cake. I'm loving the tall cake layers at the moment, but not needing the giant 22cm size cake for smaller gatherings or family nibbles. This recipe is suitable for a 22cm cake tin - it makes two well-sized layers}.

*Recipe is adapted from "Coming Home" by Kathy Armstrong.

*Photos of pansy-topped cake are taken by Leah from Sang the Bird at my weaving workshop gathering. The cut-pansy cake photo is by me. Other photos are by me, at my daughter's 7th birthday party earlier this year. 

Pansy-topped cake has coconut cream and 16cm tin used. 

Zinnia-topped cake has regular cream and 2x 22cm tin used.