Coconut Cake with Fluffy Coconut Frosting

 

Coconut Cake with Fluffy Coconut Frosting

A most wonderful, moist and crumbly Coconut Cake recipe! Its tried and tested as you can see in the photos and if you follow the directions exactly, the recipe leads to fool proof rising of the cake sponge which retains its moisture. The fluffy Coconut frosting is very unique and light and you can be sure of gathering many complements from everyone who eats this cake! 

 

Ingredients:

 

Sponge:

• 1 tablespoon cake flour
• 2 1⁄4 cups sifted cake flour
• 2 1⁄4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1 2⁄3 cups sugar
• 1⁄3 cup butter, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 1 (14 ounce) can light coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ½ tablespoon coconut extract / essence

 

Fluffy Coconut Frosting

• 4 large eggs
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 dash salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 tablespoons hot water
• 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1⁄4 teaspoon coconut extract
• Bounty milk spread with coconut flakes
• 2⁄3 cup sweetened flaked coconut, divided

 

 

Directions:  Made

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees (176.6’C).
• Coat 2 (9 inch) round cake pans with cooking spray and dust with 1 tablespoon flour.
• Combine 2 1/4 cups flour, baking powder and salt, stirring with a whisk.
• Place sugar and butter in a large bowl (or Stand Mixer) and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (for about 5 minutes).
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Add flour mixture and coconut milk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
• Stir in vanilla and coconut essence.
• Pour batter into prepared pans.
• Sharply tap the pans once on countertop to remove air bubbles.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
• Cool in pans for 10 minutes and then remove from pans.
• Cool completely on wire racks.
• Place 1 cake layer on a plate, spread with Bounty milk spread and then with 1 cup fluffy coconut frosting.
• Sprinkle with 1/3 cup coconut.
• Top with remaining cake layer, spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake.
• Sprinkle with 1/3 cup coconut over top of cake.
• Store cake loosely covered in refrigerator.

 

Fluffy coconut Frosting:

• Place egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt in a large bowl, beat with a mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form.
• Combine sugar and water in a saucepan, bring to a boil.
• Cook, without stirring, until candy thermometer registers 238 degrees (114 Celsius).
• Pour hot sugar syrup in a thin stream over egg whites, beating at high speed.
• Stir in extracts.

 ~ Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 



Lemon Tart

Lemon Tart

Recipe

Ingredients:

Pastry Base

• 250 g plain flour
• 125 g salted butter, cold, diced
• 90 g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 orange

Lemon Filling

• 6 lemons
• 250 g caster sugar
• 100 g vanilla caster sugar
• 9 eggs
• 300 ml double cream

Method:

Make the Pastry

• Rub the cold, diced butter into the flour until you have a breadcrumb-like consistency. Or blitz in a food processor. 
• Stir through the caster sugar and orange zest. 
• Crack in the egg, then mix and press into one ball of dough. 
• Do not knead it, but make sure it combines without cracks.

Rest the Pastry

• Wrap the pastry in cling film and chill in the fridge to rest for an hour. 
• Preheat an oven to 180 degrees C.

Roll and Bake

• Roll the rested pastry on a floured surface to the thickness of 1/2cm. 
• Lay it into a loose bottomed round baking tin (24cm across).

• Ease it into the corners, lay in a sheet of baking paper and fill with baking beans. 

• Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, before lifting out the beans and paper and returning to the oven for another 5 minutes.

Lemon Filling

• Zest the lemons and squeeze the juice out of them into a large bowl. 

• Whisk in the vanilla caster sugar and caster sugar, then the eggs until smooth, before finishing with the cream.

Pour & Bake

• Position the blind baked pastry case onto the shelf of the oven and turn the temperature down to 160 degrees C. 
• Pour the lemon filling through a sieve into a jug to make it easier to pour, then fill up the tart case right to the top (the reason for doing it in the oven). 
• Bake for 25-30 minutes until the lemon filling has a slight wobble in the middle, then remove them from the oven and leave to cool to room temperature.

~ Serve & enjoy!

Apple Crumble

Apple Crumble

Apple Crumble; with sweet warm apples spiced up with cinnamon and nutmeg and topped with crispy, buttery golden crumble. And when served with Vanilla custard... it's like Foodie heaven! 

Recipe

Ingredients:

For the filling

• 3 medium sized Bramley / Pink Lady / Granny Smith’s apples
• 2 tbsp golden caster sugar
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 cinnamon stick

For the crumble

• 175g plain flour
• 110g caster sugar
• 110g cold butter
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon

For the topping

• 1 tbsp rolled oats
• 1 tbsp demerara sugar
• Double cream, clotted cream or custard, to serve

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 180 ‘C.
• Peel, slice and core apples. Cut each slice into 1-1.5 inch pieces.

• In a pan add half cup water, apples and filling spices and cook on medium flame for 5-8 mins until apples are a bit tender.

• Now put this apple filling in a 23cm round baking / pie dish at least 5cm deep, or a 20cm square dish. 

• Put the flour and 110g sugar in a bowl with a good pinch of salt, ground cinnamon and nutmeg and slice in the butter.

• Rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture looks like moist breadcrumbs.
• Shake the bowl and any big bits will come to the surface – rub them in. Alternatively, pulse in a processor until sandy (don’t over-process).

• Pour the crumb mix over the apples to form a pile in the centre, then use a fork to even out.
• Gently press the surface with the back of the fork so the crumble holds together and goes crisp, then lightly drag the fork over the top for a decorative finish.
• Sprinkle the oats and demerara over evenly, if you wish.

• Set on a baking tray and put in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, until the top is golden and the apples feel very soft when you insert a small, sharp knife.
• Leave to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with Vanilla Custard or Clotted Cream.

~ Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from BBC Food with a slight twist.

Lemon & Strawberry Buttercream Cupcakes

Lemon & Strawberry Buttercream Cupcakes

Recipe

Ingredients:

• 110g/4oz butter or margarine, softened at room temperature
• 110g/4oz caster sugar
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 110g/4oz self-raising flour
• 1-2 tbsp milk
• For the buttercream icing:
• 140g/5oz butter, softened
• 280g/10oz icing sugar
• 1-2 tbsp milk
• Few drops yellow & pink food colouring
• 2 tbsp strawberry syrup
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• Few drops lemon & strawberry essence essence

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.
• In a mixing bowl add butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, milk and flour. 

• Beat with an electric mixer until well combined and mixture is of dripping consistency adding more milk if needed.
• Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until they are half full.

• Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until golden-brown on top and a skewer inserted into one of the cakes comes out clean. 
• Set aside to cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack.
• For the lemon & strawberry buttercream icing, beat the butter in a large bowl until soft. Add half the icing sugar and beat until smooth.
• Then add the remaining icing sugar with one tablespoon of the milk, adding more milk if necessary, until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
• Divide this into two equal portions.
• In one portion add lemon juice, essence & yellow food color.
• In second portion, add strawberry syrup, essence and pink food color.
• Spoon the icings into separate piping bags with star nozzle.

• Pipe the icing over cupcakes using a spiraling motion onto the cup cakes in a large swirl.
• Sprinkle the cupcakes over with edible cake decorations of your choice.

• Serve with your evening tea or brunch!

~ Happy Baking!

Gulab Jamun

Gulab Jamun

A decadent & most delicious South Asian dessert, popular in Pakistani, Indian, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan & Nepalese Cuisines.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup NIDO or any other full cream milk powder
• 2 tbsp Sooji
• 2 tbsp All-purpose Flour
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 2 tbsp Ghee / Purified Butter
• 1 Egg
• Sheera / Sugar Syrup:
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 cups water
• 3-4 Illaichi / Cardamom
• Yellow / Orange food color (optional)

Method:

• Make sheera (sugar syrup) first as you need it luke warm before you can add gulab jamun balls in it.
• Boil sugar in water with cardamoms until solution thickens a bit and is of syrupy consistency.
• Let it cool down to luke warm temperature and meanwhile prepare dough.
• Mix all above ingredients for gulab jamun dough and knead until smooth.

• Make smalls balls.

• Deep fry them on low heat until golden brown (or as per your liking). 

• While frying gulab jamun will increase in size.
• Now add gulab jamun in sheera / sugar syrup and let them immersed for a while and they will increase in size even more.

¬ Serve & enjoy!

Tips: 

• Make sure to stir gulab jamun continuously while frying or balls will be of uneven colour. 
• Moreover flame should be low or medium low. High flame will cause gulab jamun to get brown early from outside but dough will remain uncooked from inside.

Cinnamon Rolls / Cinnamon Swirls

Cinnamon Swirls

Recipe:

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 1/4 ounce package yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup scalded milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup butter or shortening
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour

Filling:

• 1/2 cup melted butter, plus more for pan
• 3/4 cup sugar, plus more for pan
• 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup raisins, walnuts, or pecans, optional

Glaze:

• 4 tbsp butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp hot water
• 2 tbsp hot milk

Method:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees F or 180 degrees C.
• In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside.
• In a large bowl mix milk, sugar, melted butter, salt and egg.
• Add 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth.
• Add yeast mixture. Mix in remaining flour until dough is easy to handle. 
• Knead dough on lightly floured surface for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Place in well-greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size, usually 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• When doubled in size, punch down dough.
• Roll out on a floured surface into a 15 by 9-inch rectangle.
• Spread melted butter all over dough.
• Mix sugar & cinnamon and sprinkle over buttered dough.
• Sprinkle with walnuts, pecans, or raisins if desired.
• Beginning at the 15-inch side, role up dough and pinch edge together to seal.
• Cut into 12 to 15 slices.
• Coat the bottom of baking pan with butter and sprinkle with sugar.
• Place cinnamon roll slices close together in the pan and let rise until dough is doubled, about 45 minutes.
• Bake for about 30 minutes or until nicely browned.
• Meanwhile, mix butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla.
• Add hot water 1 tbsp at a time until the glaze reaches desired consistency.
• Spread over slightly cooled rolls.

¬ Enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen

Lemon Cake

Lemon Cake

Recipe

Ingredients

For cake:

• 250 gm soft unsalted butter
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• 1/3 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• A pinch or two of lemon yellow food color

For lemon butter frosting:

• 100 gm soft unsalted butter
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 2-3 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp lemon rind 

Method:

• Pre-heat oven at 180'C. 
• Sift together baking powder and flour. 
• I got my lemon rind through grater and peeler. 
• In a bowl, add butter, sugar, vanilla essence and lemon rind.

• Mix with electric mixer at medium speed until combined. 

• Add eggs and mix again until combined. 

• Now alternatively in small quantities, add flour and milk and keep mixing at medium-high speed. 

• Once flour and milk are finished, add in lemon juice and yellow food color and mix. 

• Pour the mixture into a well greased cake pan. 
• Place the cake pan on middle shelf of oven and bake for 45-60 mins (depending on your oven). A tooth inserted should come out clean or with few crumbles (but not wet).

• Cool completely before applying icing. 
• For lemon butter frosting, combine all the frosting ingredients together with an electric mixer.

• Apply this frosting on the cake with a spatula. 

• Serve with your evening tea.