Cakes & Bakes: Coconut loaf cake

If you remember, for last week’s Cakes & Bakes recipe, I was meant to bake a coconut loaf cake but I didn’t have any of the main ingredient.

Justin enjoyed the resulting almond loaf so much that I had to make good on last week’s previously planned bake.

Once again, this was a quick and easy cake to make. Cream the sugar & butter, mix together the wet ingredients, add together. Mix together the dry ingredients, add together. Bake. That’s it!

Nothing quite beats the aroma of coconut cake baking in the oven… and if we thought the last loaf cake was delicious, this one raised the bar even further – coco-nutty (of course!), moist, sweet – just scrumptious!

Coconut loaf cake

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Cook Time 1

Course Dessert

Cuisine British

Ingredients

150 g/5oz butter softened
150 g/5oz caster sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 tbsp milk
150 g/5oz plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
100 g/3½oz dessicated coconut

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 150ºC/300ºF/gas mark 2
Grease a 450g/1lb loaf tin
Using a food processor or electric whisk, cream the sugar and butter
In a measuring jug, whisk the eggs, milk and vanilla extract
With the processor/whisk still going, mix the wet mixture into the creamed butter & sugar a little at a time
In another mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients well (flour, baking powder, salt, dessicated coconut)
Add the dry mixture into the wet mixture in 3 stages, mixing after each addition
Spoon into the greased loaf tin and level out using a spatula or back of a spoon
Bake for 45 minutes to an hour or until golden brown on the top and a skewer inserted into the centre comes away clean

Keyword cake, coconut, loaf cake, tea loaf

Cakes & Bakes: Bolo de fubá com coco

I’ve finally succumbed to the World Cup-mania – this is a Brazil-themed blog post! Brazilians have a sweet tooth apparently, and this bolo de fubá com coco is a national favourite. Bolo de fubá com coco translates as ‘cornmeal cake with coconut’.

It’s quite a densely textured cake – so folding in the beaten egg whites is an important stage in the proceedings. What isn’t quite so necessary, but makes the job that much quicker, is using quite so many mixing bowls and different electric mixers. You may even say that the time you save on the mixing, you lose on all that extra washing up!

Using a Bundt tin is traditional but it’s not essential if you don’t have one, a large round cake tin will suffice. The cornmeal gives it a lovely yellow colour. It’s a tasty and very filling cake, so don’t cut yourself a massive slice! It’s a mid-afternoon with a cup of tea kind of cake.

Bolo de fubá com coco

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Ingredients

For the cake
225 g/8oz unsalted butter room temperature
330 g/11½oz caster sugar
4 eggs
200 g/7oz plain flour
250 g/9oz finely ground cornmeal
1 tsp baking powder
235 ml/fl oz coconut milk
120 ml/fl oz milk
100 g/oz dessicated coconut
For the topping
2 tbs granulated sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbs dessicated coconut

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 175ºC/350ºF/Gas mark 4
Grease a Bundt cake tin or 23cm/9 inch round springform cake tin
In a large measuring jug, combine the coconut milk, milk and dessicated coconut and set aside
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and cornmeal and set aside
Separate the egg yolks & whites. In another medium-sized mixing bowl, and preferably using an electric hand whisk, beat the egg whites into soft peaks. Set aside
Using an electric stand mixer on a medium speed, cream the butter and caster sugar
Gently whisk the egg yolks before gradually adding them to the butter & sugar mixture mixing on a low speed all the while
Still on a low speed, add flour & cornmeal mixture alternating with the coconut & milk mixture
Gently fold in the beaten egg whites until well combined
Put the mixture into the Bundt/cake tin and bake for 45 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes away clean
In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and cinnamon and set aside
Allow the cake cool for at least 10 minutes before carefully removing it from the tin and transferring it on to a serving plate
Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar and dessicated coconut over the top

Cakes & Bakes: Carrot & coconut Bundt cake

We’re always on the lookout for vintage kitchenalia and baking equipment. We bought a mixed lot at auction recently that included an old Bundt cake tin – something previously missing from my cooking arsenal! I didn’t have to think that long about what cake to make so that I could bring it into service. Our local supermarket seemed to have a glut of carrots that they were selling off cheap – a big bag for a mere 55p!

I’ve already posted a favourite carrot cake recipe, so I thought I’d jazz it up a little and make a carrot & coconut Bundt cake.

Carrot & coconut Bundt cake

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Cook Time 45

Total Time 45

Servings 8 slices

Ingredients

For the cake
350 g/12oz wholemeal flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
125 g/4½oz soft brown sugar
100 g/3½oz muscovado sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground allspice
100 g/3½oz desiccated coconut
75 g/2½oz sultanas
75 g/2½oz chopped walnuts
350 g/12oz carrots grated
3 eggs
200 ml/7fl oz vegetable oil
300 ml/10½ fl oz milk
For the icing
400 g/14oz cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla extract
200 g/7oz icing sugar
3-5 tbs water
To decorate
20 g/¾oz dessicated coconut toasted
8 walnut halves

Instructions

brew a strong cup of black tea (you could alternatively use Earl Grey or Lady Grey) and allow to cool
soak the sultanas in the tea for at least an hour
preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas mark 4
in a large mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and make a well in the centre
beat the eggs and combine with the vegetable oil
pour the egg & oil mixture and milk into the well, drain the sultanas and add them to the grated carrot before folding into the dry mixture
combine thoroughly until you have quite a wet, sloppy mixture
pour the mixture evenly into a 26cm spring-form Bundt tin
bake for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer comes away clean
leave in the Bundt tin for 5 minutes before carefully easing the cake out an on to a wire cooling rack
allow to cool completely before icing
in a smaller mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, vanilla essence, water and icing sugar ( sieve the icing sugar first if there are any lumps )
using a small spatula spread the icing over the cake allowing it to drizzle down the sides
sprinkle over the toasted dessicated coconut and place the walnut halves evenly around the top