Another day – another cake

There are a LOT of birthdays in my office in June.

Three in a week and all just before payday (the 14th) – how inconsiderate is that?!

Today’s was Mike and as Mike loves coconut just about as much as I do, it had to be a coconut cake:

The best coconut cake I’ve had was one from Harry Eastwood’s book but as I made him that one last year, I wanted something different.

Thinking of the hazelnut cake I made last week, I suddenly wondered if something like that would work. But I found out, looking in the cupboard, that *gasp* I’d run out of dessicated coconut. But my ransack did find this…

So I used it instead 🙂

Coconut dream cake with coconut icing:

225g coconut milk powder*

150g caster sugar

4 eggs, separated

1 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 180C and grease and line two loose-bottomed sandwich tins.

*I’m sure dessicated coconut would work too. If you use that, I’d grind it a bit finer first, in a mill or food processor, to make it more powdery than shred-y.

Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl to stiff peaks. In a separate bowl, whisk yolks and sugar till they’re pale and creamy. Fold the whites in three goes into the yolks, then fold in the coconut and baking powder. Divide between the two tins, level the tops and bake for 20 minutes, until the cakes are starting to come away from the edges. Leave to cool in the tins.

When they were cool, I spread raspberry jam on one and made icing by whisking together 4tbsp coconut cream with 6tbsp icing sugar. I used about 2/3 – 3/4 of this to fill it, then added another 2-3 tbsp icing sugar, to make a firmer icing, and a splash of lime juice, for a bit more flavour, and spread it on top:

I didn’t want to share this yesterday just in case…. but it was delicious!

Mike was in coconut heaven, saying “It’s so good El, and although I know you hate the word, it’s really moist” 🙂

Antony, who always gives me an honest opinion, said he thought it was the best cake I’d made. And I don’t think it’s big-headed (because he could have been saying all the others were horrible!) but I agree with him.

It’s really light and moist and perfectly coconut-flavoured, which went great with the jam/coconut/slightly lime icing. And it’s always good when it’s all gone half an hour later   🙂

And on that note, I’m submitting it to a gluten-free (this one’s dairy-free too) birthday cake challenge, held by Iris of the Daily Dietribe. I only found her blog from a giveaway (of a great-looking e-book) announced on Twitter – and I’m so glad I did!

And before I go, I have to tell you something I forgot to mention yesterday.

I was coming back from the yard on my bike when a bloke on a moped told me there was a cycle race coming. I’d seen the cyclists, and all the signs, as I was riding Dave so I knew it was a major thing.

What really made me laugh was the thought that anyone watching (luckily it’s a back road so it wasn’t exactly bristling with spectators) would have seen three or four escort cars appear, as many stewards on mopeds, bright yellow CYCLE RIDE tabards, flashing orange lights and then, over the brow of the hill…. this scruffy bird, pedalling furiously along in dirty jodhpurs and riding boots 🙂

I was pedalling furiously too, trying not to look too much of an arse in front of the pros, but they swept past in all their Lycra glory almost before I’d even realised. But what really made me laugh even more was when, just afterwards, I passed the house of a bloke I know and  heard a shout: “Go on, you’ll catch up with them if you try!”

It really made my day and, I can say truthfully, I was in the lead. For three and a half seconds, at least  😉