Ah, lime and coconut. It’s one of those flavour combinations made in heaven. I’ve wanted to attempt a cake like this one ever since I tried a deliciously damp and sticky slice at a tea room in Lincoln, and was determined to recreate it. The rich coconut works perfectly with the fresh sharpness of the lime. I love the slight chewy texture given by the desiccated coconut.
I have to say, this isn’t the most glamourous-looking of bakes – it’s a little more on the rustic side – but the singing flavours and satisfying texture more than make up for that. Enjoy with a cup of afternoon tea, or warmed up and served with a scoop of ice cream for a tasty pudding. I decorated mine with some little flags because it was for my amazing niece’s Christening party!
My recipe is adapted from Felicity Cloake’s recipe for the perfect lemon drizzle cake (which itself is fantastic – recommend).
Recipe: Lime and coconut cake
Ingredients
- 175g butter, softened (I used Stork)
- 175g golden caster sugar
- 2 limes
- Pinch of salt
- 3 eggs
- 100g self-raising flour
- 75g unsweetened desiccated coconut
- 100g demerara sugar
Directions
- Pre-heat the oven to 180C/160C fan. Grease a round 20cm cake tin.
- Beat together the butter, caster sugar and the finely grated zest of 1 lime until light and fluffy. Add a pinch of salt and the eggs, one at a time, beating until well combined before adding the next.
- Sift over the flour and fold in, followed by the desiccated coconut.
- Spoon into the prepared tin and even out the top. Bake for 45 – 50 minutes – the top of the cooked cake should be golden brown.
- Near to the end of the baking time, combine the zest of the second lime and the juice of both limes with the demerara sugar, then poke holes all over the top of the warm cake and spoon over the drizzle, waiting for the cake to absorb one lot before adding the next.
- Allow to cool in the tin before turning out.
the secret spatula 