Lime and coconut cake with white chocolate cream and raspberries
If you’re looking for a showstopping end to your next occasion, this incredible lime and coconut cake certainly ticks all the boxes. The tropical, fresh combination of flavours means this cake won’t be too heavy to enjoy after a night of indulgence.
Ingredients
Lime and coconut cake
- 150 g butter softened
- 1¼ cup caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- 4 medium free-range eggs at room temperature
- ¾ cup warmed milk
- 1½ cups desiccated coconut
- 2 lime zest finely grated
- 200 g self-raising flour sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking powder sifted
White chocolate cream
- 125 g white chocolate chopped – see Tips
- 2 cups cream
To serve
- 2 punnets fresh raspberries or 2 cups defrosted frozen raspberries
- ¼ cup coconut chips lightly toasted in dry frying pan for a few minutes on medium heat
- 25 g white chocolate chopped, grated or shaved
- 1 lime zest finely grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 160°C. Grease and line base and sides of a round 23-25cm springform cake tin with baking paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, use an electric beater to beat butter, sugar and vanilla until thick and pale.
- Beat in eggs, one at a time, making sure each egg is well incorporated before adding the next, until mixture is fluffy and creamy.
- Stir in warmed milk, coconut, lime zest, sifted flour and baking powder and a pinch of salt. Use a large metal spoon to fold together until you have a uniform batter. Spoon into tin and bake for about 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool a little then transfer from tin to wire rack. When completely cool, use a large knife to carefully cut cake in half horizontally.
- Gently melt chocolate in a large glass bowl set over a small pot half-full of gently simmering water; or use the microwave or a double boiler (see tips below). Stir gently then leave to cool for about 10 minutes. In a separate bowl, whip cream until soft peaks form. Fold a few tablespoons of whipped cream into cooled chocolate, then fold in rest of cream (make sure chocolate is cool; if too warm it will melt the cream.) Gently fold half the raspberries through the cream.
- Spread one-third to half of the white chocolate cream over one half of the cake. Place other half on top and spread with remaining cream. Garnish with raspberries, toasted coconut, white chocolate and lime zest.
Top tips:
- White chocolate can easily ‘seize’, turning lumpy or grainy and it also scorches easily. So a little TLC is needed. Follow my top tips for white chocolate:
- Chop white chocolate into even pieces.
- If melting over simmering water, choose a bowl that sits snugly on pot and ensure water doesn’t touch bowl (or chocolate could overheat). White chocolate does not like moisture, so make sure the bowl and spoon you use are dry, and that no steam comes into contact with the chocolate.
- If using microwave, melt white chocolate in a clean, dry bowl for 45-60 seconds, and then in 15-20 second bursts, stirring gently in between until just melted.
- Stop heating white chocolate when it has almost melted as it will continue to melt away from the heat as your stir it.
Notes
I love that creating this coconut cake it relatively simple, yet it looks impressive. Sandwiched between decadent white chocolate cream and topped with juicy raspberries and coconut chips, this cake is simply divine. Frozen raspberries work just as well for this cake, which is great for when they’re not in season.
It pays to keep in mind that white chocolate can be a tricky ingredient to deal with. I’ve included my top tips for cooking with white chocolate so you can enjoy perfect results.