Greek Coconut Cake

1. For the cake:
2. For the syrup:
3. For the topping:
4. Tips

This is a recipe which was cut out from an old magazine and I have saved it in my baking folder for ages. It is an absolutely divine and moist cake and yet not too sweet.

I pull this recipe out and dust it off on any important occasion such as office shared morning tea, birthdays or anytime there is going to be a large crowd… it will feed many people.

I like to serve a generous slice with a large dollop of berry or natural Greek yoghurt on a pretty cake plate with a small fork; then preferably find a comfy spot well away from everyone to sit and enjoy each mouthful in silent bliss… ah yes, lovely.

Pre heat the oven to 150°C fanbake or 160°C bake. Line a 23cm springform cake tin with baking paper to extend 3cm above the sides – this is a tall cake.

Lightly cream butter and sugar. Place the remaining ingredients in 3 separate bowls.

Lightly beat the eggs. Add the eggs, coconut and flour alternatively to the creamed mixture in 5 batches, starting with egg and finishing with flour, to prevent curdling.

Transfer to the cake tin and bake 2 hours or until a skewer comes out clean.

When the cake is nearly cooked, bring syrup ingredients to the boil and stir to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and strain into a jug.

Prepare the topping by heating the cream and sugar together, do not boil. Add thread coconut.

Remove cake from the oven and increase the temperature to 180°C fanbake. Prick the cake all over with skewer then slowly pour on the syrup. It will all dissolve into the cake.

Spread the topping over the cake and return to the oven for about 20 minutes until golden. You may wish to put a meat dish under the cake for this step.

Cool cake in the tin for at lease 30 minutes before carefully removing baking paper as the topping is fragile around the edges. Serve with Greek yoghurt. Serves a crowd.

Tips

I often use mascarpone cream instead of runny cream because it makes a thicker topping and cooks quicker.

I also have been known to set the topping under the grill ! This seems to work okay but you must watch it like a hawk. As soon as you see the topping turning brown get ready to snatch it out of the oven… a beautiful cake covered in black, charred gunk is yuck and you might be tempted to try and save the cake by scraping it all off, then you are left with a burnt smelling cake that is really not good for anything and if you throw it out on the lawn even the birds won’t touch it, too much information? It happens… but only once thank goodness.