There are some flavours that seem to just be perfect companions for each other, such as tomatoes and basil and lamb and mint, and in my opinion coconut and lime. So when I saw this recipe for pina colada cake at bountifulkitchen.com I decided to swap out the pineapple filling for a lime curd.
Apart from the filling and the frosting I stuck exactly to the recipe after all it was a winner at the Ohio State Fair. Though I did not have any coconut extract, so had to leave it out, but actually it had a strong coconut flavour any way.
Cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups coconut milk
1 1/2 teaspoons coconut extract
5 egg whites (keep the yolks for the filling)
Mix flour, baking powder in a bowl and set aside. Place the butter in a mixing bowl and beat on medium speed with a mixer for 1 minute. Add sugar and beat for another minute. Add coconut milk and coconut extract to butter mixture. Gradually add flour mixture into the butter mixture and beat for 2 minutes.
In another bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Fold the egg whites into the batter and mix until all ingredients are incorporated.
Grease and line two 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper and divide batter evenly between them.
Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 23-28 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove the pans from the oven and place on a cooling rack for 5-10 minutes to cool before removing cake from the pans.
Filling:
1/2 cup salted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (about 3 limes)
1 tablespoon finely grated lime peel
5 large egg yolks (left over from the cake)
Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Remove from heat. Add sugar, lime juice and lime peel whisk to blend. Add yolks and whisk until smooth.
Return saucepan to medium heat and whisk constantly or stir with a flat bottomed wooden spoon until curd thickens slightly and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across (do not boil), 10 to 12 minutes (mixture will not be as thick as traditional curd but will resemble slightly thickened sauce).
Place plastic wrap directly onto surface of curd and chill overnight. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and keep chilled. Of course these are the instructions, but I was making it the night before taking the cake to work, so I only had a couple of hours to let it chill, so it was not quite as firm as it should have been. Any way undaunted I spread the lime curd over the bottom layer.
Then place the other layer on top. Make the frosting
Frosting:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons coconut milk
2 cups icing sugar
1/2 cup of butter
1 tablespoon of lime juice
Beat cream cheese and butter in a bowl until smooth. Add coconut milk, icing sugar and lime juice. Mix well
Frost the sides and top of the cake and sprinkle with coconut.
I found a lovely large flake unsweetened coconut which covered a multitude of sins.
This made a beautifully moist, flavourful cake. Even with the 5 egg whites in it, it was not a light airy cake, which is fine by me as I really prefer a denser moist cake. But definitely a keeper and I can see why it won a medal. Sadly the birthday boy who this cake was for at work, phoned in sick! But we enjoyed it any way.
Apart from the filling and the frosting I stuck exactly to the recipe after all it was a winner at the Ohio State Fair. Though I did not have any coconut extract, so had to leave it out, but actually it had a strong coconut flavour any way.
Cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups coconut milk
1 1/2 teaspoons coconut extract
5 egg whites (keep the yolks for the filling)
Mix flour, baking powder in a bowl and set aside. Place the butter in a mixing bowl and beat on medium speed with a mixer for 1 minute. Add sugar and beat for another minute. Add coconut milk and coconut extract to butter mixture. Gradually add flour mixture into the butter mixture and beat for 2 minutes.
In another bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Fold the egg whites into the batter and mix until all ingredients are incorporated.
Grease and line two 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper and divide batter evenly between them.
Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 23-28 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove the pans from the oven and place on a cooling rack for 5-10 minutes to cool before removing cake from the pans.
Filling:
1/2 cup salted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (about 3 limes)
1 tablespoon finely grated lime peel
5 large egg yolks (left over from the cake)
Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Remove from heat. Add sugar, lime juice and lime peel whisk to blend. Add yolks and whisk until smooth.
Return saucepan to medium heat and whisk constantly or stir with a flat bottomed wooden spoon until curd thickens slightly and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across (do not boil), 10 to 12 minutes (mixture will not be as thick as traditional curd but will resemble slightly thickened sauce).
Place plastic wrap directly onto surface of curd and chill overnight. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and keep chilled. Of course these are the instructions, but I was making it the night before taking the cake to work, so I only had a couple of hours to let it chill, so it was not quite as firm as it should have been. Any way undaunted I spread the lime curd over the bottom layer.
Then place the other layer on top. Make the frosting
Frosting:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons coconut milk
2 cups icing sugar
1/2 cup of butter
1 tablespoon of lime juice
Beat cream cheese and butter in a bowl until smooth. Add coconut milk, icing sugar and lime juice. Mix well
Frost the sides and top of the cake and sprinkle with coconut.
I found a lovely large flake unsweetened coconut which covered a multitude of sins.
This made a beautifully moist, flavourful cake. Even with the 5 egg whites in it, it was not a light airy cake, which is fine by me as I really prefer a denser moist cake. But definitely a keeper and I can see why it won a medal. Sadly the birthday boy who this cake was for at work, phoned in sick! But we enjoyed it any way.
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