Strawberry, coconut and lime sandwich cake

Name: Strawberry, coconut and lime sandwich cake
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 6-8
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Ingredients: 180g self-raising flour; 1 tsp baking powder; ¼ tsp fine sea salt; 180g caster sugar; 30g desiccated coconut; 50g ground almonds; 180g unsalted butter, very soft; 3 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten; 50ml milk; finely grated zest of 2 limes; 40ml lime juice; icing sugar, for dusting

Helen Goh

September 20, 2024

Decorate the cake with strawberries and/or edible flowers.William Meppem

Time:1-2 hoursServes:6-8

Here’s a cake to celebrate spring, bursting with the bright flavours of strawberries, coconut and lime. Conveniently, the batter is made by placing all the ingredients in a bowl of an electric mixer and beating for just a minute or so.

The key to success here is softened butter: it should be very soft and spreadable but not melted.

Decorate with more strawberries or with small edible flowers.

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

180g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp fine sea salt
180g caster sugar
30g desiccated coconut
50g ground almonds
180g unsalted butter, very soft
3 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
50ml milk
finely grated zest of 2 limes
40ml lime juice
icing sugar, for dusting

FOR THE FILLING

200g hulled strawberries, plus extra to decorate the cake
150ml thickened cream
20g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
100g strawberry (or other) jam

Method

Step 1
Line the base and sides of a 20cm round cake tin with baking paper and preheat oven to 170C fan-forced (190C conventional).
Step 2
Sift the self-raising flour, baking powder and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer, then add the sugar, coconut and ground almonds. Using a hand whisk, stir until the ingredients are combined, then add the butter, eggs, milk, lime zest and juice.
Step 3
Attach the bowl to the mixer and beat with the paddle attachment on medium speed until smooth and creamy (about 1 minute). Scrape down the base and sides of the bowl with a flexible spatula and fold for a couple of seconds to ensure the mix is fully combined.
Step 4
Scrape the batter into the prepared cake tin, levelling out the top with the spatula. Place in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and place the tin on a wire rack to cool.
Step 5
When the cake has cooled completely and is ready to be filled, remove it from the tin. Prepare the strawberries by slicing them thinly (about 5mm). Place the cream, icing sugar and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat with the whisk attachment until soft waves form. Place the bowl in the fridge.
Step 6
Slice the cake in half horizontally. If the top half has formed a dome while baking, trim it off if you prefer a flat surface. Place one half of the cake on a serving plate, cut-side up, and spread evenly with the jam. Arrange a layer of strawberries on top of the jam, then spread the cold, whipped cream on top, leaving a clear border of about 1cm all the way around the edge of the cake. Place the other half of the cake on top, cut-side down, and press very lightly to sandwich the two halves.
Step 7
Dust the top liberally with icing sugar and arrange some extra strawberries on top or, alternatively, some small edible spring flowers.