Lime and Coconut Cake

This is quite possibly the most indulgent thing I've ever made and shared on the blog. I won't tell you about the chocolate cake I made Dale for his Birthday, but I think I may have gained 10lbs that weekend! This really is something to share, so if you are planning a birthday party, dinner party or are going somewhere that needs cake, make this.Coconut and lime are two of my favourite flavours, coconut gelato is by far my favourite dessert in the world. So ignore the calories, bake the cake and have a slice. A fresh and sweet accompaniment to a pot of tea in the garden.

For the Cake, serves 8-10

• 4 & 1/2 (570g) cups of plain flour - remove 3 tlbsp and replace with cornflour
• 3 large egg whites
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 cups (400g) of sugar
• 1/2 cup (113g) of softened butter
• 1/2 cup of olive oil/vegetable oil
• Juice of 2 limes
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tlbsp of baking powder
• 1 and a half tlbsp of baking soda
• 1 tlbsp of vanilla
• 2 cups (500ml) of buttermilk
• 2 8 inch cake pans
• Greaseproof paper

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to gas mark 4 and prepare three bowls.
2. In bowl one, add vanilla, lime juice and buttermilk, set aside.
3. In bowl two, add flour mixture, baking soda, salt, baking powder and mix through, then sieve twice.
4. In bowl three (of an electric mixer), cream sugar, oil, and butter together until fluffy.
5. Turn down mixer and add egg whites one at a time, then add yolk.
6. In three batches, add dry mixture to bowl three, alternating with buttermilk mixture. Start with dry and end with dry mixture.
7. Be careful not to overwork your mixture.
8. Grease your cake tins and add a disc of greaseproof paper to the bottom, grease this too.
9. Pour in mixture equally and pop in the oven.
10. Cook for 35-40 minutes until golden and a toothpick inserted in to the center comes out clean.
11. Turn off heat and leave cakes in the oven for ten minutes.
12. Move to wire rack still in cake tins ready for glaze.

For the Glaze

• 1/4 cup of sugar
• 1/4 cup of butter
• 2 tlbsp of lime juice

Directions

1. In a pan over a medium heat, mix together all ingredients until butter is melted.
2. Poke holes in your cakes, evenly.
3. Pour glaze over cakes, making sure to fill holes.
4. Leave cakes to completely cool and then remove from tins, turning cakes out on to greaseproof paper.

For the Icing

• 1 cup of dessicated coconut
• 1/2 cup of coconut cream (I use cream from full fat coconut milk)
• 2 tlbsp of lime juice
• Zest of 1 lime

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients together with an electric whisk until fluffy.
2. Smear half the mixture in between the two halves of cake and apply the rest to the top.