Guess what? I have an angel food cake pan here with me that I got from Chicago Metallic that I haven't used since I got it. That will be almost 6 months ago. I was seriously cutting down on sugar since coming back from Taipei so I decided to stop baking for while. But I guess the baker in me just won't stop doing it. I was thinking about what to bake since last night. The past few days, I saw that Dorie Greenspan won herself a very well deserved James Beard award. The fan-girl in me was very happy and proud for her achievement. I simply adore her recipes and got two of her cookbooks that I would flip over again and again when I feel like it. I made a number of her recipes as well. And I have to say that none of them disappoint! I really like the detail in her recipes, plus the number of variations that you can do. With that, I got inspired to bake again.
Her Coconut Tea Cake is very easy to make. No creaming whatsoever. Just my kind of cake! I made this a few years ago I believe but I made it in a smallish brownie pan. It turned out great as well. This time though, I decided to add sesame seeds and swapped out the rum for Cointreau, which is probably the only liqueur I have in my pantry.
The result is a very delicious, intensely coconut-y flavored cake. I added icing onto it because...well, who doesn't like icing on a cake? Or any cake for that matter. It has nice crumbs as well and I like how the edges have a browned lining to it. It added a different depth of flavour to the cake. I also took the effort to make toasted shredded coconut - not that it's difficult - to sprinkle on top. I thought that also helped add another dimension to the cake - crunch. Now, the cake is complete! And so is my weekend.
Here are the ingredients and steps, adapted from Dorie Greenspan's cookbook, Baking from my Home to Yours.
Before you start, preheat your oven to 350F / 176C while preparing the ingredients and grease a 10-12 cup bundt pan. I used an angel food cake with similar capacity. I think any form of pan will work well, you just have to adjust the baking time. Also, don't place your bundt pan on a sheet pan. We want the air to circulate around the cake.
1. In a small saucepan, pour in 1 cup of coconut milk plus 56 g of butter (yup, I weigh the butter). On medium-low heat, melt the butter into the coconut milk. Do not boil the mixture. Stop just until the butter is melted. Set aside and keep warm.
2. In a small bowl, combine 2 cups of all purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt.
3. In a large bowl, combine 4 eggs and 2 cups of caster sugar. I didn't use full 2 cups. With a hand mixer, beat these two together on medium high speed until pale and thick. This will take 3 minutes (yup, I timed it too!).
4. Add 1 tsp of vanilla extract and 2 tsp of rum (I used Cointreau because that's what I have in my pantry). Beat until just combined on low.
5. Add the dry ingredients and 3/4 cup of shredded coconut and beat just until combined on low.
6. Add the coconut butter mixture slowly on low until combined.
7. Switch to a rubber spatula and fold in 1/2 cup of toasted sesame seeds.
8. And you're ready to bake! Mine took just 55 minutes. But Dorie's time is around 60-65 minutes, depending on how hot your oven is.
9. To test if it's done, insert a thin knife into the center of the cake, it should come out clean with no lingering crumbs.
10. Take the pan out from the oven and let it cool on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Then take it out from the bundt pan to cool completely. Depending on the weather, this could take over 2 hours.
11. To make the optional icing, combine about 1 cup icing sugar with around 3 tablespoons of coconut milk. If you find this too thick, I added a couple of tablespoons of almond milk or just any milk of your choice. Sprinkle some toasted shredded coconut on top. Serve and enjoy with a cup of hot tea!
Her Coconut Tea Cake is very easy to make. No creaming whatsoever. Just my kind of cake! I made this a few years ago I believe but I made it in a smallish brownie pan. It turned out great as well. This time though, I decided to add sesame seeds and swapped out the rum for Cointreau, which is probably the only liqueur I have in my pantry.
The result is a very delicious, intensely coconut-y flavored cake. I added icing onto it because...well, who doesn't like icing on a cake? Or any cake for that matter. It has nice crumbs as well and I like how the edges have a browned lining to it. It added a different depth of flavour to the cake. I also took the effort to make toasted shredded coconut - not that it's difficult - to sprinkle on top. I thought that also helped add another dimension to the cake - crunch. Now, the cake is complete! And so is my weekend.
Here are the ingredients and steps, adapted from Dorie Greenspan's cookbook, Baking from my Home to Yours.
1. In a small saucepan, pour in 1 cup of coconut milk plus 56 g of butter (yup, I weigh the butter). On medium-low heat, melt the butter into the coconut milk. Do not boil the mixture. Stop just until the butter is melted. Set aside and keep warm.
2. In a small bowl, combine 2 cups of all purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt.
3. In a large bowl, combine 4 eggs and 2 cups of caster sugar. I didn't use full 2 cups. With a hand mixer, beat these two together on medium high speed until pale and thick. This will take 3 minutes (yup, I timed it too!).
4. Add 1 tsp of vanilla extract and 2 tsp of rum (I used Cointreau because that's what I have in my pantry). Beat until just combined on low.
5. Add the dry ingredients and 3/4 cup of shredded coconut and beat just until combined on low.
6. Add the coconut butter mixture slowly on low until combined.
7. Switch to a rubber spatula and fold in 1/2 cup of toasted sesame seeds.
8. And you're ready to bake! Mine took just 55 minutes. But Dorie's time is around 60-65 minutes, depending on how hot your oven is.
9. To test if it's done, insert a thin knife into the center of the cake, it should come out clean with no lingering crumbs.
10. Take the pan out from the oven and let it cool on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Then take it out from the bundt pan to cool completely. Depending on the weather, this could take over 2 hours.
11. To make the optional icing, combine about 1 cup icing sugar with around 3 tablespoons of coconut milk. If you find this too thick, I added a couple of tablespoons of almond milk or just any milk of your choice. Sprinkle some toasted shredded coconut on top. Serve and enjoy with a cup of hot tea!
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