Makes enough for 10–12
Coconut and cardamom are a very Indian flavour combination, but this cake is Danish. The best bit is the crunchy and chewy coconut caramel topping, which cracks away to reveal a yielding soft sponge.
What you'll need
For the cake
- 75g unsalted butter, plus extra to grease the tin
- 150ml whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1 lime, zested
- 3 large eggs
- 225g caster sugar
- 225g plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp ground cardamom
- ½ tsp salt
For the coconut topping
- 115g unsalted butter
- 75ml whole milk
- 250g soft light brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 150g desiccated coconut
To serve
- 300ml double cream
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1 lime
What to do
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/gas 6. Cut a circle of greaseproof paper big enough to line the base of a 22-centimetre cake tin, and another long strip to go all around the inside, making sure that it will come up three centimetres above the top of the tin. Grease the tin, line with the greaseproof paper and set aside.
2. Melt the butter for the cake in a small saucepan, leave it to cool for three minutes, then add the milk, vanilla bean paste and the lime zest. Mix and leave to one side. Put the eggs and caster sugar into a mixing bowl and mix with an electric whisk until pale, creamy and thick. The mixture should be at ribbon stage (thick enough to hold its shape when drizzled back on itself).
3. Sift the flour, baking powder and cardamom into a large bowl. Mix well, then fold in the eggs and sugar, then the milk and butter mixture, until well combined. Pour the batter into the tin and bake for 30 minutes.
4. As soon as the cake hits the oven, make the coconut topping. Put all the topping ingredients except the desiccated coconut into a small pan, bring it to a boil, and boil for one minute, then take off the heat. Five minutes before the cake comes out, reheat the pan until the topping is thin and runny, then take off the heat and add the desiccated coconut.
5. When the cake’s time is up, remove it (but leave the oven on) – it will be wobbly and starting to turn golden on top. Gently and evenly layer the coconut mixture over the cake, making sure not to press down, then return to the oven and bake for another 25 minutes. Take out of the oven and leave the cake to cool completely in the tin before removing and decorating.
6. Just before serving, put the cream and vanilla bean paste into a bowl. Using the electric whisk, beat the cream to soft peaks. Top the cake with the cream, then grate over the lime zest.
Recipe from Dinner by Meera Sodha.