☼ Happy Sunday! ☼
First things first, lets address the elephant in the room.. I know I've been MIA for a while, in truth I'd found myself in a bit of a bad spot but I'm finally ready to think positive and get back to things I enjoy. To be a little philosophical, we as humans are hardwired to be persistent, which is great when life is treating you well but can really sabotage your happiness if things are moving in a negative direction and it can be difficult to pull yourself out of the rut.
First things first, lets address the elephant in the room.. I know I've been MIA for a while, in truth I'd found myself in a bit of a bad spot but I'm finally ready to think positive and get back to things I enjoy. To be a little philosophical, we as humans are hardwired to be persistent, which is great when life is treating you well but can really sabotage your happiness if things are moving in a negative direction and it can be difficult to pull yourself out of the rut.
And with that lets conclude my melancholy musings and discuss happier things, like this delicious cake. Now I know that desiccated coconut is not everyone's cup of tea (p.s. this cake is amazing with a brew) but this ingredient was hovering near the top of my list of 'things to bake with'. Although I personally don't like dried coconut chips either because I imagine its akin to chewing on sawdust, I did have a pretty amazing coconut cake this one time and I've been meaning to recreate it ever since.
If I'm honest, this turned out even better than I could have hoped! I added in some strawberry jam to the cake batter which adds a unique element to the standard coconut cake and the sweet strawberry flavour cuts through the fragrant coconut perfectly. Also because I was feeling a little fancy I made a strawberry icing to drizzle on top and then I sprinkled on some more desiccated coconut because why not.
I've actually made this cake in its big traybake form twice now and both times the entire thing has been consumed in a matter of days and I'm making it again this weekend for my mum's friend's uncle (no joke). Apparently he said its best coconut cake he's ever had (once again, no joke), a glowing recommendation which I was more than chuffed with. Therefore ♪ if you like pina coladas and getting caught in the rain ♪ (sorry, couldn't help it) then do give this recipe a try.
To make the coconut and jam traybake you will need a few ingredients:
Measure out 262g of margarine and 262g of caster sugar - this is the ideal amount for this traybake, however the recipe can be easily doubled if required.
Beat the butter/margarine until pale and fluffy which will take around 3 minutes, thats why I love using a stand mixer because you just leave it to do all the work whilst you prepare the other ingredients. P.s. this is the KitchenAid that I use, I got it for my birthday and its my absolute favourite thing.
Next add in 4 eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition - you can add in a small amount of flour if the mixture starts to separate. Stir in 2 tsp of vanilla extract.
Then mix in the dry ingredients - 300g of sifted self raising flour, 1.5 tsp of baking powder and 115g of desiccated coconut. Alternate with 3 tblsp of coconut milk, although whole milk can be substituted here if required.
Grease and line a traybake tin then spread out half of the cake batter. Follow this with some strawberry jam (you can spread it out or have a few dollops so you get a jammy surprise now and then) - I warmed my jam up in the microwave slightly, which loosens it up. Then pour on the remaining batter and spread it out so the jam is all covered.
Pop this into a oven preheated to Gas Mark 4 and bake for around 35 minutes or until golden brown and springy to the touch.
To make the strawberry icing, stir together 200g of icing sugar and 2 tbsp of boiling water followed by 1 tblsp or jam. Alter the amounts depending on the consistency of icing you want.
Leave the cake to cool slightly, then drizzle on the icing topped with a final flourish of desiccated coconut. To serve, slice into squares and get your hands messy.
😋
I've actually made this cake in its big traybake form twice now and both times the entire thing has been consumed in a matter of days and I'm making it again this weekend for my mum's friend's uncle (no joke). Apparently he said its best coconut cake he's ever had (once again, no joke), a glowing recommendation which I was more than chuffed with. Therefore ♪ if you like pina coladas and getting caught in the rain ♪ (sorry, couldn't help it) then do give this recipe a try.
To make the coconut and jam traybake you will need a few ingredients:
1. Butter
2. Caster sugar
3. Self-raising flour
4. Eggs
5. Vanilla
6. Desiccated coconut
7. Strawberry jam
8. Coconut milk
9. Baking powder
Measure out 262g of margarine and 262g of caster sugar - this is the ideal amount for this traybake, however the recipe can be easily doubled if required.
Pop this into a oven preheated to Gas Mark 4 and bake for around 35 minutes or until golden brown and springy to the touch.
Enjoy!
Q x 
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