Moist Lemon and Coconut Cake

A while back, I decided it was time to invest in some serious kitchen gear. I settled for two long desired Le Creuset casseroles. With them came a free cookbook offer, which I gladly took up. Whilst the casseroles continue to delight (well, when I get round to using them), the book was a bit of a letdown, so after flicking through it, I put it on the shelf without even a single post-it note to return to. Well, on Saturday I was swept away by a wave of enthusiasm when I looked at it again and found a recipe for a lemon and coconut cake. So off I went to make it. The result was (again?) a bit disappointing. The cake was quite buttery and although I had reduced the sugar content (the original recipe calls for 225g) it was still a bit too sweet for my liking. The cake also refused to come out of the baking tin in one piece after baking, but that might have something to do with the fact that I am the world's most impatient cook...


Moist Lemon and Coconut Cake
Yield: 12 slices
Prepare: twenty minutes
Cook: forty five minutes


Ingredients
225 g butter or margarine, softened
200 g caster sugar
3 eggs
250 g sifted self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
finely grated zest of 2 lemons
3 tablespoons lemon juice
40 g desiccated coconut


For best results, bake this a day in advance and store overnight in an airtight container before slicing. For a 32cm round cake tin


1. Preheat oven to 160C/Gas Mark 3. Grease and flour the interior of the cake tin.

2. Put the butter, sugar, eggs, flour and baking powder into a food processor and process for approximately 10 seconds. Scrape down the sides, add the lemon zest, lemon juice and coconut. Process again for 10 seconds but do not overmix.

3. Spoon the mixture into the tin and level the top, making a shallow groove along the length of the mixture in the middle.

4. Bake in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes, then reduce to 150C/Gas 2 and continue baking for 15 minutes longer until the cake is risen and golden brown. Test if the cake is cooked.

5. Leave the cake to cool in the dish for 10 minutes before turning it out. Cook on a cake rack.

6. To make the glaze, put the icing sugar into a bowl and gradually blend in the lemon juice, beating until smooth. When the cake is cool, brush the glaze all over the top and sides of the cake.


Source: Sue Cutts: The Cast Iron Way to Cook. Le Creuset