Coconut Cake

I have an overwhelming love for coconut. I'm Mangy and Mangaloreans are loyal to their local ingredients and coconut is at the top of that list. Most mangy curry recipes include coconut and apart from that we have discovered only another million ways to use coconut. So you got to love coconut if you've grown up on Mangalorean food. So with that innate love for coconut, it was only natural my heart set itself on this recipe as soon as my eyes laid sight on it. A bright pink post it, jutting out of my Nigella book made sure  my mind got constant reminders to try this recipe. So one Friday evening I did just that.




Now I know I seem to be bitten by the Nigella bug. First the American Pancakes, then the orange ice cream and now this. Errr. . I must confess I've been catching many of her TV show episodes too, online. . Hmmm. I don't find it necessary to know exactly why. As long as the recipe works, I'm at peace.



This is a rich coconut cake, using a significant amount of butter and also 4 eggs. I'd normally ponder considerably before going ahead with this sort of a recipe, but the coconut loyal that I am, I decided to try it anyway. I'm glad I did. This cake is utterly butterly delicious, with just a hint of coconut. Enough for coconut lovers, and non lovers alike, as the coconut flavour doesn't overwhelm but still lends it presence.

The recipe suggest cooking the batter in two 8 inch pans, which would be faster, but I used one 9 inch pan and it took a bit longer. Let the cake cook till it turns to a nice golden brown, don't panic if it's looking a bit too wet after even 30 mins of baking. It will bake perfectly after a bit.




The recipe also included a buttercream icing, which I thoughtfully gave a miss. When the cake had baked, it seemed perfect on it's own and digging into a piece of it, proved just that. I thought the cake was gorgeous on it's own and might I say, half the amount of calories, not that those were forgivable. But anyway...




Coconut Cake

Adapted from " How to be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson "

225 gms unsalted butter, softened  (  2 sticks or 1 cup)
225 gms castor sugar ( 1 cup )
4 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
200 gms flour ( 1 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp )
25 gms cornflour (2 1/2 tbsp)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
50 gms desiccated coconut ( 1/2 cup)  soaked in 150 ml boiling water (2/3 cup)


1. Pre heat the oven to 180 C.
2. Beat the butter and sugar.  Add the eggs, one by one, beating after each addition.
3. Add the vanilla extract.
4. Sift in the flour, cornflour ,  baking powder and baking soda.
5. Add the coconut. Pour into a greased and floured baking tin.
6. Bake for about 45 mins or till a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

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