This delightfully light coconut cake is topped with a light syrup containing the tastes of lemon, cloves, and cinnamon. The recipe calls for self-rising flour, eggs, butter, sugar, milk, and coconut.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
- 4 eggs, separated
- pinch of salt
- 1/3 pound of margarine (or butter), softened (2/3 cup)
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1/2 cup of whole milk
- 1 1/2 cups of self-rising flour
- 1 tablespoon of baking powder
- 1 1/2 cups of shredded coconut
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- FOR THE SYRUP
- 2 1/2 cups of water
- 1 1/2 cups of sugar
- juice and peel of 1/2 lemon
- 3 whole cloves
- 1 stick of cinnamon
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- margarine (or butter) for baking pan
- flour for baking pan
- 4-5 tablespoons of shredded coconut for topping
Preparation:
Combine all syrup ingredients in a saucepan and boil for 7-8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Preheat oven to 340°F (170°C).
Beat the egg whites with salt to the stiff peak stage.
In another bowl, beat together the egg yolks, margarine, and sugar until creamy. Beat in milk. Whisk together the flour and baking powder and beat into the mixture. Stir in the coconut. With a spatula, lightly fold in the beaten egg whites.
Lightly grease a 15 X 10 inch (or equivalent) baking pan with margarine or butter, and lightly coat with flour (shake the pan and discard excess flour).
Transfer the cake batter to the pan and spread evenly. Bake at 340°F (170°C) for 40-45 minutes until golden and the cake starts to pull away from the sides of the pan.
Remove from the oven, cut in pieces, and while it's hot pour the cooled syrup evenly over the cake. Pour carefully, starting around the edges and moving into the middle. Sprinkle the top with 4-5 tablespoons of shredded coconut.
Allow 2-3 hours for the syrup to be absorbed and the cake to cool completely before serving.