The Right Seasoning

Last week I made TH a cake based on his favourite dessert…my version of a ‘Sticky Toffee Pudding’…perfect for my Englishman and the cooler weather. Apparently it was a great success (maybe the extra decadent thick, warm and glossy toffee sauce poured generously over the top had something to do with it?) This week I really wanted to bake a cake with coconut or limes. The appropriateness of my choices is questionable. With the heaters on in the house I should be making yummy treats layered with bitter dark chocolate or custard spiked with brandy!

My desire for summer flavour combos must be my way of rebelling against the winter weather. Maybe I miss my friends in the US who are welcoming the days of sunshine? Perhaps it is simply that I believe no matter the season, the most important ingredient is that it tastes great. This week I’ve decided to test my theory:

LIME & COCONUT CHIFFON MERINGUE CAKE
a.k.a. ‘Zingy Fluffy Goodness’

This cake is slightly more time consuming than most but well worth the effort. It could be a real show stopper so if there is a birthday party coming up in your household why not give this one a go. Don’t be afraid to spread out the baking duties to make the whole process more relaxed. Try making the lime curd the day before and feel free to experiment with various citrus fruits to suit whatever is cheapest or most plentiful in your area. If you are really short for time skip the meringue topping, whip up some cream and spread that all over instead. Remember; baking is meant to be fun and an expression of your personality….so welcome any mistakes, accidents and adaptations that happen in your kitchen.
For ease I have broken the cake making process into four steps:
Curd, Cake, Cover & Create.



CURD:

-on the stove top get a pan of water (about 2in/5cm deep) simmering for the “bain-marie”

zest of 2 limes
½ cup of lime juice
¾ cup of castor sugar
125g of butter, chopped into small pieces
2 whole eggs (large)
4 egg yolks
NOTE: put aside the egg whites at room temperature for making the meringue ‘cover’ later

-whisk together the egg yolks & eggs in a medium/large heat proof bowl (e.g. Pyrex Glass Bowl)
-add the rest of the curd ingredients to the egg mixture
-place the heat proof bowl with curd mix on top of the pan of simmering water
-cook curd like this on low heat for 10-15mins, stirring constantly
-after 10-15mins the mixture will suddenly come together creating a lovely thick curd that heavily coats the back of a spoon
-remove from heat, cool & then place curd in the refrigerator, make sure it’s well covered

CAKE:

-preheat oven to 190°C/170°C fan-bake (375°F/325°F fan-bake) : grease/line a 20cm/8in cake tin

3 eggs (large) separated into egg yolks & egg whites
1 pinch of cream of tartar
¾ cup of castor sugar divided into two portions
zest of 1 lime
¼ cup of canola oil
1 cup of flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
1 pinch of salt
1/3 cup of lime juice
2 cups of toasted coconut

-place coconut into a hot dry pan and toast for a few minutes (turning coconut often) to bring out the natural oils & create a lovely caramel colour. take the coconut off the heat at this point. reserve 1¼ cups of coconut for the cake topping
-sift together the flour, baking powder & salt
-using two mixing bowls separate the three eggs into yolks & whites
-add the lime zest & 1 portion of sugar to the egg yolks
-using an electric mixer (stand or handheld) beat the yolk mixture until it’s a beautiful pale yellow & has doubled in volume (around 5mins)
-continue to beat the yolk mixture while you slowly add in the ¼ cup of canola oil
-starting & ending with flour, take turns adding the sifted flour & lime juice to the yolks. make sure at this point you are very gentle and do not over mix the batter.
-mix in ¾ cup of toasted coconut. put batter aside
-add the cream of tartar to the egg whites
-whisk egg whites until soft peaks form & then slowly start to add the rest of the measured sugar
-continue to whisk the egg whites until they’re glossy, have stiff peaks & the sugar is dissolved (about 2mins)
-add ¼ of the fluffy egg whites to the yolk batter & gently mix them together
-add the rest of the egg whites & fold the egg whites into the batter. be very careful not to deflate the thick airy egg whites
-pour the mix into the cake tin
-bake the cake for around 35mins . keep your eye on it as oven temperatures do vary . you will know when it is cooked as the top of the cake springs back and holds it’s shape when you touch it with your fingertips
-when the cake is done remove it from it’s tin and put aside on a cake rack to cool


COVER:

-pre-heat the oven to 200°C/400°F
-on the stove top get a pan of water (about 2in/5cm deep) simmering for the “bain-marie”

4 egg whites
NOTE: don’t forget to use the ones put aside from when you made the curd
1 cup of caster sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

-place all ingredients together in a large heat-proof bowl
-put the bowl onto the pot of simmering water & using an electric mixer beat the egg whites for 5mins. the egg white mix will become nice and warm & the sugar will dissolve
-take the egg whites off the heat & continue whisking for 10 more minutes
-NOTE: this will feel like a long time! the mix will become very thick and glossy, like marshmallow




CREATE:

-NOTE: I recommend assembling the chiffon cake & curd before making the meringue ‘cover’
-once cake is completely cooled use a serrated knife and slice it horizontally into three layers
-divide the curd in half & spoon it generously between the three levels of chiffon cake
-place the layered chiffon cake & curd into the refrigerator for at least one ½ hour to ‘set up’



-make the luscious meringue. if you are in a rush, whip cream & use that as a topping instead
-gently lift the cooled layer cake onto an oven tray
-coat the cake with the marshmallow meringue, I like to make an extra thick layer on the top of the cake
-DON’T smooth the meringue, create peaks & swirls that will brown nicely in the oven
-cook the outside of the meringue for 5 minutes in the pre-heated 200°C/400°F oven, or until the tips of the swirls are brown
-scatter the extra toasted coconut all over the cake and/or dollop on whipped cream and then add the toasted coconut. be creative, add less or more of your favourite ingredients & ENJOY!