Coconut cake with pineapple confiture

Cake creation sometimes is a hard process, because some cake's components need time to become more stable, such as creams, sponges, different confitures etc. In this recipe, we will make a coconut sponge, coconut cream for filling, pineapple confiture and cream cheese frosting.

Note: I usually bake a sponge and make fillings such as confiture (or compote), cream for filling in advance (1 day before I "build" a cake).

Let's start!

1. Coconut sponge

Ingredients for 17 cm cake tin (ring):

3 eggs

80 g sugar

Pinch of salt

50 g cake flour

25 g cornflour

0,5 tsp baking powder

35 g desiccated coconut

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 170 C.

2. Carefully separate egg whites into a clean, dry mixing bowl (even a small drop of yolk mustn’t get into the egg whites).

3. Add a pinch of salt and 40g sugar into egg whites, another 40g of sugar add into yolks. Whisk egg whites (use a clean, dry whisk!) until stiff peaks. Whisk yolks until the creamy texture and lightened in colour.

4. Combine dry ingredients: flour, cornflour, baking powder.

5. Add desiccated coconut into yolks and carefully mix until combined with a silicone spatula.

6. In the-three steps add dry ingredients and whipped whites into yolks. Mix carefully with a silicone spatula every time. Don’t over mix. When you see there is a smooth, lump-free mixture, stop mixing.

7. Pour sponge mixture into the cake tin (or ring), bake for about 25 mins. Check the sponge with a toothpick. Insert it near the centre of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, the sponge is done.

8. Let the sponge cool. Wrap the sponge into cling film and leave it in a fridge for at least 8 hours (I usually prepare the sponge in advance and leave it in a fridge through the night).

2. Coconut cream (for filling):

100g condensed milk

8g cornflour

10g flour

1.5 tbsp desiccated coconut

120g double cream

60g coconut milk

Vanilla extract

Method:

1. In a heavy-based saucepan, combine condensed milk, flour and cornflour. Stir until smooth.

2. Add desiccated coconut, double cream and coconut milk. Stir constantly and bring to a boil on low heat.

3. Cook coconut cream until thick (and again, stir constantly to avoid lumps). It takes about 10 mins (+/-)

4. Add vanilla extract at the end of cooking.

5. Pour the cream into a clean bowl, let it cool. Then cover with cling film (it has to touch the cream) and leave in a fridge.

3. Pineapple confiture

Ingredients:

200g ripe pineapple

10g sugar

1 tbsp cornflour

2 tbsp water

Method:

1. Put pieces of pineapple, sugar, water into a saucepan. Bring to the boil on low heat.

2. Add cornflour, stir well.

3. Leave confiture either with pineapple pieces or grind with a blender to purée.

4. Leave in a fridge for at least a couple of hours.

4. Cream cheese frosting

Ingredients:

500g Philadelphia

60 g icing sugar

100g soft, good quality butter (unsalted)

Method:

1. Whip soft butter with icing sugar for about 5 mins until smooth and fluffy mixture.

2. Add cold Philadelphia and mix until combined.

Note: To get a moist cake, I combined 100 ml coconut milk with 25 g of sugar. Stirred until sugar is dissolved. And then spread the "syrup" with a spoon over the sp

Ideally, you need a cake ring (to fasten a cake after building).

1. Cut the sponge along for three similar layers. Use a long, sharp knife.

(Watch the video as an example)

2. Put the first layer on a cake board and spread the coconut syrup over the sponge.

3. Put cream cheese frosting to the edge of the layer (use a piping bag).

4. Then spread coconut cream, and put pineapple confiture on the top of coconut cream.

5. Repeat all steps.

6. Then, cover the sides of the cake with acetate film (ideally), or use a punched pocket instead and fasten the cake with a cake ring. Leave in a fridge to stabilise.

7. Remove cake ring and acetate film. Cover the cake with cream cheese and decor the cake up to you. Enjoy!