Coconut dream bars

Fluffy, coconut cream pie meets key lime pie, yet no pie pastry to make… what a dream!

Credit: Bake With Anna Olson

• serves

  16

• prep

  25 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 cup (100 g) coconut flour
• 1½ tbsp (25 g) granulated sugar
• 90 g unsalted butter, melted
• ½ cup (50 g) sweetened flaked coconut

Coconut cream filling

• 1 tin (400 ml) coconut milk
• 1 tin (300 ml) sweetened condensed milk
• 4½ tbsp (37 g) cornflour (cornstarch)
• zest of 1 lime
• 1 cup (100 g) sweetened flaked coconut
• ¼ cup (60 ml) lime juice
• 2 tsp (10 ml)  vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
• ½ tsp (2 ml) coconut extract (optional)

Cream topping

• 2 cups (500 ml) fresh raspberries
• 2 tsp (3.5 g) unflavoured gelatine powder, or agar powder
• 2 tbsp + 1 tsp (45 ml) cold water
• 1¾ cups (425 ml) whipping cream
• 2 tbsp + 1 tsp (37 g) granulated sugar
• 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
• ½ tsp (2 ml) coconut extract (optional)
• Raspberry coulis, for serving

Cooling and chilling time: 4 hrs 15 minutes.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F). Lightly grease a 20 cm (8 inch) square pan and line it with baking (parchment) paper so that the paper comes all the way up the sides and extends 2.5 cm (1 inch) above the pan (this is a tall dessert!)
2. For the crust, stir the coconut flour and sugar together in a bowl and add the melted butter, stirring until evenly combined – it will be a rough, crumbly texture. Stir in the coconut and press the crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake this for about10 minutes, until lightly browned, and cool on a rack while preparing the filling.
3. Whisk the coconut milk, condensed milk, cornstarch and lime zest together in a medium saucepan and bring this up to a full simmer over medium heat while whisking constantly, until thickened and glossy, about 6 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the coconut, lime juice, vanilla and coconut extract (if using). Spread this over the cooled crust and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding. Cool this to room temperature and then chill for at least 3 hours before topping.
4. For the topping, remove the plastic wrap from the chilled coconut cream and arrange the raspberries overtop.
5. In a small saucepot, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water, stir and let set for a moment. Heat the gelatin over low heat stirring just until melted and set aside (if using agar powder, heat this until the mixture simmers, and let simmer a minute before removing from the heat). Let this cool a few minutes, but it can still be a little warm.
6. Whip the cream until it just begins to show signs of holding a peak and, while whipping, pour in the melted gelatin. Add the sugar, vanilla and coconut extract (if using) and continue to whip until the cream holds a soft peak. Dollop this over the berries (so as to keep them in place) and gently spread the cream to completely cover the berries. For a decorative touch, you can use the tip of a palette knife or a pastry comb to create a nice pattern on top of the cream. Chill for another hour before serving (this can be made up to a day ahead.)
7. To serve, lift the dessert out by holding onto the parchment paper, and portion into squares.  Serve the dream bars with a little raspberry coulis.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.