serves
12
prep
25 minutes
cook
30 minutes
difficulty
Easy
serves
12
people
preparation
25
minutes
cooking
30
minutes
difficulty
Easy
level
Ingredients
- 115 g unsalted butter, chopped
- 185 ml (¾ cup) milk
- 185 g caster sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
- 185 g (1¼ cups) plain flour
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- double cream or crème fraîche, to serve
Coconut topping
- 150 g unsalted butter, chopped
- 250 g (1 cup firmly packed) brown sugar
- 60 ml (¼ cup) milk
- 200 g shredded coconut
You will need a 20 cm x 30 cm slice pan for this recipe.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease a deep 20 cm x 30 cm slice pan. Set aside.
Place butter and milk in a small saucepan over low heat and cook until butter is melted. Set aside. Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, beat sugar and eggs for 8 minutes or until very thick and pale. Add vanilla seeds and ½ teaspoon of salt and beat for a further 2 minutes or until combined.
Sift flour and baking powder together 3 times. Using a metal spatula, fold flour and butter mixtures through egg mixture in 3 batches or until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 22 minutes or until a skewer inserted into centre of cake comes out clean.
Meanwhile, to make coconut topping, place butter, brown sugar and milk in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil, add coconut and simmer for 1 minute or until thickened. Remove from heat.
Increase oven to 210°C. Spoon coconut topping evenly over cake. Return pan to oven and bake for a further 5 minutes or until top is golden brown and crisp. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Turn out cake onto a serving platter and serve with double cream or crème fraîche.
Photography Ben Dearnley. Food preparation Kirsten Jenkins. Styling Justine Poole.
As seen in Feast magazine, October 2014, Issue 36.
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.
