Tropical fruit coconut cake

The bright and tropical flavours of summer are captured in this cheery cake. And it's a coconut lover's dream, with all three layers incorporating coconut!

Tropical fruit coconut cake Credit: Donal's Asian Baking Adventure

• serves

  9

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  40 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 200 g butter, softened
• 200 g golden caster sugar
• 3 large free-range eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 lime, juiced and zested
• 200 g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 100 g desiccated coconut
• 3 tbsp coconut cream

Coconut buttercream

• 100 g butter, softened
• 3 tbsp coconut cream
• 200 g golden icing sugar
• 1 passionfruit

Cake topping

• 1 ripe mango, thinly sliced
• 1 passionfruit
• 40 g coconut flakes, toasted
• 1 lime, zest only

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 20cm square baking tin.

2. Beat together the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour and desiccated coconut to the bowl and slowly mix until all the ingredients are incorporated. Finally, add the vanilla, lime juice, lime zest, flour, baking powder, desiccated coconut and coconut cream. Fold together.

3. Transfer the cake mixture to the baking tin, smooth the top evenly with a rubber spatula and place in the oven to cook for 35-40 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes. Take the cake out of the tin and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

4. Meanwhile, make the buttercream by placing the softened butter and icing sugar into a bowl and stirring until smooth and creamy. Then add the passion fruit and mix again.

5. When the cake is cool, smooth over a thick layer of buttercream. Top with fruit and toasted coconut flakes, slice into 9 even squares and serve.

This recipe is from Donal's Asian Baking Adventures on SBS Food (Channel 33). Stream episodes via SBS On Demand.

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.