|
3 cups desiccated coconut
3 cups water
4 eggs, separated
2 cups white sugar
2 cups rice flour
1 cup self-raising flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon rose water or ½ teaspoon
rose essence
125 g (4 oz) raw cashew nuts or blanched
almonds, finely chopped
extra ¼ cup sugar
|
|
Method:
Line a deep 25 cm (10 inch) square cake
tin with buttered greaseproof paper, or use two loaf pans. Put
1½ cups each of desiccated coconut and water into container of
electric blender and blend on high speed until coconut is finely
ground, about 1 minute. Empty blender container, repeat with
remaining coconut and water. In large bowl of electric mixer,
beat yolks of eggs and 2 tablespoons of the coconut mixture with the
sugar until light and creamy. Add remaining coconut and beat
well. Sift the flour with baking powder and ground spices and
stir into the mixture with the rose water or essence and nuts.
Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form, add extra sugar and beat again
until thick and glossy. Fold into coconut mixture. Pour
into prepared tin or tins and bake in the preheated moderately slow
oven for 1¼ to 1½ hours or until risen and golden brown on top.
A fine skewer inserted in center of cake should come out clean.
Half cool cake in tin, then lift out and let cake cool completely on a
wire rack. Cut into squares to serve.
Note: In Sri Lanka,
the moist, rich flesh of coconuts fresh from the tree is grated, then
ground finely on a stone slab. The resulting texture is must
like finely ground almonds but much wetter, due to the presence of the
rich coconut milk. If you live in a country where fresh coconuts
are available, use 2 medium-size nuts. If, however, you can
obtain only the desiccated variety, treat it in the way described
above and you will still have a delicious coconut cake.
|