Raspberry and coconut layer cake
SERVES 1214 // PREP TIME 1 HR // COOK 45 MINS PLUS COOLING
Love Iced VoVos? Our maxed-out cake, layered with raspberry jam, covered in fluy buttercream and topped
with raspberry and coconut has a whack of nostalgia, and bells and whistles for good measure. Now this is a party.
50 gm (⁄ cup) desiccated
coconut, toasted, plus extra
untoasted to serve
350 ml milk
200 gm eggwhite (about
7 large eggs)
Scraped seeds of
½ vanilla bean
400 gm (2⅔ cups) self-raising
flour
330 gm (1⁄ cups) caster sugar
230 gm butter, softened
85 gm raspberry jam
250 gm raspberries
RASPBERRY BUTTERCREAM
150 gm white chocolate,
coarsely chopped
100 gm eggwhite (about 4 eggs)
220 gm (2 cups) caster sugar
175 gm butter, softened
Finely grated zest of 1 lime
2 tsp raspberry baking paste
(optional; see note)
6-8 drops red food colouring
1 Preheat oven to 180°C.
Grease two 3cm-deep 20cm
x 28cm cake tins with baking
paper. Place desiccated coconut
in a large heatproof bowl.
Bring milk to a simmer over
high heat, then pour it over
the coconut. Stir to combine,
then cool to room temperature.
Pass through a fine sieve,
discarding solids. You should
have 330ml infused milk. If
not, top up with regular milk.
2 Whisk eggwhite with vanilla
and 110ml infused milk until
just combined. Combine flour,
sugar and 1 tsp salt in an
electric mixer fitted with the
paddle attachment, then add
butter and remaining coconut
milk and beat until smooth
(1-2 minutes). Scrape down bowl,
then add eggwhite mixture in
3 batches, beating after each
addition, until incorporated.
Divide batter evenly among tins,
reduce oven temperature to
170°C, and bake until golden,
risen and centre of cakes spring
back when lightly pressed
(30 minutes). Cool in tins.
3 Spread 1 cake with two-thirds
jam, then sandwich with second
cake, pressing down firmly. CutGOURMET TRAVELLER 123stack in half lengthways with a
serrated knife, then spread the
top of one half with remaining
jam and top with remaining half.
Trim cake to an even rectangle
and press down firmly to ensure
layers stick together.
4 For raspberry buttercream,
melt chocolate in a heatproof
bowl over a saucepan of
simmering water (don’t let
bowl touch water). Set aside.
Combine eggwhite and sugar
in a heatproof bowl, place over
simmering water and whisk
until hot to touch (or 55°C ona thermometer). Transfer to an
electric mixer and whisk on high
speed until thick, glossy and
cooled to room temperature.
Gradually beat in melted
chocolate and butter until
smooth, then add lime zest,
raspberry paste and food
colouring and beat to combine.
Transfer to a piping bag fitted
with a 1.5cm star nozzle.
5 Pipe peaks of buttercream
over the whole cake, sprinkle
with extra coconut and top with
raspberries to serve.
Note Raspberry baking paste
is available from the baking
section of supermarkets.