So easy to make, this gluten-free almond and coconut cake is simply delicious

I found this recipe at Bake Play Smile. There’s a video there too if you’d like to check it out!

The texture of this cake is dense, chewy and just lovely. It slices well and the taste is somewhere between a macaroon and a macaron.

Ingredients (12 slices of almond and coconut cake):

• 200 g /  7 oz butter or margarine
• 4 eggs (medium or large)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 180 g / 6.4 oz ground almonds
• 70 g / 2.5 oz desiccated coconut
• 275 g / 9.7 oz caster sugar
• 30 g / 1 oz flaked almonds
• optional icing sugar to dust

Method:

I used an 8-inch (20 cm) round baking tin. Your tin doesn’t have to be round, but you may have to adjust the baking time if using a different shaped tin. Grease and line your tin with baking paper. This step is important or it will be tricky for you to get the finished almond and coconut cake out of the tin.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (160 degrees fan)/ 356 degrees F / Gas Mark 4.

Melt the butter in a large bowl either using the microwave (1 minute heat, remove and stir and then extra 20 second blasts if necessary) or by putting the bowl over a simmering pan of water.

Add the eggs and vanilla to the butter and beat until the mixture is smooth.

Add the sugar, almonds and coconut to the bowl and stir through until the cake mixture is combined. Pour the mixture into your tin and sprinkle the sliced almonds over the top.

The total baking time for the almond and coconut cake is around 50 minutes. However, after 15 minutes the top of my cake had started to brown, so I took it out of the oven, gave it a tinfoil hat to prevent it burning (see picture below), and put it back in the oven for a further 30 mintes.

After 45 minutes the middle of the cake had risen and was springy to the touch. Judging it done, I turned the oven off and left the cake in for another 5 minutes before removing to let it cool in the tin.

When fully cool, turn the cake out onto a board or plate and dust with icing sugar if you wish before serving.

Store the almond and coconut cake in an airtight container in a cool, dry place and it will keep for up to 4 days.

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If you would like other recipes featuring almonds:

 

Almond and coconut macaroons

 

 

 

 

Pecan and almond loaf cake

 

 

 

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Claire Huston / Art and Soul