COCONUT, LIME AND ROASTED BLUEBERRY CAKE

COCONUT, LIME AND ROASTED BLUEBERRY CAKE

COCONUT AND LIME CAKE

300g                cake flour

250 g               castor sugar

7,5 ml              bicarbonate of soda

2,5 ml              salt

50 g                 desiccated coconut

300 ml            sunflower oil

375 ml             buttermilk or amasi

30 ml              lemon juice

3                      eggs

                        zest of 2 limes

2,5 ml              coconut essence

ROASTED BLUEBERRIES

300 g               blueberries

40 g                 castor sugar

SWISS BUTTERCREAM

6          egg whites (±180g)

300 g   sugar

10 ml   lemon juice

420 g   butter, cold but not ice cold, cut into cubes

TO ASSEMBLE

            toasted coconut flakes

            fresh blueberries

            lime zest/slices

METHOD:

• TO MAKE THE CAKE: Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease and line 3 X 20 cm cake tins with baking paper
• Sieve together the flour, castor sugar, bicarbonate of soda and the salt and mix in the coconut
• In another bowl combine the eggs, oil, buttermilk, lemon juice, lime zest and the coconut essence
• Mix the liquids to the dry ingredients and mix well to make the batter
• Divide the batter into 3 equal portions and spoon into the prepared baking tins
• Bake for ±25 minutes until it is cooked and a testing needle inserted comes out clean.
• Cool completely
• TO ROAST THE BLUEBERRIES: Place the blueberries in a greased roasting dish, sprinkle with the sugar and roast in the oven (180°C) for about 25 minutes until a thick syrup is formed.  Cool completely
• TO MAKE THE BUTTERCREAM: Combine the egg whites, sugar and lemon juice in the bowl of your stand mixer.  Place it on top of a saucepan with a little water and place on medium heat.  Use a whisk and stir all the time until the sugar has dissolved and the temperature reaches 70°C
• Remove from the saucepan and beat on high speed, using your whisk attachment. Beat until the egg whites mixture is white and fluffy and almost cold.
• Now replace the whisk attachment of your mixer with the K-beater
• Add a few cubes of butter at a time and beat on high speed until it has been mixed into the egg whites completely
• Continue until you have added all the butter. The mixture should be very puffy and creamy. 
• TO ASSEMBLE THE CAKE: Spread one cake with buttercream then top with a third of the roasted blueberries, repeat.
• Gently fold in the last third of the blueberries into the leftover buttercream and spread around the cake and on top
• Decorate with coconut shards around the cake and blueberries and lime zest on top.