This recipe first appeared in Food magazine issue 72.
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Ingredients
Cake
Curd
Italian meringue
Method
1.To make the cake, preheat the oven to 180°C. Spray a 25cm x 31cm cake pan with oil and line it with baking paper.
2.Cream the butter and sugars together with an electric beater for 3 minutes. Slowly add the eggs to the mixture, beating it well for 3 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour in the oil, vanilla essence and buttermilk. Increase the speed and beat the mixture for a further 6 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3.With the mixer on a low speed, slowly add the flour and baking powder. Mix for 45 seconds. Fold in the coconut. Spread the cake mixture into the prepared pan and sprinkle over a thin layer of the extra coconut.
4.Bake the cake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes until it is brown at the edges and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Turn the cake out onto a rack to cool.
5.To make the curd, soak the gelatin in the water until it is softened. Place the coconut cream and sugar in a blender. Mix them together until the sugar is dissolved. Add the eggs and blend again to form a smooth mixture.
6.Pour the mixture into a pan and place it over a low heat, whisking continuously. As soon as the mixture boils, pour it back into the blender.
7.Add the butter and gelatin and mix on a low speed until the butter has melted and the mixture is smooth. Refrigerate the mixture for at least 2 hours until it is thick.
8.To make the Italian meringue, place the sugar and water in a pan and simmer them together until they start to form a syrup. Drop a small amount of mixture into cold water. When it forms soft balls, remove the syrup from the heat.
9.Meanwhile, whisk the egg whites until they are stiff. Drizzle in the syrup, whisking continuously until the mixture is thick and cold.
10.To assemble the layer cake, turn the cake upside down onto a large sheet of baking paper on a baking tray. Turn it over onto another sheet of baking paper so it is now top side up.
11.Take a 20cm cake ring – or a 20cm springform pan minus the base – and cut out a circle of cake as close to one corner of the rectangular piece of cake as possible. This will be used for the top of the layer cake.
12.Cut the remaining cake into 2cm strips. Place the cake ring on a serving plate. Line the sides of the cake ring with baking paper, extending it 2cm above the top.
13.Press half of the cake strips down evenly into the cake ring. Cover the strips with half the curd. Place the remaining strips evenly on top and spread over the remaining curd. Using a wide spatula, carefully place on the top cake layer. Swirl the top with the meringue. Cover loosely with plastic wrap, ensuring it doesn’t touch the meringue. Refrigerate the cake overnight.
14.The next day, remove the cake ring and plastic wrap and brown the top of the meringue with a blowtorch if you wish. Serve in wedges.
