Recipe: Almond Coconut Cakes

[mergatrude]

After a discussion with a colleague about the Coconut Slices of Our Childhood, I decided to see if I could make a gluten-free version. Coconut slice traditionally has a biscuit base spread with jam and topped with a mix of dessicated coconut, sugar and eggs. I thought I could cut out the base and just try it with the topping using muffin tins, adding a little almond meal to give it a more cake-y texture and putting a blob of jam in the centre. Then I remembered I had some frozen raspberries and thought I could use them! The result was both pretty and delicious!


Coconut Cakes GF, DF
2 cups dessicated coconut
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup almond meal
2 eggs (free-range!)
~1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
strawberry jam, or raspberries

Heat oven to 180C (350F). In a mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugar together until combined. Stir in almond meal and coconut, alternating with the coconut oil. Line a muffin tin with paper cases and divide the mixture between the cases. Place 1/2 teaspoon of jam in the centre of each cake, or press a raspberry in there. Bake for ~20-25 minutes. Allow to cool, peel out of the cases and devour!

Notes: You might not want or need to use the coconut oil, I just found the mixture a bit stiff without it. I found it made nine cakes, filling the cases halfway. You could easily double the recipe. You can also use any type of jam or fruit you fancy. I found the tartness of the raspberry helped cut the sweetness of the cake.