Coconut comes in many different forms. For use in sweet things, my favourite type is the unsweetened, desiccated variety. The dried, shredded flesh of this giant drupe contains so much more flavour than you might expect, especially when lightly toasted, or steeped in cream or milk. I also love baking with coconut oil as an alternative to butter or vegetable oil for its richness, and coconut milk works beautifully in icings and even fruit soups.
During my time at university, I spent the summers working on a Wyoming dude ranch. The sprawling ranch house kitchen was all windows and light, white painted wood and Formica countertops. This was where I baked for breakfast, lunch and dinner six days a week for three months, four summers in a row. I honed many of my baking skills there, mainly because of the sheer volume I produced. It was a dream job. Having spent a few years with cooks who simply opened tins and made desserts by adding water, it was my role to elevate the pastry kitchen.
I brought most of the recipes to the ranch myself — old family recipes and dog-eared cookbooks. One recipe they wanted to keep on the menu, however, was something called a cowboy cake—a coffee-infused sheet cake made, presumably, for cowboys. The original recipe remains locked in the vault of that wonderful place, but here I have created one inspired by it, replacing the coffee with coconut.
Another way I love to use coconut is in a refreshing dessert soup. You can float any fruit you like in the milk and it goes well with one of my all-time favourites, tapioca pearls. Here I have added balls of ripe mango to the soup, but I think cherries or peaches would do the trick in summer. Part of the joy of this easy pudding is the play with texture. Serve the soup with a crisp coconut cookie for the full textural experience.
Coconut cowboy cake (main picture)
Serves 10-12
280g plain flour
300g caster sugar
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
240g water
225g coconut oil or unsalted butter
75g cocoa powder
150g cultured buttermilk or plain yoghurt
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
For the icing
150g desiccated coconut
125g coconut oil, melted
4 tbsp coconut milk
2 tbsp cocoa powder
260g icing sugar
A pinch of flaky sea salt
1 Heat the oven to 170C/335F/gas mark 3½. Grease a 20x30cm baking tin with coconut oil or butter, then line with baking paper.
2 In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, caster sugar and bicarbonate of soda. In a small saucepan melt and whisk together the water, coconut oil and cocoa powder, then bring to the boil. Carefully whisk this into the flour mixture.
3 Whisk in the buttermilk, eggs and vanilla until smooth, but take care not to overmix or the cake will become tough. Pour the cake mixture into your prepared tin and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the sponge springs back to the touch and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
4 Meanwhile, spread the coconut out on a baking tray and toast in the oven for 5 minutes. Toss the coconut to keep it from burning and to get an even toast. Put back into the oven for a couple of minutes more, until lovely and golden. Set aside.
5 In a small saucepan over a medium heat, whisk together the coconut oil, coconut milk, cocoa, icing sugar and salt until smooth. Pour over the cake while still warm. Sprinkle with the toasted coconut, then let it cool and set for about 20 minutes. Cut into squares and serve. Keeps well in the tin covered with clingfilm for a few days.
Coconut, mango and tapioca soup
Serves 6
100g tapioca pearls
400g coconut milk
1 vanilla pod
200g coconut water
200g double cream
2-3 tbsp caster sugar
A pinch of salt
2 tbsp white rum
1-2 ripe mangoes
1 Bring 700g water to the boil in a medium saucepan. Slowly add the tapioca and a pinch of salt and bring to the boil for about 15 minutes. They will become translucent and plump. Remove from the heat and steep for 15 minutes, then rinse in cold water. Strain and set aside.
2 In another medium saucepan, warm the coconut milk with a split and scraped vanilla pod over a medium heat. Take off the heat and cover to steep for 10 minutes. Remove the vanilla pod and rinse it under cold water. Leave it to dry for another use.
3 Add the coconut water, double cream, 2 tbsp sugar, salt and rum to a large mixing bowl. Whisk together. Then slowly whisk in the steeped coconut milk. Taste and adjust. You can add an additional tablespoon of sugar or another pinch of salt to taste.
4 Ladle the soup into serving bowls, spoon in the tapioca pearls and finish with balls of mango – with a melon baller if you have one. Serve at once.
- Claire Ptak is an author and food stylist and owns Violet Bakery in London. She is the author of the Violet Bakery Cookbook (Square Peg); @violetcakeslondon
