Remember school fetes? When I was a kid, coconut ice was mandatory! It’s always been a bit of an Australian favourite, and I’m sure many of us remember having it at birthday parties growing up or indulging in some retro memories as an adult at fetes and fairs. It’s most popular as a slice, but I have vivid memories of my Mum baking us her famous coconut ice cake! She wasn’t much of a baker, but there were a few things she did really well and this was one of them. She also made a superb pavlova! Therefore I thought it would honour my Mum but also be fun to reinvent this cake as more dainty cupcakes. Moreover, it means less time in the oven which is what Summer Baking Secrets is all about.
Mum loved this recipe because it is a simple melt and mix cake, but she always advised us to cool the melted butter before adding it to the milk and egg mixture so the eggs wouldn’t “cook” or curdle in the hot butter. My choice for this recipe is Devondale unsalted butter which I mix with the milk before adding egg. It really allows the sweetness of the coconut to stand out. Melting the butter aView Postlso means that the mixture can come together in a few quick strokes, ensuring light, fine textured cakes. Yum!
Finally I top off these cakes with a bit of a “modernised” ingredient which wasn’t around in Mum’s day – toasted coconut chips which I really like for their added flavour and texture. I also think they are an easy and impressive way to decorate cakes and cupcakes.
Do you have any special family recipes like this one? Let me know in the comments what your parents used to bake for you that have left you with great memories!
x
Lyndey