My sister and her kids are visiting from Alberta this month and were coming for dinner one night last week so once again, I was in the mood to create a special dessert cake to mark the occasion. The only inspiration I had was a bag of limes that Spouse had purchased earlier that week. I'd had the idea for a while to try a coconut lime cake but didn't want anything too, too heavy.
Kids always enjoy the marshmallow frosting I make for cakes and cupcakes so I decided to use that along with plain unsweetened toasted coconut to frost the cake. The marshmallow frosting is sweet enough on its own anyway and the unsweetened version has more of the true coconut flavor so that worked very well.
I love a good tart lime curd, so that was easy enough to decide on for the filling but I didn't want a heavy cake to support all those great flavors so I chose a simple sponge cake with a little lime zest added for extra flavor. The combination of flavors and textures turned out fantastically well and wasn't too heavy at all; in fact, I'd say it is one of my favorite new cakes I've created this year.
Lime Curd
- 6 large or extra large egg yolks
- Zest of 2 large limes
- ½ cup fresh lime juice
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ cup butter cut in small pieces
Whisk together egg yolks, lime juice and zest, and sugar in a small saucepan. Cook over medium low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens enough to coat the wooden spoon. Remocve from heat and whisk in the butter, one piece at a time until smooth.
At this point you can press the lime cured through a sieve to remove the zest if desired but I don't bother.
Chill completely before using to fill the center of the two cake layers.
Lime Sponge Cake
Sift together and set aside:
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
For the meringue base of the batter you will need:
- 6 eggs separated, room temperature
- 1/4 tsp cream of tarter
- 1 cup sugar, separated in 2 half cups
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp lemon flavoring (optional)
Beat egg yolks and ½ cup sugar until foamy and thickened.
Fold beaten egg yolks into the beaten egg whites along with the vanilla (and lemon) for only a few turns before slowly and gradually folding in the flour and baking powder mixture very gently BY HAND using a rubber spatula until just incorporated into the meringue mixture. I mix in the dry ingredients in 3 equal portions. Do not over mix, you just want the flour to be incorporated; over mixing will deflate the egg whites and result in a tough textured final product.
During the final minute of folding the batter add
- zest of one lime, finely minced
Marshmallow Frosting
- 4 egg whites
- ¼ tsp cream of tarter
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- ½ cup corn syrup
- 1/4 cup water
Whip the egg whites, cream of tartar and vanilla extract to soft peaks in a large bowl. With the mixer on medium high speed, slowly begin to pour the sugar syrup down the side of the egg white bowl in a thin continuous stream. Continue to whip the frosting until it forms stiff peaks.
Frost your cake immediately with this frosting while it is still slightly warm as it is easier to spread smoothly than if allowed to cool completely.
I like to pipe a rim of frosting around the edge of the bottom layer of cake to form a sort of well for the lime curd before adding the top layer and frosting the entire outside of the cake. Reserve 1/4 cup of the lime curd to garnish the cake if desired.
When the cake is completely frosted cover the top and sides of the cake with
- 1 cup toasted unsweetened coconut
I toast coconut in the oven at 350 degrees F by placing it in a shallow layer on a baking sheet for 5 to 10 minutes, tossing it about 3 times during the baking time.
