Coconut, Cherry and Dark Chocolate Cake

I know it’s not the end of the month but today I made my own recipe of a cake and had to share it! I might try another of my ideas next week or I may call it a day on the cakes because I am having to visit the gym more frequently

Coconut cake with a cherry and dark chocolate layer topped with flaked almonds and brown sugar

I absolutely loved the Bakewell cake I made last week with the fruits layered in between the cake sponge mix. I decided to take this idea but put my own flavours into it, Cherries are at the end of their season and I picked up a large bag from my local market for cheap, if you can’t get cherries any more and don’t want to wait untill next summer then any berry would work just as well. Preferably a sweeter berry such as a raspberry or strawberry.

I got the idea for the brown sugar topping from a comment left by Loustar on my courgette and lemon cake and I loved it, so much nicer than a sweet icing (which this cake definitely did not need) and a bit more interesting than icing sugar. When I sprinkled the brown sugar on top it looked beautiful like glitter! This topping is completely optional but does look so rustic and pretty.

Love the beautiful cherries piled on top!

I had enjoyed the flavours of the ground almonds in the BBC Bakewell recipe and I decided that with the rich chocolate and cherries I would also need an element of the cake which would break through those flavours. I decided on desiccated coconut because it is quite earthy and would top off the chocolate beautifully (any one else love bounty bars??)

I also couldn’t help but pile flaked almonds on the top for that crunch! This topping is also optional but delicious, maybe it would also work with the coconut sprinkled on top!

The cherries and chocolate ooze out from in between the cake sponge

Makes 1 cake to serve however many you fancy!

140g Unsalted Butter
140g Caster Sugar
140g Self Raising flour
70g desiccated Coconut (not the sweetened variety)
3 Medium Sized Eggs
300g unpitted cherries
50g Dark Chocolate chips (or grated chocolate if you’re using a bar of chocolate)
Brown Sugar for decoration

NB: Pitting the cherries is a very mundane job if you don’t have a fancy little gadget that does it for you. I found halving the cherry then digging the stone out of one side was the easiest and quickest. Put a handful of whole cherries to one side to decorate the top.

Pre heat the oven to 170c (fan oven) and butter/ line a 22cm/ 9 inch diameter cake tin. Lining it is annoyingly time-consuming for someone inpatient like me but if you are wanting to take it out of the tin easily this is an important part of the process.

In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar using an electric whisk (you can use a food processor if you have one but I don’t so I find that putting a clean tea towel over a bowl will help stop the mix flying everywhere. It’s insanely unhealthy but also impossible not to just dip a finger in at this point! but yes maybe don’t eat the mix quite yet!

Once the butter and sugar is light and fluffy sift in the flour and add the sugar, coconut and eggs. Mix well untill everything is combined and you have a moist cake batter.

Tip half of the cake mixture into the cake tin and spread out to form one even layer. Cover with a layer of pitted cherries and evenly sprinkle over the chocolate chips then top the whole lot with the rest of the cake mixture and gently smooth it down using a spatula or the back of a spoon (or your finger) so that the cherries are completely covered. At this point if you are using the flaked almonds then sprinkle those over.

Put on the middle shelf of your oven for 30 minutes. Check the cake is cooked but inserting a knife or poker and if it comes out clean then the cake is done. It should also be golden on top.

Leave it too cool in the tin then remove and place on a wire rack untill it is completely cooled. Sprinkle with brown sugar and pile some fresh cherries on top.

surprise colours when you slice into the cake