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Toasted Coconut & Almond Cake

This cake is a celebration of tropical texture and flavour, built on the complementary pairing of coconut and almond. The sponge is infused with ground almonds for a moist, tender crumb, and toasted coconut flakes. It's a beautifully balanced dessert that offers both a light, airy sweetness and a satisfying, nutty crunch in every slice.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 8 Servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: French
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 150g Unsalted Butter, Melted
  • 200g Caster Sugar
  • 130g Ground Almonds Almond Flour
  • 200g Whole Egg Approx 4 Medium Eggs
  • 60g Desiccated Coconut
  • 3.5g Baking Powder Gluten-Free
  • 5g Vanilla Paste
  • 2g Table Salt
  • 30g Almond Flakes
  • Icing Sugar Powdered Sugar

Equipment

  • Mixing Bowl
  • Silicone Spatula
  • Hand Whisk
  • Digital Scale
  • Micro Digital Scales
  • Baking Trays
  • 8 Inch Springform Tin
  • Greaseproof Paper (Parchment)
  • Spray Oil
  • Palette Knife
  • Wire Cooling Rack

Method
 

  1. Preheat the oven to 160℃ (320℉). Line the base of the cake tin with a piece of greaseproof paper and lightly grease the walls of the cake tin with cooking spray or butter.
  2. Evenly spread desiccated coconut onto a baking tray and toast in the preheated oven for 3-5 minutes until golden brown. Leave to completely cool.
  3. In 30 second bursts melt the butter in the microwave.
  4. Into a mixing bowl whisk together caster sugar, melted butter, whole eggs & vanilla paste until completely emulsified.
  5. Switch to a spatula and fold in salt, baking powder and half of the ground almond. Once combined, fold in the remaining ground almonds and the cooled desiccated coconut.
  6. Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake tin and evenly distribute almond flakes over the surface of the cake batter. Bake in the preheat oven for 35-45 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserting into the centre comes out clean.
  7. Leave to cool in the tin for 20-30 minutes before removing from the tin. To remove the cake run a palette knife around the edge of the cake before removing the wall of the cake tin. Set onto a wire rack to cool completely before dusting the surface of the cake with icing sugar.

Notes

  1. Melt the butter only until it becomes liquid, we don't want to raise the temperature of the butter too high.
  2. Almond meal is the same as ground almonds, as is almond flour. Almond flour is just a finer texture but will work just fine. 
  3. Optional: Top with a dollop of whipped Crème fraîche. Whisk 100g whipped creme, 50g Crème fraîche and 15g of icing sugar. Spoon onto each slice and sprinkle on desiccated coconut. 
  4. This recipe is completely gluten-free, but keep in mind not all baking powders are gluten-free. Be sure to check the ingredients list on the container to keep this recipe gluten-free
The almond cake will keep at ambient temperature for up to 4 days in and airtight container.