Coconut Tea Cake

I love to bake coconut cakes in the Bahamas. Coconuts are just laying beside the road for the taking. Last trip, I bought a machete for cutting open the tough, fibrous husks. It still isn't easy and I'm very conscious of chopping off a digit! This recipe is from Dorie Greenspans's book, BAKING From My Home to Yours. I add lime zest and juice. My husband loves this with a cup of coffee for breakfast. I eat it all day long.

Coconut Tea Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

pinch of salt

1 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk (I use low fat coconut milk, shake the can well before measuring)

1/2 stick unsalted butter

4 large eggs, room temperature

2 cups sugar

Zest and juice of 1 lime

3/4 cups shredded coconut (unsweetened or sweetened or fresh) toasted or not

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 or 10 inch bundt pan (I used a 13x9 pan since I didn't have a bundt pan)

Sift flour, baking powder, salt together. Pour the coconut milk into a saucepan and add the butter and heat until butter is melted. Remove from heat but keep warm.

With electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar at medium high speed until pale, thick and almost doubled in volume, about 3 minutes. Beat in the lime juice and zest. Reduce mixer speed and add dry ingredients. When all flour disappears, add coconut mixing only until blended, then steadily add hot milk and butter mixture. When mixture is smooth, stop mixing and give the batter a couple of turns with a rubber spatula, just to make certain that any ingredients that might have fallen to the bottom of the bowl are incorporated. Pour batter into the pan.

Bake about 60 minutes if using a bundt pan. Cool before unmolding.

Bake about 35 minutes if using a 13x9 pan.

No need to frost or glaze but you certainly could for a more sweet cake.