Coconut, Almond and Blueberry Cake
This is a wonderfully moist coconut, almond and blueberry cake. The combination of grated coconut, ground almonds and juicy blueberries makes this a deliciously wholesome cake in every sense imaginable, and a perfect serving for tea or dessert.
This coconut, almond and blueberry cake is one of my absolute favourites by the talented and renowned Chefs Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh.
A while back, I finally got my hands on their recipe book publication, aptly titled ‘Sweet’.
It’s a treasure trove of dessert recipes, notably cakes, including mini-cakes, tin cakes and cheesecakes. There’s also sections on cookies and biscuits, tarts and pies, and confectionery.
Need I say more? I was absolutely mesmerised, discovering new recipes a page and picture at a time.
I was so excited to get going, but with lots of tantalising dessert options to try, I almost couldn’t decide which!
But since I absolutely love cakes to the moon and back, I thought I’d start with this coconut, almond and blueberry cake.
Why I love this recipe…
At first glance, when you look at the list of ingredients, it might feel like the recipe is a little more involved than other cake recipes.
But in fact, it couldn’t be easier! It’s a mix-and-stir kind of cake, so it’s as hassle-free as you can get.
Super easy recipe – just mix and stir
I love the ease and simplicity that was intended in the recipe. All it takes is just mixing and stirring.
How easy? We start by mixing the dry ingredients together. Then, we do the same with the wet ingredients, and finally, the dry and wet mixtures are mixed and stirred altogether. Easy peasy right?
No equipment needed
There’s no need to take out your stand mixer or handheld beaters, because everything can be done easily by hand. All you need are a couple of mixing bowls, and a whisk, wooden spoon or spatula.
Marvellously moist and flavourful
I don’t know what it is about this ingredient mix, but trust Chefs Ottolenghi and Goh to come up with a wonderfully moist and buttery cake.
And what’s even more amazing are the textures and flavours you’ll get from this cake!
This coconut, almond and blueberry cake is sweet and deliciously fruity with the tang of fresh-baked blueberries.
It has a crumb that’s super moist and wholesomely nutty, with toasted almond flakes on the top adding a lovely crunch.
And I love any dessert with coconut in it! I have always found that coconut imparts a rich and mildly sweet flavour, and just makes everything taste scrumptious.
Ingredients for coconut, almond and blueberry cake
Here’s what you’ll need:
- ground almonds. Also referred to as almond meal.
- self-raising flour. If you don’t have self-raising flour on hand, you can easily make your own with plain flour and baking powder.
- desiccated coconut. The original recipe calls for desiccated coconut, but I used grated coconut, which is much more moist and turned out fantastic as well.
- sugar. Use caster or fine sugar.
- salt. If using salted butter, you may omit the salt.
- eggs. These are large eggs, weighing about 60 g each.
- unsalted butter, melted. Use melted butter that has cooled to room temperature.
- grated lemon zest. I used the zest of a whole lemon.
- vanilla extract
- fresh or frozen blueberries. Try to use fresh blueberries for optimal juiciness. I used frozen wild Canadian blueberries which is what I happen to have loads of at the moment, though I would have much preferred baking with fresh. In you do use frozen, you won’t need to thaw before hand.
- almond flakes
Step-by-step: How to make coconut, almond and blueberry cake
As I mentioned earlier, there couldn’t be an easier mix-and-stir cake recipe than this.
All you’ll need are two large mixing bowls, and a whisk (my preferred tool for stirring mixtures), wooden spoon or spatula.
I’ve included extra step-by-step process shots so you know how the batter looks at each mix-and-stir stage.
Steps 1 & 2: Mix dry ingredients together
Place ground almonds, coconut, sugar, self-raising flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Use a whisk to aerate and remove the lumps, and stir until well mixed.
Steps 3 & 4: Mix wet ingredients together
In a separate mixing bowl, whisk eggs lightly. Add the melted butter, vanilla extract and lemon zest. This time, whisk until everything combines together and you have a smooth, emulsified mixture.
Steps 5 & 6: Combine the wet and dry mixtures
Pour the eggs mixture into the dry mixture. Using a whisk or spatula, mix until you get a thick, but lump-free batter.
Step 7: Fold in the blueberries
Fold in 150 g of the blueberries, leaving the rest for the topping. Try to get the blueberries evenly distributed throughout the batter.
Step 8: Fill the pan, add toppings and bake
Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the remaining blueberries on top, along with the almond flakes.
Bake for about 55 – 60 minutes for a 20-cm (8-inch) cake pan, and slightly less time, 50 – 55 minutes if you’re baking in a 23-cm (9-inch) pan.
Baking time will vary with ovens as well, so be sure to test with a skewer. The cake is baked through once the skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
This cake can be enjoyed slightly warm with dollops of whipped cream, or on its own at room temperature.
How long can coconut, almond and blueberry cake keep?
This coconut, almond and blueberry cake will keep well for up to 3 days, though I highly recommend chilling it if it isn’t all gone yet by the next day, especially if you are in the tropics.
Or, if you intend to keep for longer, store the cake in the chiller in an air-tight container for up to a week. Allow the cake to cool completely to room temperature before storing.
If you incorporated fresh grated coconut, together with fresh fruit, you’ll definitely want to chill as soon as possible.
To enjoy it warm, simply warm a slice in the microwave oven for 15 seconds on medium setting, and it’ll be as moist and tender as when first baked. Enjoy! – ❤️️ Celia
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Coconut, almond and blueberry cake
Ingredients
- 180 g ground almonds
- 60 g desiccated coconut (I use grated coconut)
- 250 g caster sugar
- 70 g self-raising flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 4 large eggs 60 g each
- 200 g unsalted butter melted and allowed to cool to room temperature
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp grated lemon zest
- 200 g fresh blueberries or frozen – no need to thaw
- 20 g almond flakes
Instructions
- Grease the base and sides of a 20-cm (8-inch) or 23-cm (9-inch) cake pan. Line with baking paper and grease again. Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F).
- Place ground almonds, coconut, sugar, self-raising flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Use a whisk to aerate and remove the lumps, and stir until well mixed.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk eggs lightly. Add melted butter, vanilla extract and lemon zest. Whisk again until the mixture is well combined.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture. Using a whisk or spatula, mix until well combined. Fold in 150 g of the blueberries (reserving 50 g) until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the remaining blueberries on top, along with the almond flakes. Bake for 55 – 60 minutes (or about 50 – 55 minutes if using a 23-cm pan), or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Note: Keep a close eye on the cake towards the last few minutes of baking, as the relatively large number of eggs in the batter means that it can go from still being a bit liquid in the centre to being well cooked in just a few minutes.
- Once out of the oven, let the cake cool in the pan for 30 minutes. To release, invert the pan onto a wire rack. Remove the baking paper and place cake the right way up on a serving plate. Serve warm with cream or set aside until cool.
