Author, nutritionist and owner of Wholegreen Bakery, Cherie Lyden, joined the Weekend Sunrise kitchen to share a recipe from her new book, Gluten-Free Baking Made Simple.
LEMON AND COCONUT CAKE WITH LEMON GLAZE
Grain- and dairy-free, light, soft and moist – this is one of the most popular lemon cakes we have ever made in the bakery.
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SERVES 8
2/3 cup (80 g/2¾ oz) coconut flour
1 cup (100 g/3½ oz) almond meal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 eggs, at room temperature
11/3 cups (295 g/10½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
11/3 cups (330 ml/11¼ fl oz) sunflower oil
1 teaspoon vanilla paste
Zest and juice of 2 lemons, plus juice of 1 extra lemon for brushing
Toasted coconut flakes, to decorate
LEMON GLAZE
2 cups (250 g/9 oz) gluten-free icing (confectioners’) sugar, sifted
1/4 cup (60 ml/2 fl oz) lemon juice
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon, plus extra strands of zest to decorate
STORAGE
This cake will stay fresh in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. It also freezes beautifully – simply wrap the (un-iced) cake in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 1 month, then remove from the freezer when ready to eat and glaze and slice your cake while still frozen for perfect slices (allow 20 minutes to defrost after cutting before serving).
Preheat the oven to 170ºC/325ºF (150ºC/300ºF fan-forced) with the oven rack positioned in the middle of the oven.
Grease a 20 cm (8 in) round spring-form cake tin and line the base and sides with baking paper.
Sift the coconut flour, almond meal, baking powder and cinnamon into a bowl and whisk together thoroughly.
Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, whisk the eggs and sugar together on high speed until pale and fluffy. Slowly add the oil and vanilla and continue to whisk for 30 seconds more.
Using the paddle attachment on low speed, add the sifted dry ingredients and fold in until everything is mixed together thoroughly, then add the zest and juice of 2 lemons and mix well.
Pour the batter into the prepared tin and smooth the top with the back of a spoon.
Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, rotating roughly halfway through for even cooking, until the cake is dark golden, a skewer inserted into the centre of the loaf comes out clean, or the cake springs back when you press down gently on the top with two fingers.
Remove the cake from the oven and brush the top with lemon juice. Leave to cool completely in the tin before releasing the spring, removing the sides and peeling away any baking paper as necessary. Remove the cake tin base by sliding the cake onto a serving plate.
Make the lemon glaze by mixing the icing sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest together in a bowl until smooth.
Pour the icing over the top of the cake then use a flat-bladed spatula to quickly smooth the glaze out so it gently tips over the sides to create a drip effect. Decorate with toasted coconut flakes and a little lemon zest. If you want the icing to set (which makes it easier to slice), place the cake in the fridge for 10 minutes before slicing.
Tips
• If the cake is looking a little dark on top towards the end of the cooking time, don’t worry. That’s how it should look. It won’t be burnt.
• Be sure to sift the dry ingredients – the coconut flour in particular needs it, as it has a tendency to be lumpy and tricky to break down during the mixing process.