Friday, July 13, 2012

"Happy Bastille Day!" - "Joyeux Quatorze Juillet!"


Why don´t you celebrate this years “Bastille Day" -  "Quatorze Juillet " with a wonderful Coconut Cake with Berries and Cream, similar to a Tres Leches Cake but with a coconutty twist – it is a wonderful cake to celebrate the French National Holiday on the Fourteenth of July!




I found this recipe in the July 2012 edition of Martha Stewart Living. It was featured as part of the Fourth of July celebration menu but I thought it would be just as fitting for a French Fourteenth of July celebration menu. Whatever day you celebrate, this cake is an absolute winner!




Coconut Cake with Berries and Cream
(as adapted from Martha Stewart Living, July 2012)




Ingredients for the Cake

1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for pans
6 eggs (L), separated (organic or free range, if possible)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1 cup superfine sugar
1 package of pure vanilla sugar or 2 tsp of pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup flaked unsweetened coconut, toasted and finely ground
1 cup AP flour, divided
2 cups heavy cream, divided
1 can (13.75 ounces) unsweetened coconut milk
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
3 cups mixed fresh berries (I used blueberries, strawberries and raspberries but blackberries or other fruit would be just as delightful)

Preparation

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and generously butter a 9-by-13-inch glass baking pan.
2. Whisk together the egg whites, baking soda, and salt in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on medium speed, until soft peaks form, four to five minutes.
3. Add the egg yolks to the egg-white mixture, and whisk until completely combined.
4. Gradually add sugar, vanilla sugar (or extract) and whisk until combined.
5. Fold in the melted butter and the finely ground coconut with a large rubber spatula.
6. Sift 1/4 cup flour onto the mixture and fold to combine. Repeat with the remaining flour, folding in 1/4 cup at a time.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared glass baking pan and bake the cake until it is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, whisk together one cup of heavy cream, the coconut milk, and the condensed milk.
9. As soon as the cake is removed from the oven, pour the cream mixture over the cake.
10. Let the cake cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
11. Cover the cooled cake with some plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least five hours and up to eight hours (I found five hours to be quite sufficient).

Serving

Just before serving, whisk the remaining cup of heavy cream until soft peaks form, and spread over the cake. Serve with mixed berries, some on top, the rest on the side.




"Happy Bastille Day!" -  "Joyeux Quatorze Juillet!"




14 comments:

  1. Coconut cake with berries? Oh, I'm in heaven...

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    1. Thank you, Lizzy - it is a nice recipe and I will try it with different fruits too.

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  2. Et, un jour de bastille heureux à vous et votre famille. Je voudrais manger votre gateau de noix de coco. Délicieux.

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  3. I will try your recipe

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    1. Seeing what wonderful kinds of cakes you bake, I am sure that this recipe will appeal to you.

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  4. A lovely looking cake, perfect for celebrating Bastille Day! Love your beautiful photos!! Have a great celebration, Andrea!

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    1. Thank you so much Kathy for all your wonderful comments! Maybe you get to celebrate that "tricolore" day too?!

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  5. This sounds like a beautiful summer cake! Bastille Day is an important holiday in Québec, but something of an unknown quantity in the rest of Canada.

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    1. Teresa, a beautiful summer cake it is! Kids loved it too.

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  6. What a perfect cake! Looks delicious. I need to try it while berries are in season. YUM!!!!

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    1. Thank you, Gracie - it is a wonderful summer cake with all the berries that are in season right now.

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  7. I love how you put berries on top and it's a perfect summer cake for tea time or dessert. Coconut is my favorite too!

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    1. Thank you, Nmai - somehow this was just the right recipe for the day. Lots of berries and coconut, who could ask for more.

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