Helen’s Favorites; Toasted Coconut Cake with Lime Cream

I’m a sucker for coconut, just posting this is making my mouth water.

Toasted Coconut Cake with Lime Cream

Ingredients
2 1/3 cups unsweetened flaked coconut
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup + 3 Tbsp coconut milk
2 x large eggs, separated
2 1/4 cups pastry flour
1 cup + 1⁄2 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
Coconut Lime Cream
3/4 cup whipping cream
3 tbsp icing sugar, sifted
2 tsp lime juice
1 tsp coconut extract
1 tsp finely grated lime zest

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 °F and grease and line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper. Spread the coconut onto a baking sheet and toast until outside edges of pan have browned. Toss coconut to mix in browned coconut with white and let cool.

Increase oven temperature to 375 °F.

Whisk vegetable oil, 1 cup of coconut milk and egg yolks until evenly blended.In a separate bowl, sift flour, 1 cup of sugar, baking powder and salt. Add flour to coconut milk mixture and stir just until blended. Stir in 1 1/3 cups toasted coconut.

In another bowl, whip egg whites with remaining 1⁄2 cup sugar until they hold a soft peak. Fold a third of the whites into the muffin mix until incorporated then fold in remaining whipped whites. Spoon batter into prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until top turn light brown and spring back when touched.
While still warm, brush top of cake with remaining 3 Tbsp coconut milk and sprinkle with remaining 1 cup of toasted coconut.

Let cool completely before slicing. Slice cake in half horizontally gently removing the top layer and fill with coconut lime cream. Replace the top layer.

Coconut Lime Cream:
Whip cream to soft peaks and add icing sugar, whipping until cream holds a peak
when beaters are lifted. Stir in lime juice, coconut extract and lime zest.