This is the original recipe I used when I made my Blood Orange cake from my previous post. It is a nice and light cake, that could easily be made gluten free. The flavours are Summery, and definitely suit the very warm weather we have been experiencing here lately.
I originally made this cake back in August, and while the zingy flavour of the lime was really nice, it didn’t really go well with the Winter weather! I shared some of the cake with a friend and she commented that the cake was definitely a Summer one! And I agree. Which is why I have waited a little to share the recipe with you. It would be lovely at the end of a weekend meal, or taken to BBQ or picnic in the warmer months.
The recipe comes from one of Bill Granger’s many great cookbooks. Every one of his books have great recipes, and most are fairly easy, yet packed with flavour. I am always disappointed when I try a recipe that looks easy, and doesn’t take much time, but has compromised on flavour to do so. Bill’s recipes never disappoint, and this salmon recipe in particular, has become a tasty and quick weeknight staple in our house.
But back to the cake… I added a few slices of lime on top of the cake, as I didn’t like the way the cake looked just with the icing. The top of the cake wasn’t even, and so the icing showed all its flaws. I coated a few very finely sliced pieces of lime in white sugar, and cooked them on a low temperature in the oven for 40-50mins. They caramelised a little, and covered the top of the cake nicely. I did ensure I had allowed the excess liquid from the slices to drain however, or they will make the cake soggy. You could use lime or kaffir lime leaves, or coconut to decorate the cake if you wanted however.
Lime, Coconut & Macadamia Cake
Ingredients:
200g macadamia nuts
40g self-raising flour
6 eggs, separated
165g caster sugar
finely grated zest of one lime
45g desiccated coconut
Ingredients for Icing:
125g icing (confectioners) sugar
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp finely grated lime zest
Method:
Pre heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius and grease and line the base of a 23cm spring form cake tin.
In a food processor, blitz the macadamia nuts and flour until the nuts are ground (about the consistency of almond meal).
Beat the egg yolks and sugars in a bowl for about 3 minutes, or until they are pale and fluffy. Fold in the zest, coconut and macadamia mixture.
In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Using a large metal spoon, gently fold the egg whites into the egg yolk and macadamia mixture, a third at a time.
Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 40 minutes, or until lightly golden and cooked through.
Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool (the cake can be iced when still a little warm, if you want the icing to drizzle down the sides of the cake).
To make to icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and add the lime zest. Gradually add the lime juice, until you have a smooth icing. Spread over the cooled cake.
Reference: ‘Bill’s Open Kitchen’ by Bill Granger (Murdoch Book Pty Ltd, 2003), p.91.
